Shunned Over War, Russians Holiday On Venezuelan Resort Island

Shunned over war, Russians holiday on Venezuelan resort island

Isla de Margarita, Venezuela, Dec 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Dec, 2022 ) :Shuttled between tourist spots, posing for pictures on beautiful beaches, and dancing awkwardly to merengue: Russian tourists have found a friendly holiday destination on a Venezuelan island far from the motherland and its war with Ukraine.

Isla de Margarita is a tropical gem with white-sand shores and turquoise waters. However, years of political and economic turmoil in Venezuela have frightened off most tourists, with Western nations sternly warning citizens not to travel there.

For thousands of Russians seeking sun-soaked holidays, but faced with visa and flight restrictions over the Ukraine war, it is a match made in Caribbean heaven.

"There aren't many destinations available to Russia right now. It's hard to find places to go on holiday," says Ekaterina Dolgova, 39, who sells medical supplies.

Out of a group of Russian tourists on a recent guided tour of the island, she is the only one willing to say anything about the brutal conflict in which Ukrainians are under constant Russian attack and enduring freezing temperatures, many without water or electricity, thousands of miles away.

"A war is by far the worst thing," she said briefly.

- Russian translation - In the past two months, some 3,000 Russian tourists have taken advantage of a new direct flight between Moscow and Isla de Margarita with Russia's Norwind Airlines.

The route re-opened on October 2 after a seven-month interruption due to the war, and was modified to avoid flying over air spaces restricted by sanctions.

A 14-hour flight from Moscow, Isla de Margarita is also seen as an affordable option. Tourist Sergei Katch said he paid $3,500 for a 12-day package to the island.

A sign reading "welcome" in Russian greets the tourists at the island's international airport. Everything is organized, from island tours to Russian translation services.

The travelers don't leave their hotel without a guide.

Dolgova said she decided to travel to Venezuela after ruling out Egypt, which she had already visited twice, and where she says the treatment of Russians has changed since the start of the war.