Federal Mass Media Review

Speaking at the Russian-Belarusian Congress of the Alliance of Travel Agencies of Russia and the Republican Union of Tourism Industry of Belarus, Dmitry Gorin noted that the plan for the implementation of the Tourism Development Strategy until 2035 will be announced in December. Readings in the State Duma of the Russian Federation on the mandatory introduction of an electronic voucher are planned for 2020. The creation of a free federal register of travel agencies and the visa liberalisation are now considered among the priorities. Dmitry Gorin also reminded that a significant part of the Russian Tourism Development Strategy is devoted to transport accessibility and advocated subsidies for expansion of the tourist season.

'In this regard, we strongly stand for the transport subsidy programmes. As part of the work of the Coordinating Council for Tourism under the Government, we propose targeted subsidies to expand the tourist season, including April-May and September-October', Dmitry Gorin told Prime agency. The representative of the Agency emphasised that the subsidies should be targeted on tour operators and end customers, so they will help to make travelling more affordable. (For more details, see https://1prime.ru/state_regulation/20191027/830462636.html)

The Federal Agency for Tourism and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding. To this effect, IATA CEO Alexandre de Juniac arrived in Moscow. 'IATA includes 82% of airlines from all over the world. The organisation regulates tariffs and manages the system of mutual settlements. Therefore, it seems to me that cooperation with IATA will help to expand the route network to Russia and attract new carriers. It will also help to introduce uniform quality standards and develop transportation in the tourism sector. For tourists, it will mean the expanded geography of routes and convenience of booking', advisor to the head of the Federal Agency for Tourism Dmitriy Gorin commented the meeting to TourDom.ru portal. (For more details, see https://www.tourdom.ru/news/rosturizm-i-iata-zaymutsya-obucheniem-predstaviteley-turbiznesa.html)

On 23 October, the Russian President and his Egyptian colleague agreed to continue work on the resumption of charter flights between the two countries. In conversation with Moscow 24, Dmitry Gorin noted that everyone is waiting for the launch of charter flights, but this requires some time for preparation. 'When there were charter flights to Egypt, up to three million Russian tourists visited the country annually. Now the number of independent and curated travellers is about 150 thousand per year', he explained. Dmitry Gorin believes that, in view of the demand, prices for tour packages to Egyptian resorts will not change after the full restoration of air travel. However, taking into account the fact that it is necessary to increase the flow of tourists, tour operators may make attractive marketing offers. (For more details, see https://tv.m24.ru/videos/194815?fbclid=IwAR3_t-GtFBJVbvwRPVV2ELbJw_ZGM2VMvBRj5e1fK6jSEBMZFGojor23YZQ)

More and more European countries introduce a climate tax. This threatens the disappearance of cheap flights in Europe. 'The tax is going to be introduced in Germany, but it does not yet apply to connecting flights. Therefore, it will not affect passengers from Russia. If you plan to travel within Europe or from Europe to other destinations, the tax really will affect the cost of flights. Of course, low-cost airlines will suffer first of all. 10-euro tickets will be very difficult to buy because it is forbidden to sell a ticket below the cost of the tax', Dmitry Gorin told RBC channel. (For more details, see from 6:00 http://tv.rbc.ru/archive/news/5db014d72ae596434c88c9e2?fbclid=IwAR2CatbeIJ4uFhDtBRSwTcpE9R5aBDQPrcu25YOvBmxuTQsCTyDkLAzvfAI)