Travel from Russia to the United States is expected to come to a near standstill after Washington suspended visa services for dozens of countries, the Russian Union of Travel Industry said Wednesday.
According to a U.S. State Department memo, the United States will halt visa processing for 75 countries — including Russia — beginning Jan. 21.
The RST noted that U.S. visa services in Russia had already been effectively inaccessible, with applicants forced to apply through third countries.
Alexander Bragin, head of the Russian Association of Tour Aggregators, said the United States has not been a major destination for Russian tourists in recent years because of visa difficulties.
“Last year, bookings for U.S. hotels and air tickets by Russian travelers accounted for less than 1 percent of all outbound travel made through domestic aggregators,” Bragin said.
