Tourism representatives have called for an open skies policy between India and Russia, projecting that improved air connectivity could increase tourism and trade between the two countries by 50 to 100 per cent within two years. The proposal was raised at the ‘Open Your Russia 2.0’ programme held at the Russian Cultural Centre in New Delhi, where officials and industry stakeholders discussed opportunities to strengthen bilateral tourism and economic ties.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the event, Goyal said that while political relations between India and Russia remained strong, tourism exchanges had considerable room for growth. He said a unanimous resolution had been passed calling for an open skies policy, adding that improved connectivity could significantly expand travel and trade between the two countries over the next two years.
Moscow MICE Ambassador Anupam Vohra identified limited direct flights as a key challenge to expanding tourism exchanges. He said there were currently around five direct flights between Delhi and Moscow, while services between Mumbai and Moscow, which operated earlier, appeared to have been cancelled or were unavailable. He emphasised that addressing these connectivity gaps would be essential to increasing visitor movement in both directions.
Vohra also said discussions were planned with the Director General of Tourism, Government of India, to explore the formation of a joint working group on tourism. The proposed collaboration would focus on addressing transport and connectivity challenges. He further highlighted an emerging opportunity involving the Russian government’s interest in encouraging greater Indian investment in Russia’s hotel sector.
The ‘Open Your Russia 2.0’ programme is an inbound tourism development initiative implemented by the Center for Strategic Research (CSR), with support from the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI). The event brought together Russian tourism representatives and Indian travel industry professionals to discuss cooperation, improve air connectivity and expand travel exchanges. India is considered one of the priority international markets for Russian regions.
Representatives from the Tver, Sverdlovsk and Leningrad regions, along with the Republic of Karelia, presented recommendations for attracting more Indian visitors. The discussions highlighted opportunities to develop tourism partnerships and strengthen destination promotion, with improved air links, joint industry engagement and investment emerging as key areas for further cooperation between the two countries.