Association of Tour Operators of Russia: the country is waiting for the rise of the tourism industry
After the coronavirus pandemic in Russia, the tourism industry is expected to recover, and if there is no new wave of COVID-19, the market could recover in 2022.
This was stated by the Vice-President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Alexander Kurnosov.
European travelers make up a large part of the tourist flow to Russia due to geographical and cultural proximity, and most of them travel to Russia on the Moscow-St. Petersburg route for six days.
“After a pandemic, it is definitely worth waiting for a rise in the market.” If there is no new wave, it is likely that in 2022 Russia will be able to return to the volumes of 2019.
The planned introduction of an electronic visa, which will simplify the visa regime, will help growth. In addition to the deterioration of the epidemiological situation, the vice-president of ATOR called the economy and priorities of some Europeans who will choose to vacation in other countries as an obstacle to growth.
Short-term e-visa in Russia was supposed to be effective from January 1 of this year, but because of the pandemic, their processing was suspended until a special order of the Russian government. With this visa, citizens of 52 countries will be able to enter Russia.
EU Ambassador to Russia Markus Ederer is also confident that the tourism industry of the Russian Federation after the end of the coronavirus pandemic will rise thanks to tourists from Europe, and the introduction of electronic visas in Russia will help develop inbound tourism of the country.
Source: iz