Representatives from Russian regions suggested preparing a single list of ports and points of call for foreign cruise ships in the territory of the Far East. This is aimed to mitigate administrative barriers in cruising in the Far East region.
The relevant proposal was incorporated into the final resolution of the plenary session for preparation of the Tourism Development Strategy by 2035, held at the Inturmarket tourist exhibition, according to Russian news agency TASS.
According to the document, representatives suggested establishing a notification procedure of state border crossing for masters of foreign cruise ships.
Currently, cruise ships have to repeatedly cross the state border when calling to the port of Petropavlovsk, the Komandorskiye Islands, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and Chukotka, for example.
Constituencies of the Russian Federation consider necessary to undertake the following measures for mitigation of administrative barriers when developing cruise navigation in the Far East: prepare and approve a single list of ports and points of call for foreign cruise ships. A “one-stop shop” principle was earlier introduced for planning of cruise programs in Russia owing to the position of the federal center. Regions interested in development of cruise programs proposed a list of ports and points authorized for liners’ calls in pursuit of this norm. It pertains to sea areas of the Russian Arctic and the Far East and will significantly simplify the procedure for coordination of routes. However, the Russian government has not yet approved it,
…the resolution says.
As such, regions noted an option of reducing rates of port charges. It is proposed to set lower rates of port dues with the coefficient of 0.5 for passenger and cruise liners in Far Eastern ports. Similar measures are effective in many countries of the Asia-Pacific Region, the document noted.
