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Tourism in Russia has seen rapid growth since the late Soviet times, first inner tourism and then international tourism as well. Rich cultural heritage and great natural variety place Russia among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The country contains 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while many more are on UNESCO’s tentative lists. Major tourist routes in Russia include a travel around the Golden Ring of ancient cities, cruises on the big rivers like Volga, and long journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway. Diverse regions and ethnic cultures of Russia offer many different food and souvenirs, and show a great variety of traditions, like Russian banya, Tatar Sabantuy, or Siberian shamanist rituals.Despite being home to some of the world’s great attractions – from Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow to the famed Hermitage museum in Saint Petersburg – Russia has struggled to attract tourists.

The major hurdle towards attracting less tourism is it is epicenter of some of the most expensive hotels in the world, inadequate tourism infrastructure, a reputation for surly service and bureaucratic headaches for visitors and the absence of English. To tackle this, the Russian government is hoping to change all that and is planning to launch an ambitious programm to make the country a tourist paradise by 2016 and thrust it into the ranks of major tourism destinations. The deputy minister for tourism and sport, Nadezhda Nazina said “We are going to do everything possible so that a foreign visitor feels comfortable in Russia.”
The Russian government will soon be considering a 352-billion-ruble (11.7-billion-dollar, 8.5-billion-euro) plan to improve infrastructure, train specialists and launch a major advertising campaign, she said. If the plan is successful “in five years up to 40 million foreign tourists could visit Russia every year,” Nazina said.

Russia last year attracted only 2.3 million foreign visitors, according to the federal tourism agency, placing it far below the top destinations for international tourists. The top two destinations, France and the United States, attracted 74 million and 55 million visitors respectively in 2009, according to the World Tourism Organization. To reach its target, Russia would need to attract about as many tourists every year as Italy, which last year hosted 43 million foreign visitors.

Industry experts in Russia said they would love to see the plan succeed but were highly skeptical. The figure of 40 million tourists “is a prediction that is in the realm of science fiction,” said Maya Lomidze, the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.

“Too many conditions would have to be met for this plan to be realized. The main necessity is that we have hotels at affordable prices. Russia is a very expensive country,” she said.

According to a recent study by travel consultancy the Hogg Robinson Group, the average price of a hotel room in Moscow is 402 dollars (288 euros), the most expensive in the world. In Paris the average price was 318 dollars (227 euros) and in New York 297 dollars (213 euros).

“In Moscow there are almost no economy-class hotels or they are very bad. The prices are exorbitant,” said Irina Tyurina, the spokeswoman for the Russian Tourism Industry Union.She said Moscow and Russia’s Tsarist-era capital Saint Petersburg, famed for their luxury hotels, continue to host most visitors to Russia, accounting for 95-98 percent of foreign guests.

The next most-popular destinations are the so-called Golden Ring of ancient cities near Moscow including Vladimir and Rostov, the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia’s Far East and the Lake Baikal region in Siberia. Industry experts said Russia will also have to overcome the bureaucratic red-tape that is the bane of visits to the country.

Foreign visitors are not only required to indicate the cities they plan to visit when applying for a Russian visa, they are also required to register with local migration authorities every time they visit a new city, a process Tyurina described as “humiliating.” Russia is also country “that has not yet adapted to the needs of foreign tourists,” Lomidze said. For example, there are no signs in English in the Moscow Metro except for small plans posted in the underground transportation network.

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Immigration New Zealand has begun trials of biometric technology that uses facial recognition to verify the identity of people coming through New Zealand customs.The trialled technology from biometrics technology firm Daon takes a photo of the person applying for a visa, and then uses this photo to verify the identity of the applicant when they attempt to gain entry to the country.

Over the next few years plans to use biometrics to confirm the identity of visa applicants and travelers at the border. Any technologies adopted will have substantial privacy safeguards, in accordance with New Zealand privacy laws. The trial is not currently being deployed in regular border control operations and a decision on whether the technology will be employed by Immigration New Zealand is not expected to be made for at least 12 months, the department said.

“The evaluation is a short-term trial that is not being deployed operationally,” Immigration New Zealand said. “It is separate from the Immigration Global Management System (IGMS) replacement of the current Application Management System (AMS). IGMS, once approved, will provide future operational identity management capabilities for INZ.”

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According to a new study by the Conference Board of Canada (CBC), immigrants can help boost innovation in Canada, which is currently lagging behind other developed nations.

“Immigrants tend to be motivated individuals willing to take risks in search of greater opportunities, which should predispose them to be innovative,” said Diana MacKay, Director, Education and Health. “At every level we examined—individual, organizational, national and global—immigrants were associated with increased innovation in Canada.”The CBC says that Canada is consistently ranked 14 out of 17 industrialized nations in its capacity to innovate. In it’s report, Immigrants as Innovators: Boosting Canada’s Global Competitiveness, the CBC used various criteria to show that countries benefit by encouraging immigration.

The report found that at least 35 percent of Canada Research Chairs are foreign-born, even though immigrants only make up one-fifth of the population. In addition, immigrants win proportionally more literary and performing arts awards in Canada than native born Canadians.

Immigration also leads to an increase in trade between Canada and the immigrants’ countries of origin. According to the CBC report, a one percent point increase in the number of immigrants to Canada can increase the value of imports into Canada by as much as 0.21 percent and raise the value of exports by 0.11 percent.

Foreign direct investment in Canada is also greater from countries who are well-represented in Canada’s immigrant population, according to data compiled by the CBC from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

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A high court challenge is likely to cause problems for the UK’s plans to implement a cap on immigration into the country.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and a number of businesses that depend on skilled immigration to deal with skill shortages have brought a judicial review of the government’s temporary cap on immigration. The cap was imposed on 28 June 2010.The JCWI says that the cap is unlawful because ministers did not seek proper parliamentary approval before introducing the immigration cap. If the immigration cap was debated in Parliament beforehand there would have been an opportunity for MPs to consider in detail what would be the appropriate limit on skilled and highly skilled visas.

According to the Government, the temporary immigration cap was implemented to prevent a large influx of Tier 1 (highly skilled migration) and Tier 2 (skilled migration) visa applications from migrants originating from outside the European Union and the European Economic Area. The temporary immigration cap reduces overall skilled immigration by a relatively modest five percent. The surge is expected because the Government plans to implement a permanent cap on immigration in April next year.

However, the Government is facing criticism as the immigration cap is damaging to UK business and so to the UK’s global competitiveness. Startup companies, major research positions, and other highly skilled endeavors are well-represented by foreign-born members of society in many industrialized nations. The immigration cap has so far affected Tier 2 visa applications more than Tier 1 visa applications. Some businesses have been left in a situation where they are unable to sponsor anyone at all on a Tier 2 visa. Liberal Democrat business secretary Vince Cable complained publicly that the temporary cap was damaging British industry.

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk backed on Thursday Bulgaria’s bid to join the European visa-free Schengen travel zone in 2011. “Bulgaria is on a fast track to join Schengen and Poland will help it in that direction.

Tusk also praised the government’s “steadfast efforts against corruption and organized crime.”
Borisov, on his part, thanked Tusk for the support, highlighting its importance in the light of Poland’s upcoming EU presidency in the second half of 2011.

Bulgaria is seeking to join the Schengen zone in March 2011 but is still awaiting the European Union’s final greenlight. The two premiers of the Bulgaria and Poland also discussed on the issues pertaining to economic crisis, gas deliveries and transportation links too.

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Iraq’s ambassador to Afghanistan celebrated the opening its new embassy Wednesday in Kabul, saying it will strengthen diplomatic relations between the two countries that date to the 1930s and assist Afghans who want to visit holy sites in Iraq.

“Iraqis and Afghans are almost brothers,” Ambassador Qais Subhi al-Yacoubi said at the opening. “Whenever I go on the street, people know that I’m Iraqi. Everyone welcomes me so I never feel that I am here as a guest. I am among my brothers and my friends. The relationship is not only Iraqi-Afghani, it is also Arab-Afghani and Islamic-Islamic and before everything else, we are Muslim.

The Afghan government has said it also has plans to re-open its embassy in Baghdad, as it tries to expand and deepen its links to the Muslim world. Iraq broke relations after the Taliban seized Kabul in 1996, but has had relations with the current government of Afghanistan for years.

The new Iraqi embassy in Kabul eventually will have a consular section to assist Afghans who want to visit Iraq, which is home to religious shrines important to Shiite Muslims around the world.

“We have thousands and thousands of Afghans who want to go to Iraq,” he said. “Iraq is full of holy shrines from north to south. … Our consular section will facilitate that. It will take some time, but we are working quickly.”
Many Muslims, including Afghans, visit Iraq during Ashoura, the yearly mourning period in which Shiites remember the seventh century death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, in a battle in the central city of Karbala.

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Germany is monitoring Bulgaria’s effort to fight crime and corruption and supports its bid to join the 25-nation Schengen Zone that allows passport-free travel in most of the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. The German premier arrived at the Bulgarian capital Sofia today to discuss bilateral projects and Bulgaria’s plan to become a Schengen member, along with neighboring Romania, in March 2011.

“We will evaluate the readiness of each country to join the Schengen Zone depending on how well it has covered the list of criteria,” Merkel told reporters. “Germany supports Bulgaria’s efforts to join the Schengen Zone.”
The two Black Sea countries, which entered the EU in 2007, would follow eight other former communist countries that became Schengen members on Dec. 18, 2007, as the EU expands its influence east and gives its newest members increased rights within the EU.

The European Commission, the EU’s Brussels-based executive arm, is expected to assess in November whether Bulgaria and Romania are ready to take the Schengen step in the planned timeframe, Merkel said.

The two newest EU states are set to receive 45 billion euros ($60 billion) of EU aid in part to improve infrastructure to EU levels, including security systems. The most important issue is to ensure the supremacy of law, so that people outside the Schengen area cannot obtain Schengen zone visas through corruption.

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The Green MEP said she expected the European Commission, EC, to open Kosovo’s path towards the White Schengen list, which allows citizens of a country to travel across most of the European Union without a visa, in the ‘next couple of weeks’.

The news follows the European Parliament’s approval last week of plans for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the list from January. The Green MEP said she expected the European Commission, EC, to open Kosovo’s path towards the White Schengen list, which allows citizens of a country to travel across most of the European Union without a visa, in the ‘next couple of weeks’.

If the Council of the European Union agrees to extend visa liberalization to the two Balkan states in November, Kosovars will be the only citizens of the region requiring visas to travel to the EU. The Austrian politician told Balkan Insight that she agreed with some Kosovars’ fears that such a step would transform Kosovo into a ‘ghetto’. Even those countries that don’t recognize Kosovo have said that Kosovo needs to be included in visa liberalization.

But she added that Kosovo’s image as a country of ‘criminals and corruption’ among certain member states, and increasing scepticism voiced by some major European powers, such as France, over extending visa liberalization, present obstacles on the road to visa liberalization for the world’s youngest state. Officials in Paris have expressed doubt in recent weeks about extending visa liberalization to Albania and Bosnia, which have now fulfilled the technical criteria to become members of the White Schengen List, according to the EC.

The Commission wants a measure [visa liberalization] but will not be dealing with its negative impacts,” an unnamed high-level French diplomat told Le Monde earlier this month. French State Secretary for European Affairs Pierre Lellouche called the visa policy a “matter of security” in a speech to the French parliament on September 29. He said that France would request “security guarantees” from Albania and Bosnia before it will support visa liberalization.

Visa liberalisation for Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia was granted in January this year and led to a spike in asylum claims in Belgium filed by citizens mainly from Serbia and Macedonia. In recent weeks it has emerged that Sweden has become the latest destination for Serbians seeking asylum. According to local reports, of the 22,045 applicants that have sought asylum in Sweden this year, about 4,000 declared Serbian citizenship, compared with 421 in the same period last year.

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We have witnessed stricter immigration rules to tackle the gross misuse of Visa system globally. There is confirmation that Hungary is tightening its immigration rules to deter foreigners from gaming the EU system. Non-EU citizens whom the authorities can prove married or got adopted for the sake of obtaining a residence permit will be forced to leave the country should lawmakers pass the bill which aims to bring Hungary in line with EU law.

Further, students who enroll in Hungarian higher education in order to gain free travel within the EU face tougher admission requirements, such as having to prove that they possess the language skills required to start their studies. In turn, Universities must inform the authorities about new foreign students within eight days and let them know if they break off their studies or fail to enroll by the deadline. Employers, including research institutes, will be fined if their non-EU employees fail to leave after their permits expire. If a foreigner violates Hungarian migration rules, they will be banned from all EU countries. Rules for refugee applicants will also be tightened. The authorities will have the right to send immigrants to their home country if their application is turned down once. Currently immigrants have a second chance to apply before being sent home.

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The UK Border Agency has expanded its partnership working with local government by launching a new checking service for settlement applications.

The settlement checking service pilot builds on the success of the existing nationality checking service. If a migrant is applying for settlement (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) using application form SET(M), they can now have their application checked by a local authority officer before it is sent to us.

Form SET(M) is for migrants who are applying for settlement as the husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried partner or same-sex partner of a British citizen or a person settled in the UK. Although the service will not offer immigration advice, it will benefit applicants by checking and returning their valuable documents. It will also reassure them that their application is complete and valid when it is sent to us, avoiding any unnecessary delay.

The settlement checking service will extend the service provisions offered by local government. The first local authorities to offer the service are Brent and Barnet, which launch today. Another 10 local authorities will join the pilot over the next 2 months:
* Cambridgeshire County Council
* Cardiff City Council
* Dudley Metropolitan Council
* Leeds City Council
* Liverpool City Council
* Manchester City Council
* Newcastle City Council
* Oxfordshire County Council
* South Lanarkshire County Council
* Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Applicants can already book appointments in Oxfordshire and Stockport, where the service will begin next week.