The government will partially reimburse the expenses of the Russians, who will decide to rest in a number of regions of the country by the end of the year. This was announced on Wednesday, July 22, by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin during a speech in the State Duma with a report on the work of the Cabinet.

According to him, the amount of compensation for tourists will be from 5 thousand to 15 thousand rubles, depending on the tour. In total, the government allocated 15 billion rubles for these purposes. Mishustin called tourism one of the promising sectors of the Russian economy and stated the need to support the sector during the coronavirus epidemic.

"Today this industry is in a difficult situation, and it is necessary not only to support it, but also to provide conditions for dynamic development, including opening up new opportunities for domestic tourism," the head of the Cabinet stressed.

As the Prime Minister recalled, earlier the authorities had already provided subsidies to tour operators in the amount of about 3.5 billion rubles. According to experts interviewed by RT, the actions of the authorities will accelerate the recovery of the tourism industry from the consequences of COVID-19.

“The authorities have proposed a stimulating tool to encourage citizens to travel around the country more actively. Judging by the scale of the program and its duration, this measure can really interest Russian tourists and support demand in the industry. As a result, according to preliminary estimates, the tourist flow may grow by 10-15%, "Pavel Sigal, vice president of the all-Russian public organization of small and medium-sized businesses" Support of Russia ", told RT.

According to him, Russians will be able to receive compensation for the purchase of tour packages in more than 50 regions of the country. In this case, the money will be refunded if the trip is at least five days. As the expert suggested, the return volume will be calculated as a percentage of the tour price.

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During a speech in the State Duma, Mikhail Mishustin noted that in Russia it was possible to mitigate the consequences of the crisis caused by the pandemic by increasing budget spending and various support measures. In particular, the prime minister recalled payments to families with children, an increase in unemployment benefits, the provision of credit holidays to the population and businesses, as well as soft loans and tax breaks for companies and entrepreneurs.

At the same time, the head of the Cabinet called the program of preferential mortgages at a rate of 6.5% per annum "one of the most successful anti-crisis measures". According to him, to date, banks have already issued 80 thousand housing loans at a reduced rate in the amount of 205 billion rubles.

Recall that the authorities launched a preferential mortgage program back in April 2020 as part of supporting Russians in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, citizens were provided with mortgage loans with an appropriate rate of up to 3 million rubles, and in Moscow, the Moscow region, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region - up to 8 million rubles. Meanwhile, on June 23, Vladimir Putin announced the expansion of this program. 

“I propose to extend preferential mortgages to new housing costing not up to three, as before, but up to six million rubles, and in the largest metropolitan areas - Moscow, St. Petersburg - up to 12 million rubles,” the president said during an address to citizens.

At the moment, Russians can get a loan at a reduced rate until November 1, 2020. At the same time, Mikhail Mishustin noted that the authorities can extend the program.

“In the fall, we will make a final decision on the continuation and on the terms on which we will provide such a loan program,” the Prime Minister stressed.

According to DOM.RF estimates, in the period from May to June, subsidized loans accounted for almost 70% of the total number of mortgage loans issued in the country. In addition, as a result of the launch of the program in May, the average mortgage rate in Russia dropped to the lowest level for the entire observation period - 7.4% per annum. This is evidenced by the materials of the Central Bank.

“The program made it possible for Russians to solve their housing issues and provided developers with effective consumer demand. Therefore, its extension will be perceived positively by all market participants, "Irina Radchenko, vice president of the International Academy of Mortgage and Real Estate, told RT.

According to her, by November 1, 2020, the average mortgage rate in Russia may drop to 6.5% per annum. As a result, the government can not only extend the program of preferential housing loans, but also further reduce the preferential rate to 6% per annum, Radchenko said.