The introduction of biometrics is to stop group tours to Poland

Since the accreditation of Russian tour operators in the consulates of Poland was cancelled after introduction of biometrics, tour companies cannot sell group tours to this European country, the press secretary of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Irina Tyurina reported. She said that first the cooperation with Russian tour operators was stopped by the General Consulate of Poland in Moscow, then by Consulate in Kaliningrad. Travel agencies no longer have the right to apply for a visa for their tourists, even after the applicant will pass the procedure of fingerprinting, she said. According to Irina Tyurina, recently Russian tour companies do not have the opportunity to cooperate with Polish host companies, in particular, to use e-voucher system. All of this has created significant problems for tour operators. A week after the introduction of biometrics, the number of tourists from the Kaliningrad region in Poland has significantly decreased. Earlier in September, travel agencies sent from Kaliningrad five buses to Poland on the weekend, but now - only one. According to the press-secretary of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry, consulates of other countries, even if they have canceled the accreditation of tour operators, have kept cooperation with travel companies.