RUSSIA’S tourism sector is in a delicate position with its own economic and social problems, and a boycott of the country by Russian tourists could be disastrous.
But experts are divided over the impact of the boycott.
Russia’s tourism sector has already been hit by sanctions for its role in the Ukraine conflict, and the ban would affect all sectors, including travel.
While there is no evidence to show that tourism has been adversely affected by the ban, the move has already made travel to Russia more expensive for tourists, and could hurt the tourism industry in the short-term.RUSSIA INVESTIGATES Tourism’s impact “I think it’s quite an interesting question,” said Michael Sivkov, professor at the Russian Institute for International Relations in Moscow.
“If there is an economic boycott, how much damage will that do to the tourism sector?
It’s not clear at this point.”
According to a 2016 study by the Russian Academy of Sciences, tourism accounts for about 4% of the economy.
But Russia’s foreign ministry has dismissed the report as biased, and has said that the ban will not have a significant impact on Russia’s economy.
“The Russian government does not consider the boycott as a threat to the economy,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“It is only a measure that will benefit the tourism market.”
It could be hard to predict exactly how much the ban could affect the Russian economy, but analysts say it is likely to hurt Russia’s tourism industry.
“A boycott would hurt Russia in terms of tourism, as the ban is based on a boycott, and that will have an impact on the tourism trade,” said Mikhail Kiselyov, the director of the Russia-Europe research centre at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Moscow, who previously worked for the US Embassy in Moscow as a special adviser to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According as Sivov, Russia’s travel sector is still suffering from a number of economic and societal problems, including an ageing population, corruption, and declining international tourism.””
This will not cause much damage in the tourism and tourism industry.”
According as Sivov, Russia’s travel sector is still suffering from a number of economic and societal problems, including an ageing population, corruption, and declining international tourism.
“There is no way to know what will happen if the Russian authorities decide to lift the ban.
But it seems that the most likely scenario is that the tourism will suffer,” he said.
Russia’s economy grew by about 9% in 2017, according to the latest statistics.
But it remains one of the least visited countries in the world, with the number of Russians visiting the country has fallen by about a third since 2012.
Russia and Ukraine are in the midst of their longest-ever war over the disputed territories of the Donbass region.
The conflict began in 2014 and has killed more than 6,000 people.
Since the start of the conflict, there has been a growing number of complaints about Russia’s human rights record, including its treatment of minorities, LGBT people and those with disabilities.
The tourism boycott could have a more detrimental effect on the Russian tourism industry, said Mikhail Sivokov, professor of international relations at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
“We are already facing difficulties in the Russian tourist market.
We are already seeing the impact on international tourism, especially for Russians, when they go to Russia,” he told Al Jazeera.”
In a lot of cases, Russians have been affected by this boycott.
It has been very painful for them, and now there is a boycott in the future.”
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