Rostourism and Rosaviatsia detail possible return routes for Russian tourists stuck abroad

MOSCOW. March 3 (Interfax) - Russia's Federal Tourism Agency (Rostourism) and Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsia) have issued an advisory for Russian tourists stuck abroad but want to return to Russia on their own in the near future.

"This advisory is for those who do not want to or cannot wait for repatriation flights and have the resources to return home on their own. Repatriation flights are currently being coordinated," the Rostourism press service said.

The advisory tells tourists how to return to Russia using direct or transit flights and lists the epidemiological rules of different countries. Thus, tourists can return to Russia via Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.

Tourists currently in European countries can use buses and trains transiting Belarus and Kaliningrad, and can reach St. Petersburg on buses and trains from Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

Passengers are transported by the Ecolines and Lux Express companies, St.Petersburg's tourism committee said.

For instance, tourists can use the Ecolines company's daily bus services to travel from Lappeenranta to St. Petersburg. Furthermore, they can use the Ecolines and Lux Express bus services to reach St. Petersburg from Warsaw, changing buses in Vilnius, Riga and/or Tallinn.

Russian tourists currently in Greece and Bulgaria can return home on their own using bus services to Istanbul, where they can board a Russia-bound flight.

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia said earlier that there could be around 30,000 Russian tourists in countries air travel with which has been stopped.