Visas should be cancelled also for tourists from OECD, EU and BRICS countries

Press Release, 20.07.2018

Yabloko Chair Emilia Slabunova, offered Vladimir Putin to cancel visas to Russia not only for football fans, but also for residents of countries that give Russia the largest number of tourists.

According to Yabloko, visas for tourists from OECD, EU and BRICS countries who come to Russia for the period under 120 hours (five days) and who have previously received an entry visa to Russia should be cancelled. Also it is necessary to introduce automatic multiple entry visas for up to 90 days for tourists from the above-mentioned countries receiving a visa for the third time or more. In total, 46 countries, including the United States, Japan and Australia, that are parts of these organisations and groups.

Simplification of the visa regime will have a beneficial effect on the development of tourism in Russia, help our country to realise the potential of its nature and culture, create opportunities for substantial economic growth of the country and help to improve relations between Russia and other countries, Emilia Slabunova said in her address.

According to official statistics, the number of foreign tourists visiting Russia has been growing: over 7 million foreign tourists came to Russia in 2000, and over 24 million in 2017. However, the overwhelming majority of tourists refuse to travel to Russia because of the laborious and expensive process of obtaining a Russan visa, Yabloko’s address runs. According to the estimates of the Cato Institute (USA), the number of visa refusals reaches 90 per cent of those who initially wished to visit Russia.

In 2017, EU residents received slightly more than a million single entry visas to Russia and only 255,000 multiple entry visas, while Russians were granted 3.8 million Schengen visas, with 84 per cent of them being multiple-entry visas. This is the highest rate among all countries whose citizens visit the EU. The conditions for obtaining a Russian visa are more demanding and tough compared to the Schengen visas: Russian visas are issued on the basis of confirmation of the admission of a foreign tourist provided by a Russian tour operator, which excludes independent travel, Emilia Slabunova points out.

Abolition of visas gives very fast and effective results, which have a multiplier effect on the economy, say in Yabloko. The example of Georgia is indicative: abolishing unilaterally visas for European and US citizens, the country increased the number of incoming tourists by several times, now the state receives 12 per cent of GDP from tourism, although after the collapse of the USSR Georgia was in the same conditions as Russia in this field.

Emilia Slabunova notes that Russia does not receive trillions of roubles of profit from tourism and other related sectors of the economy: civil aviation, airports, ports, railway transport, hotel and restaurant business, museums and consumer goods. The income from registration of entry tourist visas is not comparable with non-received tax revenues to the budget and thousands of jobs that are not created.

On 15 July, after the final match of the World Cup, Vladimir Putin stated that foreigners who have passports of fans would be granted multiple visa-free entry to Russia before the end of 2018. The next day in the leadership of the State Duma told that they were starting to prepare the relevant bill. Today the president announced that family members and friends of the fans who came to the World Cup 2018 would be able to visit Russia getting their visas free of charge until the end of the year.

Address to Vladimir Putin

https://www.yabloko.ru/files/webform/bezvizovyy_vezd.pdf