Russia, Iran Working On Visa-Free Tourist Group Trips - Russian Economy Ministry

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2023) Russia and Iran have been working on the launch of visa-free tourist group trips, Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said on Friday, adding that a list of relevant Russian tour operators has already been handed over to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

"This year, we are planning to fulfill the agreement on visa-free group tourist trips. The list of tour operators who plan to form such groups in Russia has already been agreed on ... they collected a list of 260 companies. We have already passed this document via the foreign ministry to our colleagues in Iran. We are waiting for a similar one from you (the Iranian side) to launch tourist exchange," Reshetnikov said at an international travel and tourism event in Moscow.

Reshetnikov said that the scheme would be applicable to groups of up to 50 tourists traveling for 15 days.

The economy minister added that Russia was planning to resume the issuance of electronic visas to foreign tourists to expedite the organization of such tourist trips, as well as sign a bilateral memorandum in the field of tourism with Iran.

Meanwhile, over 22,000 Russian tourists visited Iran in 2022, and more than 20,000 Iranians traveled to Russia, he said.