The current state of global tourism and air travel and other areas that depend on them - including the overseas property market - inspires a lot of optimism. Active vaccination against coronavirus, which is now taking place in many countries, is actively stimulating the opening of borders and the restoration of international flights. Just the other day, Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev, during a meeting of the State Duma committee, considering the issue of resuming international air traffic in full force, said that this could happen very quickly.
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And according to the latest information from abroad, the European Commission is trying to speed up the introduction of covid passports so that EU countries can remove travel restrictions by the beginning of the tourist season, not only for EU citizens, but also for others. Thus, both in Russia and in other states, processes are now underway, thanks to which a significant improvement in the current situation can be expected very soon.
Bulgaria
This country, which has been one of the leading buyers of real estate from around the world, opens its borders to foreigners from May 1. These will be the so-called "green" corridors for foreign citizens, including those from Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Turkey - the most priority countries for tourism in Bulgaria. Upon arrival, you will need to provide a certificate of the presence of antibodies for COVID-19 or a negative PCR test or a certificate of vaccination (the Russian vaccine is also suitable) - in this case, you will not need to undergo quarantine. So far, there are no direct flights from Russia to Bulgaria, but a number of airlines have already received permits for them, so they are expected to appear on the schedule from May 1.
Spain
So far, no specific dates have been named, but the leadership of this country intends to open its borders soon. After all, two years ago Spain ranked second in the world in terms of the number of foreign visitors, while in 2020 this flow decreased by 80%. At the moment, the Spanish government is actively advocating for the preparation and introduction of international vaccination certificates for the upcoming tourist season, so everyone expects the borders to open soon, especially since the Spanish Minister of Tourism recently announced a specific date - May 19.
Turkey
Since the middle of last summer, Turkey has opened up to foreigners, becoming almost the only one among the countries popular for buying real estate where you can fly, look at the objects of interest on the spot and choose the right one - exactly as it was before the pandemic around the world. Direct flights from Russia to Turkey fly regularly, there are no problems with this, especially since in recent months Istanbul has become the largest hub in Europe - our compatriots have flown through it to countries with which Russia has no direct flights so far.
As for the documents that you need to have to enter Turkey, this is a negative PCR test, and on March 15, it is also necessary to fill out the so-called "form to enter Turkey" on the Internet within 72 hours before departure from your country. register.health.gov.tr portal for the HES code. When checking in for a flight, representatives of airlines will monitor its availability through the traveler's mobile phone screen and in a printed form.
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Montenegro
Just a few days ago, the authorities of Montenegro opened the borders for many tourists, including those from Russia. To do this, at the border, you must have with you a certificate of the presence of antibodies to COVID-19 or a negative PCR test or a certificate of completed vaccination, which must be issued to the tourist at least a week before arriving in the country. Direct flights from Russia to Montenegro are also expected to resume in June.
Greece
At the moment, up to 4,000 Russians can come to Greece a week, however, this restriction is planned to be completely removed starting from May 14, when foreigners will be allowed to enter without quarantine. Visitors will only need a certificate confirming the vaccination carried out, or a certificate of the presence of antibodies or a negative PCR test, passed no more than 72 hours before departure. There are direct flights from Russia even now - the planes fly twice to Athens from Moscow and it is expected that from May 14 the number of cities and the number of flights will be much larger.
Cyprus
From April 1, this country opens its borders to foreigners, including Russians, without going through quarantine. Starting from this date, it is planned to return direct flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Larnaca. To get to the island, it is necessary to take the PCR test twice - no later than 72 hours before departure to Cyprus and upon arrival on the island, of course, a negative test result is required. Also, all Russian tourists must register on the Cyprus Flight Pass website 24 hours before departure.
Italy
Italy is currently developing a program for the introduction of the "immune passport" Green Pass, the results of the discussion of which will be announced soon. At the moment, tourists from Russia are banned from entering Italy at least until April 6, although this period may be extended, since the country has tightened restrictions to combat the next wave of coronavirus and introduced regional lockdowns. Currently, only Italian citizens, foreigners with a local residence permit, as well as highly qualified medical workers, students, diplomatic missions, or citizens who require medical assistance can enter the country. As for direct flights, some Russian airlines already operate them several times a week.
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Germany
In this country, new rules for entry are introduced on March 30 - now all air passengers must provide a certificate with a negative PCR test for coronavirus, received no later than 48 hours before check-in. Previously, similar conditions for crossing the border applied only to those who flew from countries with an unfavorable epidemiological situation. Now only citizens of the country or foreigners who have a residence permit here can fly to Germany. It is also necessary to fill out a special questionnaire before departure and adhere to a 10-day self-isolation upon arrival, the period of which can be shortened if the virus test is negative 5 days after arrival. As for transport accessibility, from April 1, Russia resumes direct flights with Germany with flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Berlin and Frankfurt am Main.
Thailand
Thai authorities are preparing to open the borders to foreign tourists in the coming summer - the Phuket Tourism Sandbox and Samui Wonder Island programs are currently under active development. Starting in July, quarantine for incoming foreigners who are already immune to COVID-19 will be canceled in Phuket, for this you will need to present a vaccination certificate or IATA Travel Pass, as well as pass a PCR test at the airport and activate the Thailand Plus application. Koh Samui will have stricter rules for entry: according to the new program, all tourists, regardless of vaccination status, will be quarantined, but it will be short-lived - 2-3 days in a quarantine hotel room, the stay in which is paid for by the state. There are no direct flights from Russia to Thailand yet - they are expected to appear along with the launch of inbound programs for foreign tourists.
