Russians who want to go on vacation abroad will not be artificially kept in the country, Vladimir Putin said.

“We, of course, do not have to keep our citizens artificially, and we will not do this.

Those of our citizens who would like to spend their summer vacations abroad, ”the President said.

The Russian leader also noted that some states, in whose economy tourism occupies a prominent place, have already announced their readiness to open up to tourists.

The President stressed that in many countries where residents of the Russian Federation traditionally rest, there is a difficult situation with the coronavirus.

Speaking about outbound tourism, Putin added that many Russians will probably have "reasonable fears of going anywhere."

“Because the situation there is not easy with the coronavirus, if not difficult,” the Russian leader explained.

The President urged to pay attention to the situation in the countries of Southern Europe.

Putin reiterated that the situation remains difficult "and it is not getting better."

At the same time, the Russian leader expressed the hope that the rate of vaccination against coronavirus will increase and the situation will change in a positive direction.

  • Putin ruled out the possibility of restrictions on the rest of Russians abroad

Note that in early March, the leadership of the World Health Organization expressed concern about the worsening situation with COVID-19 in Europe.

Hans Kluge, director of the WHO European office, has announced alarming signs of a new wave of incidence in several European regions.

Subsequently, the likelihood of the start of a new wave of the spread of coronavirus infection was announced at the Robert Koch Institute.

This was stated by the president of the organization, Professor Lothar Wheeler.

“In Europe, we must fear (the beginning of the third wave of COVID-19. -

RT

).

I don’t want to comment on other countries, we can all see the numbers, ”Wheeler emphasized.

In his opinion, the third wave is already beginning in Germany, there are “clear signals”.

He called on states to comply with security measures to the maximum, because they "helped save thousands of lives."

The professor also stressed the importance of vaccination.

He admitted that if the vaccination campaign fails in Germany and a number of European countries, restrictions will be reintroduced.

“If suddenly vaccination is not carried out, or not enough people are vaccinated for any reason, then I am absolutely sure that control in Germany and other European countries will return this fall,” he said.

According to WHO data for March 10, Europe has a total of more than 40 million cases of COVID-19.

At the same time, over the past day, another 172 thousand were recorded.

Domestic tourism

The head of the Federal Tourism Agency Zarina Doguzova, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin with members of the government, said that domestic tourism in Russia had decreased by 25% over the three months of winter.

According to her, the Russians made 15 million trips during this period.

She explained this dynamics by the existing restrictions on cultural and educational tourism, as well as the almost complete absence of business tourism.

At the same time, according to Doguzova, growth was noted in some areas.

“People went to the countryside, to nature, and all the ski resorts of the country were in great demand, and their load increased by 15-20%,” she explained.

Among the demanded directions, the head of Rostourism especially noted Sheregesh and Arkhyz.

According to her, a particularly high demand was recorded there.

“These resorts first entered the federal level and a tourist from large cities, from Moscow, from St. Petersburg, went there,” she said.

In addition, the occupancy rate of hotels in southern Russia increased by 10% in winter compared to the previous season.

An increase was also seen in new winter ecological areas, which, according to Doguzova, had not previously enjoyed such increased demand among Russians.

We are talking, in particular, about Altai, Baikal and the Russian North, including Murmansk, Karelia and the Arkhangelsk region.

"People went there for vivid winter impressions - this is the northern lights, and various types of winter fishing, and the ice of Lake Baikal, and much more," - explained the head of Rostourism.

The Russian leader added that against the background of the current situation, the task of developing domestic tourism is not removed from the agenda.

The President noted that it is necessary to create suitable conditions for those citizens who want to relax in Russia.

“We need to develop infrastructure, first of all.

This requires time, investment, and government support.

But it is also clear that all programs aimed at the development of domestic tourism should be supported and should be developed, ”the President concluded.