"From October 1, a simplified visa regime with Japan will come into effect for Russians," reports Yuri Bazykin, Vice President of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry. For clients of Russian tour operators, obtaining a tourist visa for a single trip for a period of not for more than 30 days will be limited to a foreign passport and a visa application form.
Due to the significant increase in both tourist groups and individual tourists, it was noted that Russia and Japan will strive for a visa-free regime, since in the first half of 2018, 54 thousand Russians took advantage of tours to the Land of the Rising Sun, which is 29% more than in 2017, and by 2019, it is expected that the increase will also grow by more than 15%. Such popularization is explained by convenient flight conditions - the presence of direct flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg, democratic pricing policy and updated conditions of 2017 - then obtaining a visa became more accessible for entrepreneurs and scientists and cultural figures, the validity of the visa became possible for up to 5 years, and one-time visits - up to 90 days.
Deputy head of the Japan National Tourism Organization Jun Takashina hopes that due to the wide variety of types of recreation, 2019 could set a record for popularity among Russians.
Source: trn-news.ru
