More than half of respondents want the country to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens
Russian tourists arrive by bus at a border crossing station between Russia and Finland. © AFP / Alessandro Rampazzo
More than half of Finns want their country to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, a poll by Finland’s state broadcaster Yle has shown.
Some 58% of respondents favour such a move, 24% are against, and 18% are undecided, according to the study, published on Thursday,
The poll, in which a thousand Finns were questioned in early August, also revealed that most of those in favor of banning Russian tourists were men aged between 50 and 64.
Russia and Finland share a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) land border, with the Nordic nation being a popular destination for Russians, for holidays and shopping.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, some 20,000 people crossed into Finland from Russia on a daily basis. Visitor numbers plummeted due to Covid-related travel restrictions in 2020, but have been on the rise since both countries lifted the curbs in mid-July this year.
Serveral Finnish lawmakers have called for a tightening of visa rules for Russians in response to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.
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Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto is expected to discuss the visa issue with the government on Thursday, according to the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
