Schengen does not go for the future – Newspaper Kommersant No. 197 (7398) of 10/22/2022

The tightening of the visa regime for Russian tourists by European countries has reduced the flow of applicants by almost a third: due to a decrease in the share of long-term visas issued, citizens of the Russian Federation have stopped processing documents for the future. The real flow of travelers has also declined, and the growth in activity is recorded mainly in destinations outside the Schengen zone – to Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Cyprus.

In October, the flow of applicants for tourist Schengen visas decreased by about 30% compared to August-September. Marina Shirokova, head of the corporate department of Vizakhod, told Kommersant about this. She attributes this to the suspension by European countries from September 12 of the visa facilitation agreement with Russia. The number of issued visas for multiple entry and their validity period have been significantly reduced, which negatively affected the activity of tourists in general, confirms the deputy head of the visa and migration department of Continent Express Yulia Otvagina. According to her, requests are now on average 50% less than in October 2019.

The decision to unilaterally cancel the simplified visa regime with Russia was taken by European countries in early September. The consular fee has been increased from €35 to €80, the maximum processing time for applications is up to 45 days. The decision involves a stricter approach to the issuance of long-term visas. According to Ms. Otvagina, consulates often return passports after the date of entry. And when applying, it is now required to provide redeemed tickets and a 100% prepaid hotel reservation, she points out.

As Marina Shirokova notes, if tourists used to receive visas for two years at the Spanish visa center, now they are mostly for three months. In the case of Italy, we are talking about an increase in the number of refusals by 20%, in the visa centers of Germany, tourists, as a rule, receive only refusals. The authorities of this country are constantly changing the requirements for the package of documents and do not meet the applicants halfway in terms of providing additional information, explains Ms. Shirokova. Julia Otvagina adds to this the reduction in the number of free places for recording by 80%. According to her, slots in the popular and most “loyal” consulates of Spain, Italy, France are dealt with in minutes.

Ms. Otvagina reports that some countries now issue visas strictly for travel days, among them are Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and Greece. “Therefore, tourists who rely on multiple entry visas create an additional burden on the consulates of more “loyal” countries,” she explains.

The situation is complicated by the reduction in the number of employees of some diplomatic missions. Against the backdrop of tightened policy, Russians are less likely to receive visas for future use and apply when preparing for a trip, Ms. Shirokova adds.

Intourist representative Daria Domostroeva says that the flow of tourists to Europe has noticeably decreased, the number of applications is estimated at a few, while in the case of Turkey and Egypt, we are talking about hundreds of calls per day. According to Yandex.Travel, the volume of flights to European countries in October was 10% higher than in August, but in absolute terms, we are talking about a maximum of hundreds of bookings. According to OneTwoTrip, European countries now account for just 3% of international bookings.

A similar trend can be seen in the demand for accommodation facilities. According to Ostrovok.ru, European destinations accounted for 10% of the total foreign bookings between October 1 and 20, and 16% in the same period in September. In physical terms, the number of bookings in the EU countries decreased by an average of 28%. In Estonia, Lithuania and Finland, which closed entry for Russian tourists, the number of bookings decreased by 60-75%. In Latvia and Poland, which made similar decisions, by 40% and 5%, respectively. And the most popular countries in the eurozone, according to the service, among Russian tourists are Italy, France and Spain, where the number of bookings in October was 20–23% lower than in September.

Interest in some European destinations is even growing, according to Ostrovok.ru data. Demand for Bulgaria in October increased by 75% compared to September, for Cyprus – by 30%. Yandex.Travel also notes the growing interest of tourists in traveling to Serbia, Montenegro and the UK.

Alexandra Mertsalova