Deal to Expand Tourism Cooperation With Moscow

Iran and Russia have signed an agreement for enhancement of tourism cooperation.
The agreement was signed on Friday by Iran’s Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Ali-Asghar Shalbafian and Russia’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Vakhrukov, IRNA reported.
The two sides signed the agreement on the sidelines of a Russia-Islamic World Forum in Kazan.  
The new agreement calls on both Iran and Russia to accelerate the implementation of an earlier agreement for the cancellation of visa requirements for group travels to Iran and Russia by the nationals of the two countries.
The two sides stressed the need for expansion of different types of tourism and exploring ways for boosting maritime tourism.
Direct flights between the Iranian capital Tehran and the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in southwest Russia, Kazan, have been established.
According to Shalbafian, the first weekly flight was operated on this route on May 17, IRNA reported.
Earlier, IRNA reported that direct flights between Tehran and Saint Petersburg are scheduled to be operated from June 1 by Nordwind Airlines.
According to Nordwind’s announcement in its Telegram account, these flights are a part of the spring and summer schedule of this Russian airline and are going to be operated every Thursday.
An Airbus A321 will depart Saint Petersburg International Airport (Pulkovo Airport) at 10:15 a.m. (local time) and arrives at Imam Khomeini International Airport at 3:20 p.m. (local time), IRNA reported.
The return flight departs Tehran at 4:20 p.m. (local time) and arrives at Saint Petersburg at 8:35 p.m. (local time).
Nordwind Airlines is a Russian leisure airline. The company is headquartered in Moscow, and its hub is at Sheremetyevo International Airport. The airline primarily operates between airports in Russia and holiday destinations around the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.