The Russians rushed to rest in Greece and Italy, about visas and terms

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia notes the great interest of Russian tourists in trips to Italy and Greece, which has increased dramatically in recent years.

Revitalization of demand

Despite the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, ATOR notes that in the first four months of 2023, Russians began to show an active and greater interest in Greek and Italian resorts compared to last year. PAC Group representative Natalia Vashlanova says:

“Sales of tours to Italy have revived. This year we see interesting changes in the structure of demand. Firstly, they began to buy group tours well. Secondly, the demand from tourists of the middle price segment is reviving, which was not the case last year.”

And Maria Dubova, head of the Greek direction of PAC Group, notes a noticeable increase in demand for trips to Greece, especially for families with children, despite the difficult long flight:

“Tourists, including families, when flying to Greece, began to stop more often for one or two days in the transfer country. This way the path becomes easier and more interesting.

About visas, prices and terms

Tourists are now advised to submit documents to European countries at least a month before the date of departure. The cost of a visa through a tour operator: to Italy – 165 euros (14.7 thousand rubles) per person, to Greece – 140 euros (12.5 thousand rubles), writes GreekReporter.

Earlier, our publication talked about how generous not so long ago for multivisa Greece now he prefers to issue visas to Russians for specific travel dates. This does not mean that it is impossible to obtain a Schengen visa at the Greek embassy, ​​however, it is much more difficult to do this when applying on your own – there are more refusals.

Last year, due to difficult logistics, there were few Russians in Greece. However, experts suggest that this year the situation will improve. Greece, according to politicians, literally sacrificed Russian tourists last year to support the sanctions. Therefore, accordingly, the tourist flow was low. Although those Russian tourists who rested in Greece in 2022 are satisfied and did not feel any negative attitude towards themselves.

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