Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Eastern Europe

Allegro High Speed Between Finland and Russia Booming

Phil Butler

Since we reported on the Russia-Finland Free Visa issue, visitors to the Russian Federation via high speed rail have increased by 22 percent over the same period a year ago. According to the news, some 100,600 rail passengers traveled between Finland and Russia in the first quarter of 2011.

Flydubai Launches Three New Flights to Ukraine

Aleksandr Shatskih

The Dubai based low-cost airline Flydubai has announced its entry into the Ukrainian market with three brand new routes to Kiev, Donetsk and Khartov, beginning in September of this year. The move will expand the carrier’s network of global destinations to 40 routes across the GCC, the Levant, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Indian sub-continent. […]

Record Numbers of Brits Hit Estonian Shores

Aleksandr Shatskih

A record number of tourists from the UK visited Estonia in the first three months of 2011, said the country’s national tourist board in a statement. Between January and March this year, more than 259,000 tourist arrivals booked into hotels in the country, which is an increase of 19% on the previous year. Especially encouraging […]

Hungary President Schmitt Endorses Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign

Aleksandr Shatskih

Hungarian President Pal Schmitt last week became one of the first European leaders to sign up for the joint World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) and World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign. Earlier this month, President Schmitt had been presented with a letter from the UNTWO Secretary General Taleb Rifai, which stressed […]

Stricter Rules for Serbian EU Travelers

Aleksandr Shatskih

Immigration controls for Serbian citizens who want to travel to the EU will be intensified, announced the country’s Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic in a statement on Monday, adding that customs officials will be checking that passengers have satisfactory funds, travel insurance and return tickets. The announcement followed a meeting between Dacic and a delegation […]

Melnik: A Wine Tourist’s Heaven

Aleksandr Shatskih

A beautiful landscape dominated by mountains and historical buildings, together with centuries old wine cellars and a famous brand of strong, red wine makes Melnik, one of Bulgaria’s smallest towns, a very special place to visit. Located in the southwestern corner of Bulgaria, Melnik is officially the smallest town in the country, according to local […]

Russia Should Ease Visa Rules says World Tourism Organization Chief

Aleksandr Shatskih

Russia should undertake a review of its strict visa requirements and do more to make travel for foreign tourists in the country easier if they want to attract more visitors to the country, the World Tourism Organization chief has said. “Each nation has the ability to encourage increased tourism through regulation and procedure adjustment,” said […]

Austria Agrees to Ease Visa Restrictions for Russian Travelers

Aleksandr Shatskih

Austrian visas are set to become much easier for Russian citizens to obtain after the country’s president agreed to ease current restrictions, saying Vienna should be as liberal as possible when concerning the Schengen Agreement. “If the system works fine for Italy, France and Spain then I do not see why Austria shouldn’t adopt the […]

Minsk – Trapped in a Soviet Era

Aleksandr Shatskih

Politically speaking, it may well be on the very edge of Europe, and in more ways than one given some of its government policies, yet in many other ways the mysterious land known as White Russia is an integral part of Central Europe with its rich culture and its depth of history. Belarus has had […]

Medvedev Not Giving Up On Visa-Free Travel Issue

Aleksandr Shatskih

The one thing holding back Russian tourism more than anything else has been the visa issue; Russian visas are notoriously difficult to get, and the bureaucrats in charge simply won’t bend until they get what they want in return. Rather than give into the EU’s demands for short-term visa free travel, Russia are demanding something […]