Iranian tourists topped the list of the most generous shoppers in Russia in 2024, with an average shopping bill of 240,900 rubles, according to the press service of DigiTaxFree, Russia’s digital tax-free system operator. Visitors from Georgia and Nigeria also made it into the top three in terms of shopping expenses.
“Iranian tourists were the biggest spenders, averaging 240,900 rubles per shopping trip. They were followed by visitors from Georgia with an average bill of 214,900 rubles, Nigeria at 196,800 rubles, and Vietnam at 195,200 rubles,” the report stated.
Tourists from Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan were also among the top spenders, with average shopping bills of 187,600 rubles and 177,100 rubles respectively. One unexpected entry in the rankings was North Korean visitors, who spent around 156,000 rubles on average, while American tourists significantly increased their spending by nearly 60%, rising from 116,100 rubles in 2023 to 182,700 rubles in 2024.
DigiTaxFree’s executive director, Vadim Klementyev, added that Chinese tourists, while spending less per purchase (averaging just over 60,000 rubles), made purchases far more frequently. “Our data shows that Chinese visitors account for the largest number of tax-free transactions. This is largely due to the fact that they typically come for short visits of one to two days, and they’re particularly keen to take advantage of the tax-free system,” he explained.
According to the operator, Iranian and Vietnamese tourists mostly purchase designer clothing, shoes, and cosmetics, while Nigerian shoppers gravitate toward luxury accessories. Visitors from North Korea primarily buy jewelry and gold.
The busiest shopping days for foreign tourists were Sunday (29% of all purchases), followed by Saturday (19%) and Friday (16%).
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Free-Photos/Pixabay
Based on materials from TASS