OREANDA-NEWS. After the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the tourism industry in Russia will have a "certain rise" due to foreign guests from Europe. This opinion was expressed to RIA Novosti by the EU Ambassador to Russia Markus Ederer.

"European tourists love to come to Russia, and there are a lot of people who want to," Ederer said at the Rosa Khutor resort, where he is located as part of the Austrian ski business weekend.

Ederer noted the high level of the ski infrastructure of the Russian resort and drew attention to the fact that the introduction of electronic visas will help the development of inbound tourism in the Russian Federation.

Also during the business weekend, the Ambassador attended an amateur downhill competition. "Such events are a great advertisement for both Sochi and Austria. And, of course, this is a good opportunity to relax in the fresh air from a pandemic in compliance with the necessary sanitary and epidemiological measures, while most European resorts are closed," he stressed.

A short-term e-visa was supposed to start operating in Russia from January 1, 2021, however, due to a difficult epidemiological situation, the issuance of uniform e-visas was suspended until further notice. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that Russia will fully launch the system for issuing electronic visas immediately after the restrictions associated with the pandemic are lifted.