In August 2023, 30,000 tourists visited Russia with an electronic visa, Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov announced at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Every second person arriving came from China. Since August 1, 2023, Russia has been issuing e-visas to citizens of 55 countries, including: also Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy. Reshetnikov also said that Russia has proposed reciprocal visa-free tourist visits to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Russia recently began allowing groups from China and Iran to enter the country without a visa. In August it also proposed a similar agreement to India. In addition to tourism, business relationships with Russia should also be deepened. Work permits and work visas to pursue a professional activity in the Russian Federation are not taken into account in the exceptions and it will therefore still be necessary to apply for these via the traditional route.