Russia, the New Frontier for African Tourism -By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to implement ‘visa-free regime’ with all African countries, too much symbolism has characterized its policy towards Africa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ‘visa-free regime’ for Africa aimed at strengthening cultural relations with the continent. That tectonic announcement filled the local Russian media from Moscow to Vladivostok.

Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry clarified that the ‘visa-free regime’ for African countries was still under serious review, diplomatic talks with different countries on the drafts of visa-free travel agreements were undergoing different stages as each of them had its own specifics. In addition, there was the necessity to put African countries into categories or groups.

On 2nd October 2024, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department Head Alexey Klimov explained in an interview with local Russian media: “Russia is currently working out travel agreements on abolishing visa requirements and providing visa-free entry for short-term trips, usually up to 90 days, with a number of friendly states, nine of them being the countries of Africa and the Middle East.”

“As always, we will immediately inform the public about the concrete results achieved and embodied in documented bilateral agreements,” Klimov concluded, the full transcript posted the official ministry’s website.

With the changing times, Russia has been pursuing an integrative multipolar relations with friendly countries around the world, including those in Africa. Asian countries have been granted such short-term visa-free privileges. In practical terms, this boosts tourism. Quite noticeable that Russia is still not a popular holiday destination for Africa’s political elite, corporate business leaders and the middle-class. Undoutedly African politicians and corporate business leaders highly prefer to spend their vacation in the United States and Europe. Some Asian destinations are increasingly becoming their preferential choice for recreation. That trend is unlikely to change, it will remain as such for the next decades.

After the symbolic Russia-Africa summits, both Russia and Africa adopted a joint declaration – in fact a comprehensive document which outlines various parameters for uplifting cooperation into a new qualitative stage. Tourism is one the well-praised spheres during the discussions. Briliant speeches called for frequent exchange of cultural groups, and to take comprehensive measures to promote full scope of cultural and tourism collaboration between Russia and Africa.

Ultimately and in order to boost effective economic interests and to foster cooperation, frequent interactions are necessary. The frequency of interaction should not only be established during summits and conferences. Some basic strategic steps and measures are also necessary to encourage simply holiday travels to both regions. These are significantly missing in the current relations between Russia and Africa. Critics often say, Russia is contributing enormously to its own so-termed isolation, by closing its doors especially when there are huge opportunities to develop first-class tourism. The African elite could visit Moscow, St. Petersburg and coastal cities including Sochi, and cruise along the Volga river.

Certainly, by playing flexible visa regimes will not only promote tourism and further strengthen cultural ties but also in practical terms, will build positive perceptions and further help to neutralise high level of western media disinformation across the continent. There is the need to take a pragmatic approach to these important questions, and as social aspects to leverage people-to-people interactions.

Noticeably, Russia officials only dream of official state visit by heads of African states and ministers as an essential pillar of their version of multipolar world.

With current geopolitical situation, Africa’s middle-class estimated at 380 million (twice Russia’s population) has suitable alternative holiday destinations. For now, Moscow and St. Petersburg are not their desired priority for spending vacations. Russian tour operators acknowledge in a media query with this article author that there is nothing to refer to “as African tourism to Russia” in bilateral entrepreneurial activity. But on the opposite side, African destinations as Egypt, Morocco, Maldives, Seychelles, South Africa and Zanzibar – which are popular among Russian vacationers.

Most often, Russia and Africa have been discussing how best to promote exchanges of delegations, explore untapped resources, the possibilities of promoting cooperation in the field of tourism, dissemination of information on tourism opportunities of the Russian Federation and African States.

For these past few years, the summit declarations remain tacitly as declarations. In practical terms, visa-free regime for African countries has remained largely as official documents stacked in computerized files and would later be pushed into electronic historical archives. The basic question often asked is for what purposes are the summit declarations.

“Russia is ready to build multifaceted relations with Africa. If Russia Wins, Africa Wins!” remarked as Chairman of the African Union, Comoros President Azali Assoumani during late July St. Petersburg summit, the plenary session in 2023.

With hopes for an enduring collaboration on long-term programs, Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was created. And it has since been networking, and with the aim of promoting Russia’s economic interests in Africa and to foster mutually beneficial cooperation with African countries.

Local Russian media abuzzed with latest information emerging from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Russia plans ‘visa-free regime’ with all African countries, further explained that it was within the framework of Joint Action Plan (2023-2026) adopted at the second summit in St. Petersburg.

From investigations, Russia has ‘visa-free agreements’ with only six African countries. And visa-free regime only applied to African countries that signed agreements with Foreign Ministry. Within the agreements, only holders of diplomatic passports are permitted under this consular agreement.

According to sources monitored, agreements would be signed after successful negotiations with Russian authorities. One source confirmed in an interview with me that Russia has an agreement on “visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic service passports” with 32 countries on the continent, and yet refused to make public – the official list of approved African countries.

Within the Action Plan of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum for the period 2023-2026, it is, however, anticipated that both Russia and Africa hold constructive and friendly positions on the formation of a multipolar world order.