Russian President Putin Vows to Provide Support for Travel Industry

Russia plans to provide more effective support to its travel industry and stimulate the national market, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an address to attendees of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

The president stressed Russia is ready to establish mutually beneficial cooperation in the area.

"We will continue to providing even more effective state support for this branch and stepping up the competition of our travel industry, we plan to implement the most advanced technologies, worthy of the digital era in this sphere", he said.

Officials, participants of a soccer exhibition under-16 tournament and spectators listen to Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivering a speech via a video link from Sochi, during a ceremony marking 1,000 days until the beginning of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, September 18, 2015

© REUTERS / Maxim Zmeyev

Putin also noted that Russia is one of the first countries to have implemented electronic visas, which allows time and unnecessary hassles to be avoided.

Over the last five years, some 125 million foreign tourists visited Russia, which is the result of the sustained development of the country's tourism market, he added, recalling the 2014 Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, and the World Festival of Youth and Students.

"We hope that you support Russia's request to host World Tourism Day in 2022 and open the International Tourism Centre in the country under the patronage of UNWTO", Putin said in conclusion.