Bulgaria will issue visas to Russians within two days

Bulgaria will reduce the visa issuing procedure for Russian tourists to 48 hours, on Friday the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), citing the Ministry of Tourism of Bulgaria, reported. "In particular, for the implementation of the rapid processing of visa procedures for citizens of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Tourism of Bulgaria has transferred to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry 331 thousand leva ($ 193 thousand)," a statement said. Also, Russia and Bulgaria reached an agreement on the principles of the charter air service. In 2016, such transportation will be carried out till October 30 without prior official approval. Earlier charters from Russia could fly without the prior consent only during the active summer season. "This created serious difficulties for charter operators and could lead to the abandonment of part of scheduled flights to the airports of Varna and Burgas", the report says. In 2015, tourist arrivals from Russia to Bulgaria totaled about 500 thousand people, which is almost 30% lower than a year earlier.