Russian tourism agency expects flow of foreign tourists to recover in 2023

VLADIVOSTOK, September 2. /TASS/. The inbound tourist flow to Russia may recover in 2023, whereas domestic tourism may recover to the level of 2019 as early as this year, Head of the Federal Agency for Tourism Zarina Doguzova told reporters on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday. "I do not think it will be possible to get to the pre-pandemic turnover earlier than in 2022-2023," she said, adding that so far, "the efforts are focused on domestic tourism, which demonstrates good rates." "I think that pre-pandemic figures will be achieved by the end of the year," Doguzova noted. Tourists from 60 countries with PCR tests may freely enter the Russian Federation, she added. "The flow is starting to recover gradually. The problem is that not all countries have created comfortable conditions for their citizens to travel. Many countries request a week-long quarantine after coming back. The situation has not stabilized everywhere. Of course, speaking about Asian-Pacific countries, tourists are afraid and reluctant to go so far. German tourists are starting to get back gradually," the head of the agency explained. Read more