On May 29, Ilya Umansky, President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, stated that countries bordering Russia and maintaining friendly relations should not be classified as foreign destinations for tour operators.
During a meeting of the Coordination Council for Tourism Development under the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Umansky emphasized that tour operators working with neighboring regions such as Belarus, separatist Abkhazia, and South Ossetia operate similarly to those engaged in domestic tourism, differing in their approach from operators handling other foreign destinations.
He stressed the need to align financial conditions for tour operators sending tourists to Belarus and other neighboring territories, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia, with those applied to domestic tourism. Umansky added that this initiative, long proposed, currently enjoys the support of the Ministry of Economic Development.