Crimean authorities have offered Turkey to resume direct flights from the peninsula and ferries connection on the line Yevpatoriya - Zonguldak. "It would be essential and very important for our communication with Turkish Republic to restore direct air flights, which existed at previous time as the flight Simferopol - Istanbul.

The ceremony of awarding the winners of the All-Russian professional skill competition "The best professionals in the tourism industry" was held in Moscow on October 28.

“Sales of the November holidays tours are more active against the previous year”, - said the press secretary of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Irina Turina to the portal "Interfax-Tourism", referring to data of tour operators.

This winter the amount of the charter flights from Rostov-on-Don and other cities of the region is reduced against the last season. For example, on the most popular direction Thailand (under the conditions of closed Egypt) - the number of flights is expected half, than in winter 2015.

In Yekaterinburg the volume of transportation on the main winter direction (under conditions of absence of Egypt) - Thailand - is at least equivalent to last year, but the balance of players has changed. “ANEX Tour” scheduled two 11-13 chains to Bangkok and the same to Phuket by Boeing 767-300 of “Azur Air” airline Co

“Charter flights program between Kamchatka and Japan will connect Tokyo and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the summer of 2017”, - said the Agency of Tourism and External Relations of Kamchatka Region on Tuesday. "The JATM (Japan Air Travel Marketing Co Ltd) company will be the organizer and consolidator of flights tours from Japanese side.

Italian cruise operator Moby Lines entered into the capital of the Russian ferry operator St. Peter Line. The companies say about the actual merger of the two businesses. According to the St. Peter Line company's General Director Sergei Kotenev, the ferries remain in his company. Moby Lines takes the ships under administration control.

The “Tripsta” experts interviewed Russian travelers and found out, visa of which country is easier to get. Thus, 64% of tourists said that they collect documents for visa independently without any outside support or tour operators, 18% seek help from the travel agency. At the same time most travelers believe that collection of documents for Spain visa is easier.

"Sochi" international airport plans to serve more than 5 million passengers in 2016 - reported the press-service of "Basel Aero" company, which manages by all airports in Krasnodar Region. As it was informed, following the results of 2015 the passenger’s traffic reached 4.088 million people.

The investigation of the criminal case over the crash of a Boeing passenger plane of the FlyDubai air carrier at Rostov-on-Don airport is nearing completion, spokesman for the Russian Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin said on Monday. "The Boeing crash criminal case is practically at the final stage," the official said on Vesti FM radio. A FlyDubai’s Boeing 737-800 crashed at Rostov-on-Don’s airport in the small hours on March 19 during a second attempt to land in complicated weather conditions of strong side wind and rain.

In February 2016, Vnukovo airport decreased its passenger traffic by 23%, to 690 thousand people, according to the information of the airport. On domestic routes index increased by 6.4% to 576.1 thousand people, on international it dropped by 67% to 114.3 thousand.

«Most of passengers of flight FZ981 crashed on Saturday in Rostov-on-Don, were tourists, according to the information of Russian Union of Travel Industry. Natalie Tours had the biggest amount of seats on this flight. "The aircraft is designed for 180 seats, it was downloaded for less than a third,..» Irina Tyurina, the press secretary of the Russian Union of Travel Industry said.

A total of 61 people, including the crew, who were on board a Boeing 737-800 passenger jet bound from Dubai, were killed in a crash in southern Russia’s Rostov-on-Don airport. "According to specified information, there were 55 passengers and six crew members on board," a source said. "According to preliminary data, the jet bound from Dubai crashed during runway approach," it said.

"Passenger traffic grew by 0.2% and amounted to 5.121 million passengers, mail and freight transportation increased by 0.1% - up to 73.445 tons. In comparison, in February of the last year 5.112 million passengers and 73.364 tons of cargo and mail were handled," the message of the Federal Agency of Air Transportation of Russia stated. The last time the traffic growth was recorded in the Federal Agency of Air Transportation last September (by 3% to 9.52 million passengers). Information from Federal Agency of Air Transportation

Federal Migration Service (FMS) of Russia in 2015 issued 50% fewer passports than a year earlier, according to data posted on their web site. Over 2015, FMS has issued 3.79 million international passports. At the same time in 2014, the following documents were received by 7.45 million Russians. Thus, for the year the number of issued passports decreased by 49%.

For one year, Russia rose from 49-th to 48-th place in the ranking of visa restrictions (Visa Restriction Index 2016), compiled by Henley & Partners statistical agency. Statistics are kept since 2006. This year, Russians will be able to travel without visas in 105 countries out of 218, while in 2015 the figure was 102.

Italian air carrier Meridiana will resume in summer season the flights from Pulkovo in Naples, and the Belgian Brussels Airlines - to Brussels. Airline Russia will open from St. Petersburg regular flights to the Italian Rimini. "In the upcoming season, flight frequency from Pulkovo airport will be increased to more than ten destinations in Russia and abroad, including Riga, Apatity, Minsk, Kishinev, Simferopol and other cities. In addition, several air carriers are in the process of harmonization of formalities with the aeronautical authorities, and are planning to open flights from Pulkovo to new foreign destinations," a statement of the Northern Capital Gateway (manages Pulkovo airport) said.

Russia’s Crimea welcomed during the New Year holidays 43,000 tourists despite of the electricity deficit at that time, the republic’s minister of resorts and tourism, Sergei Strelbitsky, said on Friday. From November 22, electricity supplies were stooped after an accident at the electricity line from Ukraine. The local authorities say the damage from that blackout is $4.5 million.

Subsidies for air carriers will not be lowered in 2016 and will remain at the last-year level, Russian Minister of Transport Maxim Sokolov said on Tuesday. "This is the program for support of tourists and passengers from the Far East. We plan 4.3 bln rubles ($58.6 mln) this year without the decline against the prior year.

The Black Sea resort of Sochi has become the most popular New Year destination for Russians, Deputy Culture Minister Alla Manilova said on Friday. "Sochi is an all-season resort, the demand is unprecedented," Manilova said. "All hotels for the New Year are already booked." According to Manilova, Russians are also interested in other tourist sites, including Siberia, Lake Baikal and Kamchatka peninsula in the Far East. Major travel agencies are now focused on the domestic market, she added. Russians will enjoy long New Year holidays from January 1 to 10.

About 67% of Russians hold the view that the Russian authorities should concentrate efforts on developing domestic tourism rather than on enhancing safety when travelling abroad, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) has said after conducting a survey on the issue. The results of the poll have been published on Wednesday. According to VTsIOM researchers, 29% of those polled hold a different view.

The approval rating of Russian President Vladimir Putin is at the peak level of 87-88% and has remained high for 18 months, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) said. The results of the VTsIOM poll have been presented in TASS on Tuesday. The company’s researchers said that an increase in the president's approval rating had been registered amid developments in Crimea in the spring of 2014.

Russia will not tolerate crimes like the attack on the Russian Su-24 fighter jet shot down by the Turkish Air Force in Syrian skies, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday at a meeting with King of Jordan Abdullah II. "I understand each country has its own regional interests, and we have always respected that. But we shall never tolerate crimes like today's one," the president said.

The Kremlin considers it incorrect to talk about any consequences for Russian-Turkish relations after the incident with Russia’s Sukhoi Su-24 warplane, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. "It would be wrong now to give any assessments, assumptions or make any conclusions before we get a full picture," Peskov said in reply to a question about the prospects of relations between Moscow and Ankara.

Russian security service FSB’s conclusion the A321 passenger jet of Russia’s Kogalymavia airlines that was carrying home more than two hundred holidaymakers fell apart in the air over the Sinai Peninsula when a bomb planted on board went off made the federal air transport agency Rosaviatsiya to urge air carriers to tighten security. Polled experts have told TASS this is strongly required in view of the growing activity of the terrorist organization calling itself Islamic State.