Russia to strengthen ties with Kerala to promote tourism

Russia to reinforce its bonds with Kerala in the tourism sector, said Oleg Avdeev, Consul General of Russia to South India. He was speaking after inaugurating a seminar organised by the Russian Cultural Center and Yatrika magazine in Thiruvananthapuram.

Avdeev said number of tourists to Kerala from Russia there had been increased substantially these days. “Kerala has always been the favourite tourist destination of Russian tourists. Although there was a dip in the number of tourists in the 90s, Kerala has yet again emerged as the favourite tourist spot of Russians,” he said.

He further noted that the number of Keralites visiting Russia has also increased. “The Russian national flight carrier Aeroflot has started a new service from Colombo. This would help more Keralites to visit Russia,” he said.

Avdeev also inaugurated two programmes – the ‘Discover Russia’ programme and another one exploring the Russian literature by visiting Russia.

“These two programmes aim at associating with different airlines and providing an opportunity for Keralites to visit landmark locations and other regions of cultural importance in Russia at low rates,” said Ratheesh C Nair, Honorary Consul of Russia in Thiruvananthapuram and director of the Russian Cultural Center.

“A new package ‘Winter in Russia’ will also be started to experience the winter season in Russia. The programmes will be implemented in association with the various Russian government agencies and museums,” added Nair.