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Russia - Restoration of international flights accelerated in February

Russia (bbabo.net), - The world's air traffic has already recovered half of its 2019 levels, but many of the major countries are still closed to tourists, including Russia, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said. Russia is ready to receive foreign tourists, but potential guests are stopped by the need to take PCR tests, the tourism industry notes.

At the beginning of February 2022, 11% more tickets were sold on international flights worldwide than in the same period in January. As a result, the number of tickets sold reached 49% of the pre-Covid 2019 figures. The international air travel market has reached such a rate of recovery for the first time since the beginning of the crisis caused by the pandemic. Tourists are ready to travel if countries relax anti-COVID restrictions.

Already 18 of the top 50 air travel markets, which accounted for 92% of global demand in 2019, have reopened to vaccinated tourists, with no additional requirements to quarantine or be tested before departure, IATA said. The opportunity for vaccinated tourists to enter without quarantine requirements, but with the condition of PCR tests, is provided by 28 markets. Under various conditions (tests, quarantine), vaccinated tourists can enter 37 countries.

However, despite a marked easing of the anti-COVID regime, the world is still far from its 2019 levels. Of the top 50 travel markets, 30 still do not provide easy access to all vaccinated travelers, IATA said. Among these countries, along with such large economies as China, Japan, Indonesia, Italy, Russia is also included. "The travel restrictions have had a severe impact on people and the economy, but they have not stopped the spread of the virus. The time has come to eliminate them," IATA said.

Russia is ready to receive tourists from 82 countries, but subject to a negative PCR test. Rostourism even developed a memo for foreign tourists. It says that in order to enter Russia, foreign tourists need to have a tourist visa, a medical document confirming a negative PCR test made no earlier than 48 hours before arrival, and a questionnaire filled out on the Rospotrebnadzor website. At the same time, a document with a QR code is not needed to enter Russia.

But in each region of Russia, additional rules may apply on the presentation when placing in hotels or visiting restaurants, mass events, cultural institutions of documents with a QR code, issued through a single portal of public services in Russia, the memo says.

Tourists from the list of countries whose citizens are allowed to enter Russia can get a visa, though not yet an electronic one, says Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry. Demands to provide the results of PCR tests are deterring tourists. Therefore, while the inbound tourist flow has recovered only by 5% from the level of 2019.

Now in Russia there are tourists from the countries of the Middle East from India, a few tourists from European countries, says Gorin. But, of course, the recognition of vaccines, the facilitation of entry, the issuance of electronic visas can help restore inbound tourism.

Difficulties for Russian tourists may arise in already "open" countries. In the UAE, travelers from Russia have complained about the increased number of positive PCR tests they receive upon arrival, the Izvestia newspaper reported the day before, citing a closed group of tour operators on Facebook. Tourists go to isolation instead of beaches. Previously, similar problems arose in Thailand.

There are such cases, but their number is small, given that the tourist flow from Russia to the UAE is 600,000 people, Gorin notes.

Russia - Restoration of international flights accelerated in February