Israeli Visa in Three Days

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   The issue of simplifying visa regime for Russian tourists going to Israel was raised to be discussed at the Foreign Affairs Ministry: Sergey Lavrov, the Head of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry several days ago during his visit to Jerusalem made a statement about plans to make the trips of Russian pilgrims to the region easier. At the same time, as the IS BANKO reporter was told at the Israeli State Administration for Tourism Development, the government of the country plans to cut the period of tourist visa issue to 3 days in the course of the coming six months. A commission of three Israeli ministries (of Tourism, Foreign and Foreign Affairs) visited Moscow in order to study the Consulate potential. Its work is to be sped up by computer data processing that would require a technological restructuring of the Visa Department work.
   As for the present, the operators functioning in this region note that they have no difficulties with visas now. ‘The Israeli Embassy is quite loyal, we do not face serious refusals,’ remarks Alexander Baras, the A-Ticket General Director. And, according to Lyudmila Zolotukhina, the Big Travel 2000 General Director, the Consulate often meets the wishes of agencies and VIP-tourists halfway cutting the visa issue periods: ‘In most cases documents are issued in a week or ten days. Yet, in October, due to Jewish holidays, the Consulate did not work for the most part of the month, and before that visas were issued almost on the day of departure’. Yet, if the period of visa issue is cut, it would help prolong sales: ‘We will not stop the sales 10 days before the flight,’ says Andrey Sokolov, the Base-Travel Company General Director, ‘we shall sell tours 3 days before the flight.’
   It is sad that the visa “thaw” takes place in the background of growing political tensions in the Middle East. On October 26 an explosion killed 5 people at the market of the Israeli city of Khadera. The operators polled by the BANKO reporter noted that they did not see any trips cancelled in connection with the explosion, and that they may avoid a drop in demand. On the one hand, terrorist acts do not hit the tourist areas of the country, and, on the other hand, political tensions often run high there, but the number of Russian tourists visiting Israel has been steadily growing for the last two years.