Some 117,000 Russian tourists stranded abroad due to flight cancellations are now back in Russia

MOSCOW. March 31 (Interfax) - Some 117,000 Russian tourists stranded abroad have been repatriated, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said on Thursday.

"About 117,000 compatriots experiencing difficulties with returning to their home country have been repatriated," Chernyshenko said at a government meeting with tourism industry actors.

The government allotted over 10 billion rubles to tour operators for that purpose, he said.

Federal Tourism Agency head Zarina Doguzova said, for her part, that tour operators had managed to bring all organized tourists back home.

"This is about 100,000 people in all," Doguzova said.