More than a third of Russians have never traveled within their own country, and of those who have, few go beyond Moscow, St. Petersburg and the southern resorts near Sochi.
A poll published Thursday by the Public Opinion Foundation found that Moscow held a substantial lead in terms of internal tourism, with 55 percent of residents from other regions saying they had visited the capital.
Comparatively, 34 percent said that they had traveled to St. Petersburg and 45 percent had been to a southern vacation hotspot.
The most desirable destination among Russians was St. Petersburg, named by 15 percent of those surveyed as the place in Russia that they had not been to but would most like to visit.
The second most popular place, but also one of the least accessible, was Lake Baikal. Only 11 percent had ever seen the country's famed natural treasure, likely put off by expensive air travel.
As for the most important national destination, a quarter of respondents said that all Russians should visit Moscow during their lives, with 19 percent naming the Kremlin and Red Square as the country's most important sites.
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