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Culture Ministry set to develop tourism for children in Russia

MOSCOW, December 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Culture Ministry is set to develop tourism for children and interregional tourist routes in 2014.

“This year over 18,000 schoolchildren visited St. Petersburg for free within the framework of the project restoring large-scale tourism for children,” Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky told a news conference on Friday. “This was a joint project with regions. Within the framework of the culture programme boys and girls visited the State Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum, the Peterhof palace complex and other sightseeing sites.”

“We hope to repeat this action, make it regular and expand it - to show schoolchildren cities of Golden Ring (ancient cities to the northeast of Moscow) and draw attention to Russia’s Far East regions,” he added.

At present, the ministry was developing a tourism development strategy until 2020.

Medinsky said a law under which foreigners would be able to stay in Russia without visas up to 72 hours would enter into force as of 2014.

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