India, Russia to sign pact for visa-free tourism this year

Consultations between Russia and India on visa-free tourism will begin in June, according to a senior Russian official.

"India is at the final stage of internal state coordination," Nikita Kondratyev, director of the Russian Economic Development Ministry's Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects, said on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024" in Kazan.

Both sides will sign a pact for visa-free tourism this year, he said, adding that the first discussion on a draft agreement is scheduled to take place in June and a signing is expected by the end of the year.


Kondratyev said Russia plans to replicate the success of visa-free tourism already established with China and Iran.

In 2023, the Russian capital was visited by 3.7 million business tourists--7% more than in 2022. And India remains one of the leaders among visitors from non-CIS countries in terms of the number of business travellers.

In 2023, 60,000 Indians visited Moscow--a quarter more than a year earlier. Simultaneously, there has been a surge in Russian tourists in India.