24 Jan 2011 14:38

Federal Tourism Agency to open offices in Turkey, China, Egypt

MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) - The Federal Tourism Agency plans to open offices in the countries most popular with Russian tourists: Turkey, China and Egypt, agency deputy head Alexander Radkov told Interfax.

The offices will be opened in the countries, where many Russian tourists go and where more problems with tourists, from hotel accommodation to serious road accidents, happen, he said.

"The need for opening offices, similar with those many foreign countries have in Russia, became pressing a long time ago. The offices will open soon. We still need to settle some formalities, such as the signing of a Russian presidential ordinance to give the offices the appropriate status and funding," Radkov said.

He did not say when exactly the offices might open.

The opening of Russian tourism offices abroad has been on the agenda for no less than two years. Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy Minister Valery Mutko said at the last ministry meeting of 2010 that the offices would start working in 2011.