New Procedure for Visas of Russian and Ukranian Tourists

As from mid-March of this year, tourists from Russia and the Ukraine will be able to obtain their entry visas on arrival at Malta International Airport (MIA).

This was announced by Minister Karmenu Vella to a group of Russian journalists currently on a visit to Malta. During this visit the journalists were also addressed by the Prime Minister Dr. Alfred Sant.

This facility, applicable to Russian and Ukrainian tourists buying a full-tour operator package in their home countries, will make it easier for the typically late-booking Russian traveller to decide on choosing Malta as a holiday destination, as it eliminates the need to apply and obtain a visa through the Maltese Embassy in Moscow.

These visitors will now be channelled through a pre-designated desk at MIA, where local handling agents' representatives will be at hand, should they need to assist immigration officials in the processing of the visas.

Agreement on this new procedure was reached through extensive collaboration between the Ministry for Tourism, the Department of Civil Aviation, the Police authorities, local handling agents and MIA.

The Ministry of Tourism, through the NTOM, is currently carrying out a strong public relations campaign in Russia, largely through press visits by journalists from this market. There are currently 26 journalists from Russia in Malta, and it is expected that at least 40 Russian press representatives will have been hosted in Malta in the first half of 1997.

More than 13,000 Russian tourists visited Malta in 1996, with a considerable increase expected this year.