The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin on Thursday has inked a decree abolishing Rostourism, Russia’s federal tourism agency, and handling its remit to the Ministry of Economic Development .
The Ministry of Economic Development stated in a statement that the plan to dissolve Rostourism & to give its duty to the ministry would help Moscow meet its tourism objectives in a more effective way.
Rostourism has overseen the condition of state services related to tourism around Russia since it was first established in 2004, overseeing big ticket events like the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The plan to abolish the agency comes at a period of turmoil for Moscow’s tourism industry, with strict Western sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine & the suspension of flights from most European nations.
Over the past three(3) years, the number of foreign tourists landing in Russia has continued to decrease, as per the Dmitry Gorin, the vide president of the Russia of Travel Industry, Izvestia reported in August.
Gorin said, “Over the past three(3) years, because of the pandemic restrictions, the absence of electronic visas & now the impossibility of making payments while using foreign bank cards & the absence of direct flights, the entire percentage of the decline in tourist flow to the Russia averaged 95-97%.”