On October 12, the Entry/Exit System (EES) officially launched in the European Union. It is designed to register the actual entry and exit of all tourists and short-term visitors who do not hold citizenship of EU countries within the Schengen Area. Upon first crossing the border, travelers will be…
Starting October 6, 2025, Russian citizens will be required to provide biometric data to obtain a Cyprus visa.
This new requirement, announced by the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Moscow, requires the applicant to be present in person when submitting documents. Children under 12 are…
The relative stability of regulations and logistics for flights through third countries led to a 15-20% increase in the number of Russian tourist trips to Europe this summer, according to Artur Muradyan, Vice President of International Tourism at Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) and CEO of tour…
The interest of Russian tourists in summer holidays in European countries is steadily growing, Russian tour operators note, citing their sales data. Demand there this summer is not massive, but steady. Montenegro, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Spain, and Cyprus are the most popular among tourists.
The Spanish authorities have started checking Russian citizens for transit visas when transferring at Spanish airports, even if they do not leave the international zone, the kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. This measure came into force on July 12, 2025.
Demand for beach holidays in Greece this summer season has increased significantly, major Russian tour operators told to Vestnik ATOR. Companies PAKS and Ambotis Holidays draw attention to the increase in the depth of sales in the Greek direction: there are already bookings for October 2025.
On April 23, the French visa center in Moscow stopped accepting old-style passports from Russians. However, there was no information about this on its website or on the page of the French consulate. Travel agencies were also not officially notified. Later, screenshots of letters from the center's…
Google Street View is officially launched in Georgia in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Georgia and the Agency for Innovation and Technology.
As part of the project, special Google film crews will shoot 360-degree panoramic images in 24 cities of Georgia starting in March 2025.…
In Athens Moldovan Minister of Culture Sergiu Prodan met with Greek Minister of Tourism Olga Kefaloyanni, with whom he discussed the possibility of cooperation and exchange of experience between the departments of the two countries.
"Greece is a successful example of developing its tourism…
The 47th session of the UNESCO Committee will be held in July 2025, where new sites will be selected for the World Heritage List.
Every year, a variety of countries try to get on the UNESCO cultural heritage list. 26 objects became the «stars» of 2024, including those from Russia (Kenozersky…
According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) the number of trips from Russia to Europe amounted to 1.4 million, including connecting flights to third countries, mainly via Turkey. In comparison with 2019, the number of visits to EU countries has decreased by 10 times, when Russians…
Tour Operator Sputnik Armenia announced charter flights from Yerevan to Cyprus. The flights will be operated on the A320 aircrafts of Aegean Airlines. Departure time of flight A3 4910 from Larnaka is 00:45, arrival time to Yerevan 03:40. Departure time of flight A3 4911from Yerevan is 04:35, arrival…
In summer 2025 Russians will be able to travel to the resorts of Crete with only one convenient connection. Package tours to this destination were launched by the tour operator Fun & Sun. They are planned from Moscow (Domodedovo airport) from the end of May to mid-October 2025 on Wednesdays and Saturdays.…
Tour Operator Sputnik Armenia announced charter flights from Yerevan to Rhodes, Greece. The flights will be operated on the aircrafts of Aegean Airlines. Departure time from Rhodes is 22:30, arrival to Yerevan next day at 02:10. Departure time from Yerevan is 03:00, arrival time to Rhodes 04:30
Despite the sanctions, difficulties in obtaining visas and the lack of direct flights, Russian tourists do not refuse to travel to Europe in the summer season of 2024.
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia interviewed its members to find out the demand for European beach and…
The tour operator Fun & Sun, has nearly finalized flight plans to Turkey for the summer season. Charter flights and seats on flights to Antalya are currently available from 17 different cities in Russia. In addition, flights from other regions will be added to flights to the Aegean Coast - to Bodrum…
The tour operator Fun&Sun bought a block of seats on Ural Airlines flights to Istanbul and arranged tours to Istanbul and Cappadocia for February and March, both excursion and of the “flight + hotel” format.
Nowadays, Fun&Sun has guaranteed blocks of seats (20 seats on each flight) on flights…
In the winter season 2023-24. Pax has arranged package tours to its key destinations on block transportation. These are guaranteed seats on flights of Qatar Airways (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand), Emirates (Maldives and Mauritius) and Air Arabia (UAE, Sri Lanka). There is also block transportation…
The volume of early bookings of tours to Turkey for the summer season of 2024 in mid-December exceeded last year figures three times, said Vladimir Rubtsov, CEO of the tour operator Fun&Sun.
According to him, Turkey is the undisputed leader among destinations for which early bookings have…
Early booking of a summer holiday in Greece is already available for tourists from different regions of the Russian Federation. Russians buy tours in advance, saving up to 55%. For 2024, tour operators are increasing their flight program to Greece and counting on positive sales dynamics. In 2023,…
