Trade unions of Russia and Germany preparing joint address to the Authorities of both countries

Yesterday during ITB travel fair in Berlin the delegations of travel unions of Germany and Russia, Allianz selbstandiger Reiseunternehmen (ASR) and Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI) convened a meeting. They discussed the disturbing both sides question, a long-drawn visa crisis.

Let's recall that as of November 1, 2010 Russia toughened the rules of getting a visa for the German citizens. RUTI received a lot appeals from Russian and German travel companies in connection with these new rules, incoming touroperators reported that there are no requests from Germany anymore and some of already booked packages are being cancelled. Incoming touroperators feel the decrease of the demand for the tours from Germany to Russia. At the end of last year Russian Union of Travel Industry sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia voicing serious concern with fast drop of the number of tourists from Germany to Russia because of the complications of issuance of Russian visas.

In reply the Consulate department of MFA RF recommended that the Russian and German travel organizations address their complaints to the respective German offices that are responsible for the visa and immigration policy of FRG. The motivation of such recommendation is that the visa requirements of German Consulates in relation to the Russian applicants are the most strict among EU-countries. That's why MFA RF was forced to adopt reciprocal measures. The most interesting fact in this story is that German ASR received a similar answer to their letter concerning the visa problems, but from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.

The participants of yesterday's meeting in Berlin were wondering how it could happen that Russia and Germany, long economic and political partners discuss the matters of introducing visa-free regime between Russia and EU countries at bilateral and multilateral summits and the Consulate  departments of both countries start bureaucratic fights hampering development of tourist flows.

Travel unions of Russia and Germany plan to calculate and publish the statistics of the losses that hospitality industry bears, to organize active discussion of diplomatic confrontation in medias and social networks. This matter should have been brought to the attention of interdepartmental  committee on streamlining of entry and stay of foreign citizens in Russian Federation and to the level of bilateral negotiations on consulate matters.

RUTI and ASR agreed to prepare a joint address to the authorities of both countries.