Rosturizm urged to simplify the visa regime for the Arctic cruise passengers

“The head of the Federal Tourism Agency Oleg Safonov urged to simplify the visa regime for the cruise passengers in order to develop tourism industry in the Russian Arctic”, - the website of the Agency reported on Friday. "The world practice shows that any simplification of visa formalities provides an increase of the number of foreign tourists by 20-30%. The Russian experience also confirms the potential of this solution. Simplification of the visa regime for cruise ship passengers can become a serious impetus for the development of tourism in the Russian Arctic", - added O. Safonov. At the first stage, it is proposed to provide 72-hour visa-free stay on the territory of the Russian Federation for the cruise ship passengers to increase tourist flow in the Arctic, including transiting tourists, arriving through international airports. This measure will allow the tourists not only to make stops in the Russian ports, but to start and finish cruises in Russia. Such measures will increase the attractiveness of the port cities, because the travelers will be able to stay there two or three days before boarding and after the end of the cruise. As detailed in the report, this initiative is actively supported by the Russian Federation ports and their associations. Also, the Agency noted that it is necessary to provide visa-free stay for the river cruise passengers up to 15 days, on the analogy of the passengers of sea cruises and ferries.