Russia Is Relaxing Its Restrictive Visa Regimes for Tourists: Why Now?
Photo Credit: Nikolskaya Street in Moscow, decorated for the 2018 World Cup. Flickr / Andreas
Skift Take
Russia wants to be seen as a global power and attract all the foreign investment that comes with that. After years of restrictive visa regimes, it seems to finally be accepting that tourism is a great tool to facilitate that.
Historically speaking, it has not been easy for tourists to travel to Russia. Regionally-specific visa systems, as well as long, detailed applications and fees, have meant that generally only highly-motivated tourists or business travelers are willing to go to the trouble to visit.
And for security hawks in the Kremlin — long skeptical of outsiders — that's been just fine. But recently, the Russian Federation has demonstrated a desire to open up the country to more tourists in a series of measures that make it easier for some (but not all) foreigners to visit. This raises a question: After years of unusually restrictive requirements, why now?
Of course, there's an obvious reason for any country to relax its visa regimes: It generally brings in more tourists, and thus often spurs more economic growth. But at a time when post-Cold War relations with the West (specifically the U.S. and UK) have taken a nosedive, Russia is even more keen to assert itself as a global world power
