Russia removes India from list of safe travel destinations

Russia has removed India from the list of safe travel destinations for its tourists, according to a report by a Russian news agency. The Russian information centre in Goa released a statement saying a revised travel advisory had been issued following the blacklisting of Egypt and Turkey.

The decision will be a major blow to Goa as most of its foreign tourists comprise of Russians. Goa is already witnessing a reduction in the arrival of Russian tourists after the devaluation of rouble.

Commenting on Russia’s decision, head of the Russian information centre, Ekaterina Belyakova said, “Both India and Goa were not considered as good destinations for Russian travellers.”

Interestingly, regions like Cuba, south Vietnam and southern China are placed amongst ‘safe’ destinations. However he said that the removal of Goa from the safe list was not connected to terror attacks but some ugly local incidents are behind it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had cancelled all the flights heading towards Egypt after the explosion of a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai peminsula. He also urged the citizens of Russia to cancel their vacations in Turkey.