MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. The introduction of visa restrictions to Russians by Italy is self-destructive for Italian economic interests, Italian political scientist and publisher Sandro Teti told TASS in an interview.
"We have a lot of challenges. For instance, the policy that makes it harder to get visas of all the stakeholders. It is self-destructive for us, for Italian economy. Due to this, the number of Russian tourists fell by 95%, and they prefer to travel to other countries," Sandro Teti said. He added: "Indeed, the situation has become difficult. Moreover, it’s logical that when you constantly listen to ideas that Russians are so bad, evil, tough, you think that visiting Russia and getting a visa is almost impossible."
Meanwhile, Teti stressed the opposite reaction of Russia to the tightening insurance of Italian visas to its residents, saying: "Russia, conversely, practically abolished visas. That is, now, to travel to Russia, you can get an electronic cheap visa sitting at home. By the way, there was no such thing until 2022."
"It has become harder and more expensive to travel to Russia because direct flights are no longer possible. Then, there is terrible propaganda, so many people are afraid to go to Russia," Teti said. "People even ask me: are you crazy? There is a war going on, it is dangerous. But still, people began to travel there anyway. And I know that in the summer not students, but adults, who study Russian in evening classes and would like to visit Russia, will come. It is not a mass phenomenon, but still it exists," Teti added.