Russia and India are set to boost their tourism ties as they prepare to launch visa-free group tourism exchanges. The first round of consultations between the two nations is scheduled for June with the goal of finalizing a bilateral agreement by the end of the year.
Nikita Kondratyev, Director of the Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects Department of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, provided insight into the upcoming discussions.
The plan is to repeat the success of already established visa-free tourist exchanges with China and Iran. Russia and China started their visa-free group tourism exchange from August 1, 2023, based on an intergovernmental agreement. Likewise, on the same day, a visa-free group tourist exchange between Russia and Iran began, ushering in a new era of tourism cooperation.
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Based on these agreements, Russia is now turning its attention to India, a strategic partner with huge tourism potential. In early February, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development expressed its expectation to start visa-free tourism exchanges with India in 2024. The upcoming consultations are a significant step towards realizing this goal.
The ongoing International Economic Forum “Russia and the Islamic World: Kazan Forum” serves as a platform for promoting economic and cultural relations between Russia and the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. In this context, the discussion of visa-free tourism exchanges highlights the efforts of Russia and India to deepen bilateral relations in the field of tourism.
As the world gradually emerges from the shadow of the pandemic, initiatives such as visa-free tourism exchanges bring a ray of hope to the tourism industry, promoting intercultural understanding and economic growth. The prospect of integrated travel between Russia and India is on the horizon, and both countries will benefit from improved people-to-people exchanges and increased tourism.
