According to Alina Arutyunova, deputy chairperson of the Moscow city tourism committee, who was in Mumbai on Tuesday, Russia may institute a visa-free policy for Indian tourist groups. For the time being, however, Russia will soon offer electronic visas to visitors from India.
A similar directive was just given to Iran on Tuesday, and it’s probable that India may receive one soon as well. “The President of the Russian Federation has endorsed a plan to implement a visa-free system for group travellers,” she stated.
According to Arutyunova, the top three non-CIS nations that send the most visitors to Moscow are Turkey, Germany, and India.
Due to Covid-19 limits, a resolution passed in 2020 called for the implementation of electronic visas for 52 nations, including India. “We very much expect that the project will be launched soon, and e-visa would simplify the process of arrival of international tourists,” Arutyunova said.
Regarding the effects of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, she replied: “Even in times of global uncertainty, tourism serves as a link between different peoples and cultures.
The number of Indians living in Moscow during the first half of this year was 13,300; it is anticipated that by the end of 2023, the pre-pandemic numbers would be attained.”
From 2016 to 2019, there were over a lakh more Indian tourists visiting Moscow each year than there were in 2016. According to Arutyunova, traffic improved to 40% of the level before the pandemic. They found it interesting that 48% of the Indian tourists who visited Moscow in 2021 returned twice.
According to a travel agency, many Indians had gone to Russia after the Sputnik V vaccination was introduced because it was one of the few nations in 2021 that did not require quarantine upon arrival.
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