"The PCT appealed to the Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov with a request to provide support to tour operators working in the areas of the People's Republic of China, Italy, South Korea and Iran, as well as to assist in the necessary return of funds from partners of tour operators both abroad and in Russia," leads a tass union message.
Tour operators predict serious structural losses if other destinations follow, and without state support, a number of companies “will be forced to cease operations.”
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry recommended that Russians temporarily refrain from traveling to South Korea, Iran and Italy in connection with the spread of coronavirus.
Later it became known that the Russian government decided to temporarily stop the passage of Iranian citizens across the Russian border due to COVID-19.
Maya Lomidze, director of the Association of Russian Tour Operators (ATOR), reported that the approximate loss of Russian outbound tourism from the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 amounted to 27 billion rubles, excluding losses in the Italian direction.