OREANDA-NEWS Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to provide additional support to companies operating in the tourism industry of Crimea and Sevastopol, according to the Kremlin's website.

"To provide additional support to organizations of the tourism industry of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol at the expense of the national project "Tourism and Hospitality Industry" in order to maintain employment and efficiency of such organizations," follows from the text of the President's instructions given by him following the meeting on socio—economic development of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, held on March 17.

In addition, the government is proposed to "ensure that funds received as a result of paying voluntary contributions to the federal budget for transactions involving the alienation of assets of foreign residents associated with unfriendly states are allocated for the development of tourism infrastructure, in terms of contributions calculated from the amounts of transactions presented at meetings of the subcommittee of the Government Commission for Monitoring the Implementation of Foreign Investments of the Ministry of Economic Development Russia".

The deadline for the execution of the President's instructions is until July 1, 2023.

At a meeting on March 17, the head of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Reshetnikov said that the tourism industry of the Crimea needs support due to a possible decrease in the tourist flow in 2023. In 2022, according to him, the number of tourists on the peninsula decreased by a third compared to the previous year.