OREANDA-NEWS. The expansion of the electronic visa mechanism in the Far East will increase the availability of the Arctic regions - Chukotka and Yakutia - for foreigners, which will contribute to the development of tourism in these territories. This opinion was expressed by representatives of the regions and the tourism business interviewed by the Russian media.

The State Duma at the meeting on November 5 adopted in the first reading a bill on expanding opportunities for tourism development, including cruise shipping in the Far East. The bill proposes to give tourists arriving in the Far East on a single-entry electronic tourist visa through Vladivostok the right to visit all Far Eastern regions, and not just the one to which they arrived.

According to experts interviewed by the Russian media, Arctic tourism is now actively developing, but it is limited by problems with accessibility of territories. As explained by Alexander Petrenko, head of the Chukotka-Discovery company, which organizes tours in the northern region, now a visa for a foreigner is issued in the period from one to three months. At the same time, an application for an electronic visa is accepted on a specialized site four days before the intended entry.