Moscow tops the main category at World Travel Awards

For the second year in a row, Moscow topped the category "World's Leading City Destination" having upstaged London, New York, Paris, Saint Petersburg, Rio de Janeiro and other world's major cities. 

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards ceremony was held in the format of a live stream from Moscow. It took an hour and unveiled the winners of the major categories, including World's Leading Tourist Attraction, World's Leading Cultural Tourist Attraction, World's Leading Tour Operator, World's Leading Airline, World's Leading Resort, World's Leading Hotel. 

In Grand Final 2020 of the highest-estimated World Travel Awards, the Russian capital has been nominated in seven categories. These included World's Leading Business Travel Destination, World's Leading City Break Destination, World's Leading City Destination, World's Leading Cultural City Destination, World's Leading Festival & Event Destination, World’s Leading Heritage Destination and World’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination.

According to the results of the open voting which took place on the Awards' official website between 28 September and 25 October, the Russian capital won the main category. The jury based their decision on experts and travellers opinions. This particular year, apart from achievements, prospects were also considered.

The virtual awards ceremony was streamed from the Flagship Tourist Information Centre in Zaryadye Park and the Central Business Space. Video presentations of Moscow, Maldives, Saint Petersburg and other travel destinations were on display. The winners were congratulated by some reputable representatives of the travel industry and Russian and global celebrities, including director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov, opera singer Khibla Gerzmava, director of the State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky, chess player Sergei Karjakin, director of the European branch of the World Tourism Organization Alessandra Priante and others.

Previously, 2 November, winners of the World Travel Awards Europe 2020 were announced. Moscow topped two categories: Europe's Leading City Destination and Europe's Leading Heritage Destination.

World Travel Awards

The World Travel Awards were founded in 1993. They are considered to be the most prestigious awards in the field of tourism. They are awarded annually to the most attractive travel destinations, the best tour operators, airlines, resorts, hotels and other industry representatives.

The World Travel Awards host an annual Grand Tour—a series of regional galas on every continent. The previous year's winners are automatically nominated, along with independent applications and those from destinations nominated by the organisers' expert council. The winners of the regional stages and the nominees put forward by the expert council then compete in the grand final.

In 2019, Moscow was declared the winner of the World Travel Award as the World’s Leading City Destination for the first time. The Grand Final 2021 of the "Oscars" of the travel industry will take place in Moscow, open to visitors.

Tourism in Moscow

The Russian capital is a recognised cultural, business, technology and intellectual centre beloved by residents and tourists alike. The new RUSSPASS digital service has been launched to simplify the process of planning trips to Russia, specifically to Moscow: Travellers can use the service to create their own personalised routes that take in specific locations or choose from a number of available options. The service also lets users book accommodation, buy plane and train tickets and much more. The platform combines a wide range of useful services.

While the borders are closed, you can explore the Russian capital and create a route using the #Moscowwithyou platform. It provides over 600 videos, including video tours of the major city sights, essential materials of the life of the capital, recordings of lectures and much more. Over time, the platform has turned a genuine guide book of the city life. Here you can find running and cycling routes, learn about different city areas and new interesting places to go in Moscow. Over 60 leading museums, film studios, theaters, libraries, technology parks, city projects and other venues have already joined the platform. The platform is available for free. Its content is updated on a regular basis.