Croatia is to open 18 visa centres in as many cities in the Russian Federation in efforts to speed up the issuance of visas for Russian citizens travelling to Croatia, the Croatian Tourism Ministry and the Croatian Tourism Board (HTZ) reported on Tuesday during an official visit by Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin and HTZ's Director Meri Matesic to Moscow.
Lorencin and Matesic met in Moscow with Russia's leading tour operators and discussed the current situation on the market with special reference to Croatia's visa policy for countries outside the European Union (EU). Minister Lorencin thanked the tour operators for their efforts to promote Croatia in Russia and asked for their patience concerning visas, underlining the significance of the Russian market for Croatia's tourism.
He explained that the new visa regime, which came into force on April 1, was Croatia's obligation and not choice as it was joining the EU and that he had come to Russia to see for himself what the situation in the field was actually like.
He added that the visa centres should make it easier for Russian tourists to obtain an entry visa to Croatia, which could be applied for via accredited tourism agencies too.
Lorencin also met with Croatia's Ambassador in Moscow Igor Pokaz and with Marko Peric of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs who announced that by mid July visa centres would be opened throughout Russia. He added that since April 1, Croatia had issued 13,000 visas and that on average 1,000 to 1,500 application were received each day.
HTZ Director Meri Matesic explained that around 200,000 Russian tourists visited Croatia last year which is 8% more than the year prior to that and accounted for 1.6 million overnight stays.
