Purpose – The purpose of this study is to address one of the main issues in Russia’s efforts to enhance tourism competitiveness: to educate a qualified workforce at the university level. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of tourism professionals was conducted to assess importance and performance toward a set of hospitality- and tourism management-related skills and competences. An importance-performance analysis was performed to identify relative strengths and weaknesses. Findings – Russian professionals need improved competences with respect to sustainable management, marketing and research skills. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to surveying professionals in the western part of Russia (St Petersburg, Moscow, Krasnodar and Sochi). Nevertheless, its implications for curriculum reform and development should be considered in the whole country. Practical implications – The study identifies specific areas for Russian universities to address and focus on in their curriculum reform and development efforts. Social implications – Better education at universities enhances students’ employability at the time that supports tourism firms to perform better. Both together help to boost tourism destination competitiveness and sustainability, favoring progress and socio-economic development. Originality/value – Few studies have addressed human resource development in Russia. This study investigates the need for developing skills and competences in hospitality and tourism in Russia. This country has a significant potential for tourism development. Other countries with a developing tourism sector should benefit from the results of this study.