The expert spoke about the loss of interest of Russians in Schengen

The massive Russian tourist has finally "left" Europe, and the summer shortage of entries for applying for Schengen visas has only consolidated this trend. This was stated to Izvestia by Daria Domostroeva, head of the Public Relations Department at Intourist LLC.

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According to her, due to the critical shortage of available slots and the delayed deadlines for reviewing documents, trips to the Schengen area are no longer considered by Russian citizens as a real option for a vacation, and mass refusals put an end to their dreams of a European vacation.

"The main redistribution of tourist flows is taking place towards the countries of Asia and Africa. Russians are massively refusing to visit Scandinavia, Spain, France, Italy, Great Britain and Cyprus. They are being replaced by destinations with a loyal visa policy and direct flights: China, Vietnam, Thailand, Maldives, Morocco and Zanzibar, which have already confidently entered the top 10 most popular countries among Russians," the expert said.

Meanwhile, the source added, domestic tourism is unlikely to become a "plan B" and probably will not benefit from visa restrictions in Europe. These segments are not interchangeable, and the habit of Russian travelers is shifting towards exotic visa-free resorts. In the coming years, Asia and Africa, rather than the Russian regions, are likely to become the main beneficiaries of the tourist flow that has left Europe, Domostroeva predicted.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

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