MOSCOW, July 14. /TASS/. Russia is currently connected to thirty-six countries by direct air links, Yury Barzykin, vice president of the Russian Tourist Industry Union (RST), said at a press conference on Friday.

"Direct air service has been resumed at present with thirty-six countries and all of them can be considered tourist destinations. In other words, it is possible to fly there round-trip without facing any high risks," the tourism executive said. Traveling via third countries entails higher risks and excessive costs, he noted.

Nearly all foreign tourist destinations accessible to Russian travelers do not require visas, for example Turkey, Egypt, Cuba, Thailand and a number of CIS countries, RST Vice President Alexander Osaulenko said. The number of countries that are open to Russian visitors rose several-fold over the past year, he noted.

"Thirty-six countries resumed direct air service with us. There were 69 such countries before the [COVID-19] pandemic, but only seven as of May last year. They continue reopening. I believe we will see several more countries [open] by the end of this summer," Osaulenko added.