Moscow. April 11. INTERFAX – 

As the Chairman of the Profile Committee of the Government of the capital, Sergey Shpilko, said on Monday at a press conference in the central office of "Interfax", “in Moscow, despite the high cost, there are cheap ways to accommodate visitors.”

According to him, the research that says it is impossible to find budget accommodation in Moscow is flawed. "Low-budget accommodation facilities, in particular, hostels, have appeared in Moscow," the Chairman of the Committee said.

He noted that hostels also allow them to develop domestic tourism, in particular those coming to Moscow. It is no secret that Moscow, due to high prices, has become almost inaccessible for school groups, while hostels are a convenient way to accommodate groups of schoolchildren and students. Individuals may also book hostel accommodation too.

It is worth noting that the Moscow authorities intend to change the image of Moscow as a centre of exclusively business tourism in the coming years. "With the growing popularity of Moscow as a centre of cultural and educational tourism, the demand for hostels will grow," S. Shpilko asserted.

According to representatives of the "Union of Hostels", there are now 45 hostels with rooms for two to three thousand people in Moscow. "99% of hostels in the capital are located in the Central Administrative District, which is very convenient for tourists," Ivan Ksenofontov, the Chairman of the non-profit partnership "Union of Hostels”, said.

According to him, the prices in the capital's hostels are comparable to the prices for similar accommodation abroad. In particular, according to him, in Europe, a one-night stay in a hostel costs 10-20 Euros, in the United States $10-20, in Moscow, 400-900 rubles.

Representatives of the Association also reported that a new hotel-hostel would open in the centre of Moscow before the end of the year. The new hostel will be located in Stoleshnikov lane on the second floor of the office block. The hotel, with a total area of 800 square meters, provides 120 rooms.

"It is very important that the hostel is located near the main attractions of the Russian capital, making it very convenient, especially for foreign tourists," I. Ksenofontov said.

Russia now has approximately 120 hotels and hostels, which are located in 18 cities, said Daniel Mishin a member of the board of the association "Union of Hostels", founder of Bear Hostels.

According to him, most of the hostels are located in St. Petersburg, where 52 similar hotels with 2,800 beds are available for tourists.

"In Moscow, there are 45 hostels for 2,300 people at the moment, Daniel Mishin said. In 2009, nine hostels were opened in the Russian capital, in 2010, fourteen. Moscow hostels cover an area of 150 square meters, which roughly corresponds to a two-bedroom apartment, up to one thousand square meters."

He also said that, in addition to Moscow and St. Petersburg, hostels are located in Veliky Novgorod, Sochi, Suzdal, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude and other cities in Russia.

A hostel is a hotel that provides short-term accommodation, usually a bed without additional amenities. Several people live in the rooms at the same time. Hostels are in demand by fans of inexpensive travel, so they focus mainly on young people.