MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Ministry of Culture supports the idea of liberalizing the visa regime for foreigners, and this issue will be raised at the State Council, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said Thursday.
"The Ministry of Culture is an ardent supporter of this idea," Medinsky told reporters, answering a question on whether the government is working to liberalize the visa regime for tourists.
According to the minister, countries that have eased their visa regulations have seen a significant tourism increase.
"Of course, we believe that this would positively affect the tourism industry," he said, adding that the planned proposals envision allowing a visa-free 72-hour stay for transit tourists from a number of countries.