TOKYO, September 21. /TASS/. Japan and Russia signed a package of documents aimed at expanding cooperation in the tourism area and increasing mutual travel flows in the next two years on Thursday. The papers were signed by head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism Oleg Safonov and commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency Akihiro Tamura.

"The package allows us to announce an active development of ties between Russia and Japan in the tourism area. We evidence an increase in mutual travel flow between the two countries. Hopefully, it will continue rising and go beyond the targets set for 2018 and 2019," Oleg Safonov said.

According to Akihiro Tamura, Tokyo expects the number of Japanese visitors to Russia to soar due to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

One of the documents amends the Program of joint activities in tourism for 2017-2019 signed by representatives of both countries in February 2017, and sets a goal to bring the mutual travel flow to 220 thousand tourists in 2018.

Earlier Safonov told TASS that the plan is to bring the mutual travel flow to 250 thousand people in 2019. "We will assume efforts to increase the travel flow between the two countries to 220 thousand people in 2018, and to 250 thousand people in 2019," he said.