To consider problems temporary

приближаться

усиливать контроль

наблюдательная комиссия

усилить законы, регулирующие туристический бизнес

быть затронутым, пострадать

заняться каким-то вопросом

отказываться что-либо делать

истечение срока действия лицензии

начинать вести себя жестко в отношении кого-либо

подавать кому-либо официальную жалобу на кого-либо

выполнять обязательства по отношению к кому-либо

рассматривать предложение сделать что-либо

зд. не делать чего-либо

хранить что-либо в секрете, не разглашать

считать (рассматривать) проблемы временными

Task 4 Read the previous text once again and entitle it.

Task 5 Read the text and translate it. For help see the vocabulary notes that follow the text.

These aren't easy times for promoting travel to Russia. For a few years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country's increased openness sparked vast interest in tourism around the world. But these days, interest is on the wane, especially as Russia is often portrayed by media abroad as a bandit-ridden Babylon, where no one can ensure the safety and comfort of foreign visitors.

'We tend to think of CNN as one of our biggest enemies', - said Robert Overend, area director of sales and marketing for Marriott Hotels in Moscow, adding that he would like to see the many positive aspects of Russia mentioned in media reports.

Many of the problems of travelling to Russia are well known. Russian travel visas are expensive, and the requirements for obtaining them are cumbersome. And the trouble only begins there. In fact, some travel problems are so acute, many have begun to wonder if foreign travel is even welcomed by the Russian government.

According to experts, the situation at a number of airports is getting critical and is putting off many travellers. In March a Belgian family was stopped and searched for no apparent reason at Sheremetyevo Airport's terminal 2. As they were leaving Moscow, the group was separated and some of its members subjected to vaginal and anal cavity searches.

Marcus Tabbutt-Ford, project manager for DRUM Resources Ltd. Risk-management company says the number of incidents being reported at Sheremetyevo 2 has increased since 1999. He is aware of several recent occurrences in which a gun was drawn on a passenger in and around the airport. As a result there has been an increase in demand for companies like his to provide security for incoming travellers at the airport and even to deal with the aggressive taxi drivers.

Customs officials can be as unwelcoming. For example, though currency restrictions are supposedly being eased, visitors can still be grilled on how much money they enter Russia with, and then how much they are exiting with - as if there was not a single automatic teller machine (ATM) in the country from which you could have acquired extra cash. For many travellers, the fact that these archaic regulations continue to exist is mystifying.

Russian visa requirements are stringent for tourists. Some travel agents that arrange visas limit the tourist visa to 14 days, though the Foreign Ministry, which dictates commercial-and-tourist-visa policy, puts the limit at one month. Current visa regulations also stipulate that in order to receive a tourist visa, the tourist must have a booked accommodation in a hotel - a serious obstacle for the more casual and spontaneous traveller or backpacker.

Foreign tourists who follow the visa regulations don't usually experience any problems, while those who try to buck the system can run into trouble. Often, tourists book reservations in a hotel to get a tourist visa, but then never actually check into the hotel once they arrive. Problems later develop when officials discover the visa was never registered properly.

The Moscow Times, August 8, 2000