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15,000 travel industry experts attended OTDYKH Leisure Fair 2019

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From 10-12 September 2019 the Expocentre in Moscow hosted the prestigious 25th anniversary of the OTDYKH Leisure expo. Over the course of three days almost 15,000 travel industry experts attended the fair, and over 600 exhibitors participated from 35 countries and 41 Russian regions. The expo showcased developments in a range of sectors, such as industrial, event, medical, sports and gastronomic tourism. Companies from across the travel industry took part, including tour operators, hotels, resorts, airlines and transport companies.

This ground-breaking event was officially endorsed by the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Culture, the Federal Agency for Tourism, the Russian Union of the Travel Industry and the Russian Association of Tour Operators.
The opening ceremony of the expo was attended by an official delegation, headed by the Deputy Minister of Culture, Alla Manilova. Also present were the Advisor of the Head of the Federal Tourism Agency, Elena Lysenkova, and the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Maksim Fateev. Other esteemed guests included the ambassadors of Brunei, Spain, Mexico, Myanmar, Moldova, Panama and Egypt.


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The participants

A range of top international tourist destinations had exclusive stands at the event, including the Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Spain, Serbia, Cuba, Tunis, Morocco, Taiwan, Egypt etc.
In addition to the returning exhibitors, the OTDYKH Leisure Fair 2019 welcomed a number of newcomers; among them were Iran, Taipei, Jamaica and Moldova. Cuba was a sponsor country for the first time.

41 Russian regions participated in the event. The newcomer regions were Astrakhan, Volgograd and Kemerovo, the Republic of Mari El, Khakassia and Sakha (Yakutia).They showcased the best of what the Russian Federation has to offer, and in particular the Komi Republic was announced as a sponsor region.

B2B Marketing Events

The highlight of the expo was a series of exclusive B2B marketing events for the exhibitors. These included roundtable meetings between leading Russian tour operators and international organisations, as well as a sales-call service and bespoke workshops by industry professionals. One of the stand-out events was the B2B Speed Dating service, where industry specialists were granted the opportunity to have back-to-back, individual meetings at the exhibitors’ stands. The roundtable discussions facilitated productive exchanges on a diverse range on topics including international security, charter flights and the simplification of tourist visa procedures for Russian citizens.

The Hosted Buyer Program

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Another highlight of the expo was the hotly anticipated Hosted Buyer Program 2019, where high-level buyers, tour operators and travel agencies from 18 Russian regions held meetings with exhibitors. An innovative new matchmaking system, debuted at the 25th edition of the OTDYKH Leisure Fair, allowed exhibitors to schedule meetings in advance in a specially designated business area, resulting in 430 meetings over the course of the event.

The Business Program

The OTDYKH Leisure Fair 2019 featured a comprehensive business program, comprised of 45 business events with over 150 speakers and almost 2,700 participants, cementing its status as a leading industry platform in Russia. Talks centred on the trends currently dominating the tourism market, and how they are projected to develop in the near future.

On the first day of the event, discussions focused on the development of domestic and inbound tourism in Russia. Other prominent seminars explored the role of creative industries, the growing popularity of folkloric culture and the impact of digital technology in the travel industry. On the second day talks centred on the rise of medical tourism in Russia, IT solutions in travel and new trends in business tourism. On the final day the topics were event tourism (such as the 2018 FIFA World Cup) and the development of industrial tourism in the Arctic. An important part of the program on the third day was the discussion on ecotourism, and the increasingly relevant role of ecology in tourism.

The final day of the expo ended on a creative note with a video competition entitled “Hello Russia, My Homeland!” in which a record number of videos were entered, showing the best tourist attractions from across the Russian Federation.

The next OTDYKH Leisure Fair will take place on 8-10 September 2020, at the Expocentre in Moscow, Russia.

MEDIA CONTACT: Anna Huber, Project Manager, Travel Exhibitions Division, Euroexpo Exhibitions & Congress Development GmbH, Tel.: + 43 1 230 85 35 – 36, Fax: + 43 1 230 85 35 – 50/51, a.huber@euroexpo-vienna.com , http://www.euro-expo.org/

Seychelles Islands converge to Russia to meet partners in Moscow and St. Petersburg

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) hit Moscow and St Petersburg in full flare, as a Seychelles oasis was created by the STB team in Russia to welcome together more than 100 Russian travel trade and press.

The events, which included interaction with key players in Russia and press interviews with various media partners, culminated with an elegant dinner in each city and coincided with the STB Chief Executive’s second visit to Russia.

The STB Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis was accompanied by the organisation’s Regional Director for Europe Mrs. Bernadette Willemin, STB Director for Scandinavia, Russia & CIS Ms. Karen Confait and STB representative in Russia, Ms. Olga Demina.

The two appreciation dinners held on April 15 and April 17, 2019 took place in the cosy and stylish Modus Restaurant in Moscow and NOK Restaurant, the new gastronomic hub in St. Petersburg respectively.

The STB team present seized the opportunity to engage with the significant trade partners on the Russian market, evaluate the performance of the market and establish future collaborative plans.

The created décor provided idyllic surroundings for the guests present to get memorable pictures and network with the partners from Seychelles and their colleagues.

As part of the mesmerising elements to the events, the venues in Moscow and St. Petersburg were turned into greenhouses by the local florists and decorated with the palm leaves and exotic flowers.

The evening commenced with the welcome speech delivered by the STB representative in Russia Ms Olga Demina, who also introduced Mrs. Francis for her speech.

During her speech, Mrs. Francis, stressed on the STB’s confidence that the Russian market will continue its expansion.  “We have big hopes for the promising and growing Russian market and are very happy to see the increasing interest in the Seychelles. I would like to thank all our partners who have been supporting our destination for more than 10 years and hope that our relationships will grow even stronger in the future,” said the STB Chief Executive Mrs. Francis.

The STB Chief Executive’s address was followed by a short destination presentation from the Director of Europe Mrs. Bernadette Willemin.

The guests were welcomed to a three-course dinner during which they had the time to network in an informal and luxurious atmosphere with all partners and received a small present from the STB to end the night on a memorable note.

All together the event gathered 21 partners, among which were Constance Hotels & Resorts, Banyan Tree Seychelles, 7°South, Creole Travel Services, Four Seasons Seychelles, MAIA Luxury Resort & Spa.

Also present were representatives from Raffles Seychelles, AVANI Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa, Hilton Hotels, North Island, JA Enchanted Island Resort, Fregate Island Private, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Eden Bleu Hotel, Savoy Resort & Spa Seychelles & Coral Strand Hotel.

Airline partners such as Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Etihad Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways also attended the events.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Moscow selected to host annual GSMA Mobile 360 Series event

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Eurasia conference, a regional event held as part of the activities of GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association), will be held in Moscow, October 8-9 2019.

The decision to host the event in Moscow was adopted as a result of an active work of the Russian Convention Bureau which provided the proposal for venues, and organized an inspection visit for representatives of the international association.

The event will be held in Moscow for the second time, following the successful launch in 2018 which gathered over 600 attendees from 21 countries and 52% were Director-level and above.

In 2019, the conference and exhibition will bring together over 600 policymakers, regulatory authorities, international organisations, Mobile Network Operators, mobile technology solution providers and broader ICT ecosystem players from Russia, the CIS region and the international market leaders in 5G technology. The event will be held at the Lotte Hotel Moscow.

Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, said: “The sphere of mobile and high technologies plays a key role in stimulating economic growth, attracting foreign investments and increasing global competitiveness through development of science and technology. Adding more industries to the list of events organized by the Russian Convention Bureau will not only facilitate the development of corresponding areas of the real economy sector but also help create the image of the country on the international arena as one of the most meaningful players on the market of the event industry.”

Alexey Kalachev, Director of the Russian Convention Bureau, said: “We use various tools of working with international associations as we work to attract various business events to Russia. We are ready to offer universal and customized solutions that will correspond to the needs and expectations of conference organizers of various scale in different industries.”

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Russian Aeroflot remains China’s ‘Favorite International Airline’

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Russia’s Aeroflot has been once again named the Favorite International Airline in China. The award was given to Aeroflot for the third consecutive year at the Flyer Award Ceremony 2019. The award ceremony was held today in Shanghai, the economic capital of China.

The awards are supported by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Winners are selected by the jury and by votes from frequent flyers and travelers.

The awards recognize outstanding participants in China’s dynamically developing tourism market. Previous winners include leading global airlines, including carriers that hold Skytrax 5-Star Airline status.

Aeroflot retained the title of Favorite International Airline at the competitive Flyer Awards due to its key competitive advantages: high service quality and flexible fare policy.

“The recognition of Aeroflot as the Favorite International Airline in China is confirmation of the effectiveness of our strategic efforts in China,” Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev said. “We offer our customers a wide route network and one of the youngest fleets in the world. Millions of Chinese passengers choose our airline for affordable ticket prices, convenient transit via our hub airport Sheremetyevo and high-quality service. Further development of service on Europe-Asia transit routes – one of the most competitive aviation markets globally – is one of Aeroflot’s key goals, along with the active expansion of the domestic route network.”

Aeroflot’s convenient routes encompass four key locations in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Aeroflot continuously adds new services oriented at the Chinese market. Earlier Aeroflot signed a partnership agreement with Alipay, China’s most popular payment system.

Aeroflot’s official website has a Chinese-language interface. Passengers receive menus in Chinese, and the in-flight entertainment system is available in Chinese. Onboard announcements are made in Chinese and the menu offers a special Asian set.

Aeroflot consistently enjoys wide recognition and popularity among consumers in the Chinese market. In January, Aeroflot was named Best China – Europe Transit Airline at the 2019 Stars Awards in China.

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Russia to use Fan-IDs (again) as visas for 2020 UEFA Euro Cup visitors

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Upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, have passed on Monday a bill allowing foreign tourists with Fan-IDs to travel to Russia without entry visas for matches of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup.

Last week, the bill was passed in the third and final reading by lawmakers from the State Duma, the parliament’s lower house, and following today’s approval by the senators, it must be signed into law by the Russian president.

“Within the period, which begins 14 days prior to the first match of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup in Saint Petersburg and ends on the day of the last match [in St. Petersburg], the entrance to Russia for foreign citizens and stateless persons, who come to Russia to watch 2020 UEFA Euro Cup matches, will not require issuance of visas based on identification documents,” according to the explanatory note.

Addressing a government’s session in mid-March, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the country planned “to employ the same mechanism we used in the past regarding the issuance and operational rules of Fan-IDs.”

Russia came up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup with an innovation, which was the so-called Fan-ID and was required for all ticketholders. This innovation was successfully tested during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia and earned high marks from the world’s governing football body of FIFA.

The Fan-ID played an important security role during the major football tournament in Russia as it granted admittance to the stadiums and also served as visa for foreign visitors to enter the country.

A Fan-ID holder was allowed to enter the country without having a Russian visa and stay for the duration of the global football tournament. Fan-IDs were obligatory, in addition to purchased tickets, in order to attend matches of the 2018 World Cup tournament in Russia.

2020 UEFA Euro Cup

The matches of the 2020 Euro Cup will be held at stadiums in 12 different cities across Europe, namely in London (England), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Baku (Azerbaijan), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Glasgow (Scotland) and Copenhagen (Denmark).

Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg was granted the right to host three group stage matches and one of the quarterfinals of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup.

The decision to hold the 2020 Euro Cup, which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary that year, in various European countries instead of in one or two hosting countries was made at the UEFA Executive Committee’s meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on December 6, 2012.

A total of 24 national football teams will be playing in the final tournament of the 2020 Euro Cup. All 55 UEFA national member teams, including 12 teams from the hosting countries, will have to play in the qualifying matches to vie for the berth in the final 24-team lineup of the quadrennial European football championship.

It is possible that some of the national teams from the hosting countries of the 2020 Euro Cup will not be playing on home soil in case they fail to clear the qualifying stage.

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