In Italy, they expressed the hope that the situation with the coronavirus will allow receiving tourists from Russia in the country in the summer of 2021. This was announced on April 6 by the Italian Minister of Tourism Massimo Garavaglia during an online conference.
Garavaglia noted that it is still difficult to name the exact date when Italy will be able to open its borders to tourists from other countries.
“We are interested in the early return of tourists from different countries, including Russia. But I cannot give a date. Tourism will be resumed when epidemiological conditions permit. And we hope as soon as possible. Hopefully in the summer, ”the minister replied to a question from a TASS correspondent.
The general director of the tour operator “Intourist” Viktor Topolkaraev on March 17 made a forecast that approximately 7-8 million Russians will be able to relax abroad in 2021, which is almost four times more than in the past.
Earlier, on March 8, the president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), Andrei Ignatiev, announced that Russian tourists would not be able to travel to Spain, France or Italy in the next three months. He noted that visas to the Schengen countries can begin to be issued in the summer.
Prior to that, on March 2, Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko advised Russians to plan a summer vacation in the Russian Federation, since it would be difficult to travel to other countries with a guarantee.
Regular and charter flights were suspended by Russia in March 2020 due to the situation caused by the spread of coronavirus in the world. Then, gradually, restrictions on air traffic with a number of countries were lifted.