In January the Russians received French visas two times more than a year earlier

“In the first month of the year the Russian tourists received 12 thousand visas to France, it is twice more than in January 2016”, - reported Mark Sedy the Consul General of France in Russia. "Last January, we issued 100% more visas, than in the same month in 2016. Totally, we issued 12 thousand French Schengen visas, and 60% of them are multiple - for the period from one to five years", - he said. According to the Consul, the visas are issued to applicants within 48 hours. Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported on Friday, that the sale of tours to France is growing since the beginning of the year. Some companies are noting an increase in the number of bookings up to 35%. France became one of the most popular destinations for the February and March holidays. According to the travel companies, the growth of the sales is related with a significant strengthening of Ruble against Euro. In addition, the tourist flow is stabilizing after a decline followed the terrorist attacks in Paris and Nice. As previously reported, in the fourth quarter of 2016 the hotels in France noted for the first time for the year period an increase of the number of accommodation. The Agency for the development of tourism in France believes, that this trend will allow the country to return to the indicators of 2014 in tourism sector.