Visa News

Russia loses foreign tourists due to visa politics

Russian tour operators appealed to the government on the question of ease of visa regime and suggested to invest more in promoting the country. They state the fact, that there is a steady decline in the number of foreign tourists.

The head of the Federal Tourism Agency, Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, recently told the MPs that the number of foreign tourists has fell by 70% over the last 10 years. Today the world’s biggest country hosts only 1% of all tourists in the world.

The main reasons for the decline are difficulties in getting a Russian tourist visa and a lack of official promotional campaign. With the abolition of visa regime by its neighbours Russia has lost 50 to 60% of its tourists.

What is keeping the new Russian authorities from understanding the problem is unclear. They approve the construction of another 5 star hotel, when all that is needed is eased visa restrictions and quality 3 star hotels in the main tourist destinations.

It seems that there are some much needed changes in Russian visa politics, hopefully progress can be made with the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Sources: http://www.mosnews.com , http://english.mn.ru