Travel firm temporarily stops Russian tourist services

The move came after Russian authorities advised its airlines to halt all international flights (except from and to Belarus) following Western sanctions on the country, Deputy Director of Anex Vietnam Bui Quoc Dai said.

“We will stop conducting tours for customers from Russia at least until March 28, when Russian authorities are scheduled to announce further changes.”

Earlier this month, the Russian federal agency for aviation transport FAVT earlier told Russian airlines “which have planes registered abroad under leasing contracts with foreign partners” to halt most international flights between March 6-8.

It cited the “high level of risk for planes to be detained abroad” as reason for the recommendation.

Dai added that the number of Russian tourists had fallen sharply since the end of February after Russia launched “special military operation” on Ukraine.

He said his firm has racked up losses despite receiving nearly 6,000 Russian travelers since last December, as they were unable to fill charter flights.

Vietnam tour operators specializing in Russian and Eastern European markets warned the devaluation of the Russian ruble would affect the inbound market in future.

In 2019, Vietnam received a record 646,000 tourists from Russia, making it the sixth largest tourism market after mainland China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S.