Allow entry: Russia is preparing to cancel visas for tourists from Vietnam and Malaysia

Russia intends to cancel visas for a number of Southeast Asian countries, the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation told Izvestia. It is planned to facilitate entry for group tourists with Vietnam, and Malaysia is considering a bilateral agreement on visa-free travel for individual travelers. As interest in traveling to Russia grows, work will continue on visa cancellation and an increase in the number of trips using electronic permits, Dmitry Gorin, Vice President of the PCT, told Izvestia. In addition, the Russian Federation promotes the Russian brand Discover Russia, including in the ASEAN countries.

Russia simplifies travel with Vietnam and Malaysia

Against the background of the limited flow of tourists to Russia from Europe, the development of inbound tourism is becoming particularly relevant. Currently, active work is underway, in particular, with Vietnam, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation told Izvestia.

— We are working on the introduction of a mechanism for group visa-free travel with Vietnam, which will work by analogy with the existing mechanism for visa-free travel with China and Iran. We are talking about attracting tourists from Vietnam and developing the segment of organized tourism, since only accredited tour operators can participate in the implementation of group tours. Currently, Vietnamese citizens need to apply for a visa in Russia," the ministry said.

Russians do not need to issue a travel document. The Vietnamese authorities recently decided to extend the visa-free regime for tourists from 12 countries, including the Russian Federation, until March 14, 2028. It allows you to legally stay in the country for 45 days, after which you will have to apply for an electronic visa. The Ministry of Energy noted that visa—free travel for Russians is still a temporary measure, it may not be extended at some point. Against this background, the development of bilateral tourism with Vietnam looks like a profitable investment.

By the way, so far everything is going very smoothly. Vietnam Airlines will launch regular flights on the Moscow – Hanoi route starting in May. Tour operators are confident that the return of Vietnam Airlines will open up new opportunities for both inbound and outbound tourism.

Work is underway to cancel visas for individual tourists as well. For example, Russia recently agreed with Myanmar to introduce a bilateral visa-free regime. As the head of the Myanmar Foreign Ministry, Tan Swei, told Izvestia, such an agreement is planned to be concluded within one to two months.

— We plan to cancel visas with Myanmar in the near future. A similar agreement is currently under consideration by our Malaysian partners," the Ministry of Energy told Izvestia.

Direct flights are planned to be launched in both directions. With Myanmar, they can be expected as early as 2025 — permission for communication with the Russian capital has been received, Tan Swei said. So far, since 2023, the Novosibirsk–Yangon route has been launched with a technical stop in Mandalay.

Russia and Malaysia are also working on launching direct flights, especially since the country offers not only beach holidays (Langkawi Island and Penang region), but also city tours to the capital Kuala Lumpur. Now the Russian Federation is waiting for the consent of Malaysian airports to service and refuel Russian airliners. Nevertheless, the chances of resuming direct communication are quite low, Artur Muradian, ATOR's vice president for outbound Tourism, told Izvestia.

"In any case, even in theory, we can only talk about launching direct flights to Kuala Lumpur, since airports in Malaysian resorts such as Langkawi and Penang are not capable of receiving wide-body aircraft, and only such can fly from most airports in Russia," the expert noted.

Last year, direct flights from Moscow to Bali were resumed. ATOR has already noted the demand for tours to Indonesia and beyond the popular resort: Russians are interested in the islands of Lombok, Komodo, the cities of Yogyakarta and the capital Jakarta. However, new air routes, apparently, are not planned. The Ministry of Energy told Izvestia that at the moment there are enough flights to Bali to cover the tourist demand of Russians for trips to Indonesia.

Thailand, of course, remains the leader in the region in terms of demand, which will welcome at least 2 million Russians this year. The dynamics is due to good transport accessibility, that is, a large number of flights not only from Moscow, but also from other cities.

Southeast Asia is a priority for Russia in the coming years

It is important to note that visa exemptions and the expansion of flights work both ways. As Russians' interest in traveling to Southeast Asia grows, so does the demand for trips to Russia in all countries of the region. Where there are still restrictions, Russia will continue to work on visa cancellation, increasing the number of e-visa trips and the length of stay, said Dmitry Gorin, Vice President of the PCT.

—The Southeast Asian tourism market is our priority for the coming years," the Ministry of Economic Development emphasized to Izvestia. — We plan to actively promote travel products under the Discover Russia brand at exhibitions and in the media resources of the ASEAN countries.

Another key factor for the development of both outbound and inbound tourism is the transit opportunities of Southeast Asia.

— The extensive transit capabilities of Chinese airports have significantly increased the accessibility of mass destinations for Russian tourists. First of all, these are Malaysia, Indonesia (besides Bali) and the Philippines. China's Hainan is generally the leader in terms of growth dynamics. There are direct flights here from many Russian cities, many very high-quality hotels, excellent beaches, and good shopping opportunities. So the growth of this area will continue," Artur Muradyan noted.

This, of course, opens up wider opportunities for the popularization of tourist destinations in Russia. Inbound tourism, of course, is still far from reaching its peak, but progress is tangible. By the end of 2024, the number of trips to Russia increased 2.5 times compared to 2023.

It is not surprising that the first place (about 50-60%) remained with Chinese tourists. In this regard, the development of flights with Vietnam looks very promising, Gorin emphasizes. In general, connections in Southeast Asian countries are becoming very popular and make it possible to unload hubs in China and the UAE.