Russian tourists are preparing to resume travel to a number of countries identified by the authorities, but the list announced by Moscow has raised many questions, according to writer Anton Chaplin in his report published by the Russian newspaper "svpressa", who in turn asked why certain countries were chosen within This list and other exclusion?
The writer said that the list is surprising and has no logic, especially since the main reason that led to the borders being closed in the beginning, which was the Corona virus, has not disappeared yet. He pointed out that "the tourist destinations identified by the authorities, that is, Switzerland, Britain, Turkey and Tanzania, are mainly tourist destinations for the wealthy, not for the middle classes."
At the beginning of this month, flights were resumed to Britain, Turkey and Tanzania, with permission in the first stage to fly only to the capitals of these countries. However, from August 10, flights to Turkey will land at Dalaman, Bodrum and Antalya airports.
Dmitry Bogdanov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Russian University of Peoples' Friendship in Sochi, says that the resumption of flights to Britain and Switzerland goes beyond the tourist reasons.
According to the writer, it is clear that "behind these ill-considered decisions are motives that the people do not understand." A destination like Tanzania, which some consider "the Maldives of the poor" is too expensive for most Russian tourists.
Turkey threatens domestic Russian tourism
The resumption of flights to Turkey will increase the volume of competition with the Black Sea resorts in Russia, Crimea and Sochi, which received Russian tourists heavily before the borders were opened.
The writer explains that there are big differences between the level of tourism services in Russia and Turkey, as the tourism industry in Russia is mainly directed to the local tourist, unlike the tourism industry in Turkey.
In light of the Corona crisis, the numbers of Russian tourists who visited Turkey this year differed remarkably from last year.
At the end of last year, Russia ranked first in terms of the number of tourists who visited Turkey, followed by Germany, Bulgaria, Britain and Iran. Usually Russians head to the provinces of Antalya, Mugla and Aydin, due to the quality of services there and the development of beach tourism.
The return of the Russians to Turkey - after the recent decision announced by the authorities in Moscow - will be an important factor in reviving Turkish tourism. But this would threaten the gains achieved by domestic tourism in Russia during the last period, and greatly affect the resorts that have barely opened their doors densely to Russians since the beginning of the Corona crisis.
The writer believes that the government's decision to resume flights to Turkey in these circumstances does not in any way correspond to Moscow's speech calling for the protection of the local economy.
Abkhazia demands the opening of the border
After the recent Russian decision, the authorities in Abkhazia demanded that it be treated reciprocally, and that Moscow allow the resumption of flights towards it. According to figures, last year Abkhazia was the largest tourist attraction for Russians.
The tourism sector is the main engine of the economy in Abkhazia, and the Corona crisis and the absence of tourists for three months have caused a deep economic crisis.
And the authorities in Abkhazia, as in Turkey, had announced the almost complete elimination of the new Corona virus, which may encourage the Russian authorities to resume flights.
According to official data, no new infections were recorded in Abkhazia during the first three weeks of last July, but new cases were recorded on the 22nd of the same month, which raised some fears of a second wave.