MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/. The ban on issuing multiple-entry Schengen visas to Russians is unlikely to significantly impact tourist flow from Russia to the EU, Alexander Bragin, director of the Association of Travel Aggregators, told TASS.
Earlier today, the European Commission announced a complete ban on issuing new multiple-entry visas to Russian citizens.
"The ban of issue of multiple-entry Schengen visas is unlikely to significantly impact tourist flow from Russia to the EU. Obtaining Schengen visas has been difficult recently: they are issued by a limited number of countries, applications take a long time to process, and long-term multiple-entry visas have become more of an exception - Russian tourists were often issued visas for specific travel dates or for a month, which practically eliminated the possibility of multiple entries with a single permit," Bragin said.
He noted that Russians had to plan trips to EU countries well in advance (in six months or more). Despite this, demand for European countries remains high among independent travelers, with France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Hungary topping the list. Bookings for these destinations, if any, will decline slightly, the expert said.