Moscow’s interference in Ukraine has caused a sharp drop in foreign tourism to Russia, with scores of travel cancelations for political and security reasons coming ahead of the summer holiday season, an industry newsletter said.
Most Russian tour operators have reported a significant drop in sales, with cancellations coming in from around the world, including regions that were traditionally considered “loyal” to Russia, RATA News tourism industry newsletter reported last week.
According to the report, approximately 10 to 15 percent of tour bookings have been canceled.
Tour operators from Poland have canceled most of their reservations, and operators from Finland, a country that is traditionally viewed in Russia as a “loyal” tourist market, have also put through a number of “unexpected” cancellations, the report said.
While most Europeans cite their objections to Russia’s actions in Ukraine as reasons for canceling travel reservations, some are also concerned about security in Russia. A group from Albania has agreed to visit Russia only after it received guarantees that all losses and damages would be compensated in case of a war, the report said. (more)
Source: The St.Ptersburg Times - Diana Kulchitskaya and Anna Dolgov