At least 117,000 Russian tourists stranded abroad have returned home

This cafe in Badung, Bali, Indonesia is often frequented by Russian tourists. Photo taken on 8/3. (Photo: Reuters)

Supported tour operators bring back Russian tourists stuck abroad

“About 117,000 compatriots who have difficulty returning to their homeland have been repatriated,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko Dmitry Chernyshenko said on March 31, adding that the Russian government had allocated more than 10 billion rubles. (more than 118 million USD) for travel agencies, to help them bring back Russian tourists stuck abroad.

Russian tourists on Phuket beach, Thailand on March 8. (Photo: Reuters)

In addition to the funds provided by the National Project on Tourism and Hospitality, the Russian Federation budget also allocates more than 20 billion rubles (more than 237 million USD) for immediate support to the tourism industry and the public – ie. is close to 1/2 in the National Project.

The relevant Russian ministries were also instructed to organize the “export” of Russian tourists stranded abroad through humanitarian channels. (Photo: Tellerreport)

From the tourism industry, Ms. Zarina Doguzova – head of the Russian Federal Tourism Agency (Rostourism) – said: Travel agencies have tried to bring back all tourists organized (on tour) back to the country. . “A total of about 100,000 people,” Zarina Doguzova added.

The most stranded Russian tourists in Egypt

According to Rostourism, Egypt has the most number of Russian tourists (on tour) stuck with nearly 4,000 people. The process of bringing back Russian tourists took a long time, due to new Western sanctions targeting even planes expected to be used for special flights from Egypt to Russia.

Egypt has the largest number of stranded Russian tourists (on tour) with about 4,000 people. (Photo: Africanews/AFP)

However, travel agencies still try to continue to bring stranded Russian tourists home every day, mainly by flights operated by foreign airlines through third countries. For example, in the two days of March 6-7, the first 300 of Russian tourists were stranded on the beaches of Cuba and the Dominican Republic, flying back home.

Russian tourists wait for procedures to leave the international airport in the resort of Cancun, Mexico, to Moscow on March 5. (Photo: EFE)

Russian news agency Tass adds that the number of Russian tourists (on tour) is stranded less than in other countries such as: Less than 1,000 people in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); 690 people in Turkey; about 60 people in the Maldives; less than 50 people in Thailand…

For Russian tourists traveling independently, their return to the country continues to be handled by the Ministry of Transport and the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, with the support of other relevant agencies.