Kaliningrad Regional Association of TravelIndustry Enterprises (APITKO) has addressed the MFA, Vice Prime Minister Olga Golodets
and also the Ministry of Culture, Rostourism and RUTI, asking to take measures that
will stop the fall of the inbound tourist flow. The organization's official letter
states that tour operators should be given preferences at issuing visas for foreign
tourists. APITKO is very concerned with the output of our visa-centers abroad. Tamara
Toropova, president of the organization, said in an interview to RATA-news that
the Russian visa has almost doubled in price and the application procedure has become
much more tedious.
Tour operators in Poland and Germany are sharing their Russian colleagues'
concern. They too have seen a notable decline in demand for Russia. There are
visa centers in Poland that issue
documents to tourists who have chosen Russia as their main travel destination
or just for transit. Yet there are only five of these centers around the country,
so there are additional costs for transportation of documents. And right now operators
lost their preferences when forming an organized tourist group, and have to deal
with the mentioned visa centers on regular terms. That makes it unprofitable for
people to use operators' services.
German companies too have many a grievances
with the visa application procedure in Russia. For instance, the new visa form
can be filled out online only and is available only in English. Only part of it
is translated to German. So many clients simply can't fill out the form by themselves.
Mostly it applies to elderly tourists, who are in fact a big part of the Kaliningrad tourist flow.
Some of the questions on the form can't really be answered at the moment of filling
it out (receiving side's reference-number, number of voucher and so on). And corrections
are not allowed on any stage. Any mistake, and you have to retake the whole procedure.
The visa fee is €60 (€35 – consulate fee and €25 for the visa center services) plus
the bank's commission. Travel agencies, through which most people get their visas,
are not allowed to address the consulate in case of any problems.
Basically the cost of a Russian visa has
almost doubled. So many foreigners, who are planning their vacations, decide to
exclude Russia
from their trips. Clients simply decline taking such a tedious and costly visa procedure.
Many Germans are also sensitive about showing their income for the visa; they feel
that such checkups are interfering with their personal life. So since visa centers
have been opened the tourist flow from Germany
to Russia
has reduced by 30%, and by the start of the season this figure can be around 50%.
“First annulments for April are already here – 400 tourists decided against visiting
Kaliningrad. And
it's only the beginning. German tour operators are already reviewing their programs
for 2014. And you can't really blame them. Why would a person go to Russia, if he
can go to Poland or Lithuania, and have the same Baltic Sea, just without all the
hassle?”, – says Tamara Toropova.
According to statistics, there were 5.4
thousand foreign tourists in the Kaliningrad
region in the first nine months of 2012, which is two and a half times less than
in in the same period of 2011. Tour operators sold $700 thousand worth of packages
in the first three quarters of last year, which again is two times less than in
2011.
Travel market representatives from Kaliningrad are absolutely
sure that the work of new visa centers is a real threat to our country's economic
interests. Visa centers outsource work from the consulate, yet the extra costs are
not being covered by the Russian MFA, so they are covered by clients instead. And
it's no surprise that the clients are not willing to carry this burden.
