Maya Lomidze: Introducing biometric visas will reduce the number of tourists

The Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Maya Lomidze, spoke about the introduction of biometric visas as well as the consequences. According to the expert, the introduction of biometric visas for those Russians who travel to Europe will inevitably lead to a decrease of the tourist flow due to difficulties in the preparation procedure. From September 14th 2015 travellers will be required to be fingerprinted in order to receive Schengen visas. For those who hold an old-style passport it will be necessary to be photographed so that the eye’s retina is visible.