"There was twice the number of holidaymakers [this year]… We can expect the next tourist season to be as high," the Zvezda Altaya quoted the gesture-of-gratitude initiative's author, Ivan Yuzhakov.
Yuzhakov is cited by the regional outlet saying a group of entrepreneurs from the Altay Republic’s Lake Teletskoye intends to send thank-you letters to Obama and Merkel once the season wraps up.
The Western nations imposed a series of travel bans and other restrictions on Russia in the wake of the Ukrainian conflict. The sanctions, as well as falling global oil prices, led to a Russian currency devaluation which in turn led to a reduction of Russian tourists vacationing abroad.
"Indeed, we can’t complain about the season, we were close to 100 percent capacity," Zyablitsky told the agency.
The Altay Republic, neighboring Kazakhstan and Mongolia to the south, played host to a number of Russian and foreign public figures this year.
Regional authorities estimate this year’s tourism numbers have grown considerably from the 1.5 million annual visitors to the Western Siberian region.
