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USA softens visa policy for Russian travel firms
Interfax
Moscow, 4 February: The United States has facilitated visa formalities for Russian nationals applying for visas via 12 tourist companies, US consul-general James Warlick said at a news conference at the Interfax central office on Monday [4 February].
On 1 February, the US embassy launched a programme of accreditation for Russian tourist agencies, which will have the right to apply for visas directly at the embassy. The 12 travel agencies are BSI Inc., Intourist, Irene, KMP-Group, Lanta Tour, Latina, Moscow, Neva, Roza Vetrov, Sodis, Tourinfo Group RFR, and Valtex Travel, says a press release of the embassy's consular department. The travel agencies will receive direct access to the consular department.
The regulations will not change for other tourist agencies. The rules for issuing US visas will not change, and the new programme will not affect the interview applicants undergo to receive a visa.
"In the future, if the programme appears to be efficient, the list of tourist agencies may be expanded and companies from Russia's Regions may be added to it," the president of the Russian association of travel agencies (RATA), Sergey Shpilko, said at a news conference. So far only Moscow-based companies are on the list.
The agencies have been carefully selected. They are ready to be responsible for each client because the programme aims at the development of tourism with a minimal illegal migration from Russia to the United States, Shpilko said.
The new programme will enlarge tourism to the United States, because "it creates the possibility to resume tourist trips in groups. Tourism to the US has been individual within the past six to seven years because of stricter visa formalities," Shpilko said.
The consul-general said he hoped that more Russians would now be able to visit the United States.
The number of Russian nationals who visited the United States was down one per cent in January-September 2001 as compared to January-September 2000 and consisted of 87,400 people, Shpilko said with reference to the Russian statistics department. The number of Russian tourists in the US declined by 11 per cent and made 16,700 over that period.
"Unfortunately, the United States is not among the top 20 nations visited by Russian tourists, although it is a world leader in tourism," Shpilko remarked.
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