Greek enterprises may offer discounts up to 20 percent to Russian tourists for their purchases in the country throughout the season, according to Government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili.
Ms Gerovasili was recently in Moscow within the framework of “Year of Greece in Russia,” a cross-cultural series of exchanges between the two countries taking place through 2016.
In an interview to Russian daily newspaper Kommersant, Ms Gerovasili said that the Tourism Ministry was in discussions with Greek tourism enterprises on the possibility of offering discounted rates to Russian citizens who visit Greece this season. She said that she expects announcements to be made on the matter soon.
Moreover, in her interview, Ms Gerovasili underlined the importance of the Russian market for Greek tourism.
“We will do everything to ensure that visas are issued promptly, by adding staff but certainly by speeding up procedures”, she said adding that soon more visa application centres will open in many cities of Russia to meet the demand.
“We have opened a dialogue in order to overcome problems created by sanctions and countermeasures or to minimize the impact on the Greek economy”, Ms Gerovasili said.
The Government spokeswoman also said that Greece is awaiting Putin’s visit, which is considered extremely important.
“This Greek government has a firm commitment towards the strengthening and broadening of the dialogue between the two countries”, she concluded.
