India and Russia are mulling a bilateral agreement for mutual visa-free travel between both countries. The discussions, likely in June, aim to enhance and strengthen tourism and economic ties between the two countries. India is already a major source of non-CIS business travellers to Russia, and tourist numbers are rising. In 2023, over 60,000 Indians visited Moscow, a 25% increase from 2022.
According to Nikita Kondratyev, Director of the Russian Economic Development Ministry’s Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects, timelines are being discussed. The agreement bringing the visa-free tourist group exchange to life is anticipated to be finalised by the end of June 2024. Speaking on the sidelines of the “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2024” international economic forum in Kazan, Kondratyev announced plans to model the agreement with India based on Russia’s existing visa-free tourist exchange programmes with China and Iran, which commenced on August 1, 2023.
Russia has always been a major tourism hub for Indian tourists, boasting attractions like Lake Baikal, the Black Sea beaches of Sochi, the Leningrad Zoo, the Amber Museum of Kaliningrad, Golden Horn Bay of Vladivostok, the Epiphany Cathedral of Irkutsk, and the Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg, among others. Visitors to Russia can engage in a wide range of adventure activities ranging from skiing at Red Valley and enjoying a simulated rocket launch at Star City near Moscow to exploring the colourful and surreal swirls of the Yekaterinburg salt mines.
(Feature image credit: Dmitry Ant/Unsplash)
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