Vice-President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia Dmitry Gorin on Wednesday, April 21, assessed the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin to renew the tourist cashback program.
“First of all, this program supports tourists, it is very popular, and at the third stage we see that the volume of sales has actually increased by 2.5 times. The program has more partners, by 40%, and this makes it possible to make travel across Russia available and expand its geography. After all, cashback is tours from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, 3,500 suppliers who are already working in the program provide a unique opportunity to visit not only popular routes available, but others as well, ”Gorin said in an interview with RT.
The Vice President believes that the program will have a related economic impact and have a positive impact on tourism in general.
“You have to understand that money remains in the country, taxes are paid here, gastronomy and culinary arts are developing, the possibilities of museums and various national brand routes are being restored more actively,” he said.
Earlier on the same day, Putin, during a message to the Federal Assembly, proposed extending the tourist cashback program until the end of 2021. The President also considered that it is important in the country to provide affordable recreation for children and create opportunities for student tourism.
The tourist cashback program allows you to get 20% of the cost of a trip across Russia to the Mir card, which is used to pay for your vacation online. To receive a cashback before payment, you need to register the Mir card of the participating bank in the Loyalty Program of the Mir payment system. The maximum cashback amount for one payment is 20,000 rubles.
The first stage of the tourist cashback program was held at the end of August 2020, about 60 thousand people used it. The second phase began in mid-October. The third stage of the program started on March 18, 2021. The most popular destinations are Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, Moscow Region, St. Petersburg, Stavropol Territory, Altai Territory, Republic of Tatarstan and Kaliningrad Region.