St. Petersburg develops tourist relations with Rimini and Ravenna

On February 28, a trilateral agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism between St. Petersburg and the Italian cities of Ravenna and Rimini was signed in the Northern capital.

“St. Petersburg’s relations with Italy are based on the principles of deep mutual trust and respect, support and taking account of each other's interests. The agreement will increase bonds in the field of tourism and help effectively promote our destinations in the travel industry market,” Evgeny Pankevich, the Chairman of St. Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development commented the agreement signing.

Acting General Director of St. Petersburg City Tourism Information Bureau Nadezhda Petrova, Minister of Tourism of the Municipality of Ravenna Giacomo Costantini, Managing Director of AIRiminum 2014 SpA – Rimini – San Marino International Airport Management Company Leonardo Corbucci signed the document.

The agreement implies the experience and information exchange in the field of urban marketing and tourism. It will improve the quality of tourism services, their diversity and accessibility.

Evgeny Pankevich also noted that the tourist flow between Italy and St. Petersburg is stable and gradually grows, and in 2019 the figure was 140 thousand people. The e-visa regime contributes to maintaining the tourist flow from Italy to the Northern Capital. The seventh degree of freedom of Pulkovo Airport also has a positive effect on mutual tourism exchange.

“Today, the agreement was concluded, and it will allow exchanging the relevant and useful information in the field of tourism. We hope that the initiative will help potential travellers see the rich cultural heritage of both countries and make the decision on the trip,” said Nadezhda Petrova.

According to Leonardo Corbucci, Rimini Airport is "the most Russian airport in Italy." Today, the air harbour operates flights to five Russian cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov, Krasnodar and Yekaterinburg. Flights to Novosibirsk will open in 2020, and flights to Ufa, Kazan and Samara are planned for 2021. The introduction of new air routes is relevant due to the fact that the e-visa regime will apply to all of Russia since 2021.

“Investments that were made several years ago, are starting to bear fruit: the tourist bridge between our regions is becoming solid. The agreement will become the legal basis for economic projects development. We hope that the agreement is the first step for further cooperation,” said Leonardo Corbucci.

A similar opinion was expressed by Giacomo Costantini, who noted the interest of Italian businesses in strengthening ties with St. Petersburg.

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Let us remind that on June 1, 2017, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, air services and creation of a Visit Petersburg representative office at the airport agreements were signed between St. Petersburg and Rimini (Italy). The opening of the Visit Petersburg office took place in October 2018. In Visit Petersburg offices, foreign tourists who are planning to visit Russia can get information about St. Petersburg, its hotels, attractions and the most convenient travel routes. At present, 14 information Visit Petersburg offices are already open abroad.