The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) recommends that Russians who want to get a Schengen visa in the midst of the Russian-Ukrainian war should try Hungary, Greece or Italy, as it is easiest to get it in these countries, Reuters reports. The article published in the German newspaper Die Welt reports the Hungarian portal nepszava.hu.

The German newspaper recalled that since the beginning of the war, Russian tourists have been considered an ungrateful people in most European countries, but in addition, their number has decreased: they go on vacation mainly outside Europe. Among Russian tourists, the popularity of Thailand has increased the most: in the first half of 2023, compared to the first six months of the previous year, the number of tourists from Russia who come here increased approximately tenfold.

In addition to Thailand, the most popular countries are Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and Turkey is the most visited country by Russian tourists.

According to ATOR, compared to the mentioned countries, Europe is experiencing a massive decline, last year 84% fewer Russian tourists arrived on the old continent compared to 2021, as Russians who want to enter the EU territory have to go through a long process. the visa application period, moreover, some countries – for example, the Baltic countries, Belgium and the Czech Republic – now do not even issue visas to Russians.

The document is easiest to obtain in Hungary, Greece and Italy, so ATOR especially recommends these three countries for solving administrative problems. Despite this, Spain last year issued the largest number of Schengen visas to citizens of Russia – more than a quarter of all issued visas, about 154 thousand out of 604 thousand.

The material was made with the support of the RADOR agency