Following the request of Rostourism, Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has recently informed the other countries’ diplomatic representations (both those based in Moscow and the federal subjects) that a new federal law on changes made in the rules for Russian travel agents (originally adopted on February 5, 2007) should come into force on June 1, 2007.

The Ministry announced that travel agents should now be held financially accountable for certain problems they might cause to their customers; they should also ensure greater consumer rights protection and enhance the quality and safety of their services as well as try and make the national travel market more stable.

It was also explained that the new law gives the right to applying for a visa on behalf of a client only to those travel agents who are included in the united federal register compiled by Rostourism.