Putin Says Russia May Abolish Visas for BRICS Tourist Groups
This article is for subscribers only.
Russia may offer visa-free entry for tourist groups from India, Brazil and South Africa as fellow members of the BRICS group of countries, President Vladimir Putin said.
Global competition to attract foreign tourists is tough and Russia has lagged behind significantly in developing infrastructure and services, Putin told a meeting of the State Council on Monday in Yalta, Crimea. Russia’s annexation of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in March last year prompted U.S. and European Union sanctions that have helped tip the Russian economy into its first recession since 2009.