Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism) expects that most European countries will not limit the entry of Russian tourists, the agency’s head Zarina Doguzova said on her Telegram channel.
“I am sure that any sensible person is against such restrictions. And I expect the majority of our European colleagues not make rash decisions to restrict the entry of our tourists. We, in turn, will continue to work to increase the number of high-quality and interesting offers in our country, as well as cooperate with all countries that are willing to develop bilateral relations with us in the field of tourism,” she said.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas earlier stated that in her opinion the EU countires should ban the issuance of tourist visas to Russian nationals. According to her, visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right, and it is “time to put an end” to tourism from Russia.
The Rostourism head, commenting on Callas’ statement, stressed that travel and freedom of movement is a fundamental human right, and not a privilege, regardless of the country of visit. She recalled that Russian tourists spent billions of dollars on vacations in European countries. “So it’s still a question of who has more to lose from such a decision,” Doguzova said. / TASS