The Cruise vessel “Island Sky” visiting Arkhangelsk. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Suggests visa-free cruise travel to Murmansk, Arkhangelsk

Russia’s Ministry of Culture wants to open Murmansk and Arkhangelsk ports for 72-hours visa-free visits for passengers of cruise lines.
February 02, 2016

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The Ministry proposes to make amendments to the law “On the Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry to the Russian Federation”, in order to make the Russian Arctic more accessible for foreign tourists, Rambler writes.

Today ferry and cruise passengers can make 72-hours visa-free trips to St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Vyborg, Kaliningrad, Korsakov, Novorossiysk and Sochi. In September 2015 President Vladimir Putin asked the Government to extend the list of ports for entry by foreign tourists by February 1 this year, RIA Novosti wrote.

To increase the number of port calls by foreign cruise vessels has been one of the Murmansk regional government’s goal. The central port of Murmansk has been given a serious facelift during the last couple of years to make the town more attractive for foreign cruise vessels.

Cruise tourism to Murmansk has been rather limited with less than ten international port-calls annually. Foreign cruise vessels have had to stay portside at the remotely located fishing harbor because that was the place with immigration control. For 2016, at least twelve port calls are scheduled, according to Cruise International.

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