RUSSIANS MIGHT BE ALLOWED TO TRAVEL WITHIN THE COUNTRY FROM JUNE 1

The Russian Union of Travel Industry and the Russian Hotel Association have made a proposal, according to which the area of domestic tourism might be opened from June 1. In particular, the speech is about the regions with a low incidence of coronavirus.

When it comes to the international tourism, the representatives of associations believe that it would be possible to open the borders between Russia and the countries, favorable by COVID-19. As for the format of tourism that existed before the pandemic, the experts believe it would be possible only after January 1, 2021.

The Union of Travel Industry also noted the fact that at the moment, they have problems with the insurance companies. Due to the high risk of non-departures, they refuse to sign the contracts with tourists. The RUTI and the RHA also asked the authorities to provide them with tax and social payments vacations until March 2021. For the moment, the payments have been postponed. However, the associations believe that these measures are not enough.

The representatives of RUTI and the RHA also turned to the government with a proposal to reduce VAT to 5% for 2020, with the proviso that by 2022 it might be raised to 10%. The subsidies that should be spent upon the receipt of the tourists from other countries are asked to be transferred in advance.

The letters of suggestion were sent to the head of the Federal Tourism Agency Zarina Doguzova and the Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov.