Russia to waive visas for Vietnamese tourists traveling in groups

In an effort to attract tourists, Russian authorities plan to exempt visas for some groups of tourists, including those from Vietnam, India and Iran.

Sputnik News quoted Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Tourism Administration Nikolay Korolev as saying that the agency is submitting an agreement with Vietnam, India and Iran on visa exemption for citizens of these three countries traveling to Russia in groups.

The aim of this policy is to promote the international tourist market to Russia, while ensuring certain government control over visitors.

Russia is trying to attract visitors. Photo: Internet

“The implementation of intergovernmental agreements has proven to be effective in terms of increasing the number of trips, and it is possible to better control the flow of tourism, because there is a specific tourism organization that is ready to provide quality services to tourists,” Korolev further explained.

According to Deputy Director General Korolev, the new plan is based on what Russia has done with Chinese tourists before. In the first quarter of 2016, the number of visits by Chinese tourists to Russia increased by nearly 50%, while the number of Russians visiting China increased by 40%.

According to Vietnamnet