Page 17 - RusRPTFeb23

The embassy of Greece, which last year was among the top ten destinations for Russian tourists, revealed that 31,300 arrivals were recorded, representing an 80% drop compared to a year earlier.
“First of all, the complex transport logistics, the lack of direct flights with Europe, the need to fly transit flights with transfers affect, flights are often very expensive. And if earlier a ticket to Europe cost €300–400 on average, now it costs €1,000 or more. The flight time has increased from three hours to 8-24 hours,” RTS Vice President Dmitry Gorin said as cited by Schengenvisa.com.
ATOR Vice-President Artur Muradyan pointed out that the number of applications filed by Russian citizens in visa centres in Greece, Italy and Spain dropped by 80%, with this number even higher for other countries.
Currently these three continue are the only ones in the EU still issuing tourist visas to Russian. Less than half of visitors reach the zone for tourism purposes while the rest see these countries as an entrepôt for those trying to flee Russia due to objections to the war or as a way to avoid conscription.
Spain, Greece and Italy have also been popular destinations and also saw numbers down, while other countries many other countries in Europe have banned Russian tourists complete and also had zero arrivals. In general, the drop in tourist flow to Europe can be estimated at 90-95% according to tourism industry association.
The tourism industry in Russia-friendly countries has suffered. The absence of Russian and Ukrainian tourists to Cyprus has caused the tourism sector to lose €600mn, with most affected actors being businesses like local travel agencies as well as the hospitality industry such as hotels and other accommodation spots.
Russians represent the second largest tourism market in Cyprus, and despite being listed second, Russian tourists are known for being big spenders. As the Cyprus Minister for Tourism, Savvas Perdios pointed out, Russians spend €60 per person per day while the other nationalities collectively spend about €90.
In addition to the geographical proximity and low costs, Russians are more attracted to Cyprus also for religious reasons, as the Mediterranean country is known for its silver-covered icon of the Virgin Mary, situated in the northeastern mountains.
17 RUSSIA Country Report February 2023 www.intellinews.com