Kondratyev said the area is becoming increasingly attractive for foreign tourists. According to local authorities, 900,000 foreign holiday-makers visited Kuban in 2016, which makes 6 percent of the total number of tourists in Russia last year. The majority of them prefer Sochi.
The governor said the tourist flow could increase substantially if the former Olympic capital, Sochi, was added to the list of Russian territories where foreigners are allowed to enter with electronic visas.
"I hope with your support we will be able to make it easier for tourists to come to Sochi," the governor said to Lavrov.
Earlier, the Russian government decided to introduce electronic visas for Vladivostok and the Kaliningrad Region as an experiment. Lavrov said as soon as this process is up and running, the ministry will be prepared to consider the Kuban authorities' request.
