How AI Helps You Travel in Comfort Around Moscow
Moscow’s Department of Information Technology has highlighted a range of useful services for tourists. The Uznaĭ Moskvu (Get to Know Moscow) app, Mosbilet (Moscow Tickets) platform, Russpass travel service, and Moscow Metro and Moscow Transport mobile apps help visitors explore the city on their own and organize their free time.
Moscow has built a digital ecosystem for tourists: city online services let residents and visitors search for and book hotels, buy tickets to events, choose restaurants and plan travel routes.
“The capital’s digital ecosystem includes a whole range of services and projects designed to help tourists enjoy their time in Moscow. They include the Uznaĭ Moskvu portal and mobile app, the Mosbilet platform, the Russpass travel service, the Moscow Metro and Moscow Transport mobile apps, as well as useful guides on the mos.ru portal,” representatives of the Moscow Department of Information Technology said, outlining the services available to visitors.
Digital Twins and Quizzes
The Uznaĭ Moskvu online guide helps travelers discover new places and learn their history. It includes a selection of original walking routes, audio guides, an interactive map and quests. Users can currently choose from more than 340 ways to explore the city.
Digital twins of famous historical figures who created important landmarks explain in the Uznaĭ Moskvu mobile app how the landmarks were built and what makes them unique.
Affordable Tickets and Cultural Activities
The Mosbilet service lets users buy tickets to theaters, museums and concert halls without a service fee. Users can receive personalized selections of events and purchase tickets immediately. A dedicated “New Season With Mosbilet” project brings together premieres, while “Where to Go With Kids in Moscow” focuses specifically on activities for children.
There is also the larger-scale Russpass travel service, which brings together tens of thousands of offerings across 85 regions of Russia. Users can choose excursions, build itineraries, reserve a table at a cafe or restaurant, and browse city event listings. The integration of artificial intelligence into the service allows users to receive personalized selections and recommendations.
It Plots the Route for You
The Moscow Metro and Moscow Transport apps help users plan trips on public transportation. They can plot the optimal route by subway or taxi, while also allowing users to top up their Troika transit cards. Users can track the arrival of buses, electric buses and trams, charge an electric vehicle, rent a car or scooter, and buy tickets for river cruises. For convenience, all purchases are collected in a single section.
A Smart City for Tourists
Smart-city technologies are increasingly being used in tourism: digital platforms help connect infrastructure, businesses and users. To build this kind of modern tourism ecosystem, analysts at Moscow’s Department of Information Technology studied the experience of major cities in other countries. The world’s largest cities are actively adopting artificial intelligence and augmented-reality technologies. Moscow’s department has chosen to focus on making these services convenient for users.
“Moscow is developing these services alongside other major cities, and we can see that our projects have much in common with what is being done abroad. For example, the AR technologies used in the Uznaĭ Moskvu project echo solutions in Hong Kong and Rome. We see that city digital services are becoming an integral part of travel, and Moscow is offering residents and visitors modern, convenient and technology-driven ways to discover the city,” said Mariam Arevadze, head of the Analytical Department at the Moscow Department of Information Technology.
Looking ahead, such solutions could evolve into personal digital assistants that automatically build itineraries, recommend services and help users interact with the urban environment. Moscow’s experience could also serve as a foundation for creating similar digital platforms in other Russian regions.
