Tourists who had trips planned to Russia are having to regroup, as the Russian Army continues its assault on the Ukraine.
Dan Sullivan is the CEO of Collette travel agency. He says they’re not willing to support the Russian economy in any way. Sullivan says they, along with other travel agencies, have canceled all trips to Russia.
The cancellations include tours that travel to Scandinavia and the Baltics that were also going to Russia.
“So we know, cancelling the tours, hurt the everyday people,” says Sullivan. “But there’s nothing we can do. It all falls under the country of Russia and the elitists. So we really don’t have a choice in that matter.”
Sullivan says not being able to take people to Russia is “very sad” as there is a lot of history and beautiful places in Russia.
“It is a popular destination, but we have to see how this plays out,” says Sullivan. “We stand with the Ukrainian people, we support Ukraine and we stand against the invasion of a country by another country. The Russian people don’t have any say in this, but we cannot support that economy.”
The U.S. Department of State is currently advising no travel to Russia by Americans anyway.
"Do not travel to Russia due to the unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces in Ukraine, the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials, the embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia, COVID-19 and related entry restrictions, terrorism, limited flights into and out of Russia, and the arbitrary enforcement of local law. U.S. citizens should consider departing Russia immediately via commercial options still available."
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There are also restrictions in air travel all around the world being affected by the situation in Russia. The European Union, Canada and Moscow all issued reciprocal airspace bans this week. In his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, President Joe Biden also announced the U.S. will be closing its skies to Russian aircraft.
Russia's tourism brought in about $84 million in 2019 according to CNN.
The cruise industry, already reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, has also had to make adjustments and reroute some sailings.
According to Cruise Critic, one of the leading review and news sites on cruising, most of the major lines have announced they will no longer stop in Russian ports. They will either cancel the stop entirely, or seek an alternative port.
"In light of the recent attacks by Russia in Ukraine, Carnival Corporation brands will be modifying our itineraries in the coming week once alternative ports can be confirmed," said a statement issued by Carnival Corporation. "We stand for peace."
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