Tourism Agency CEO, owner of two houses in Seychelles, discourages Russians from holidaying abroad

The head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism urges his compatriots not to go on holiday abroad.

At the same time, he owns two houses in the Seychelles; their a total area exceeds 500 m2.

In an interview with the Russian newspaper ‘Rossiyskaya Gazeta’ Oleg Safonov slammed his Russians who spend their vacations at the seaside in an exotic country.

“A need in the beach and the sea [on holiday] is a stereotype that has been imposed on us for the recent years, and we consider it to be own opinion. Most of uur ancestors, even those wealthier did not go to the foreign sea,” Safonov said.

But the top official seem to share this stereotype as well. As it appears from his declaration of property, Safonov is in ownership of two houses on the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean:

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Meanwhile, the choices are becoming more limited: in early November Russia suspended flights to Egypt after the terrorist attack on a Russian plane over Sinai. When Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, the Kremlin banned Russian firms from organizing tourist trips to Turkey.