European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 17, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                It i s s t \ a Painter displays his works on a Moscow Street. Making a Telephone Call in Moscow can be time consuming. A Small band makes music in the streets of Moscow. Ester tourists no longer flock to Russia Bjoan Melevine the associated press in the bad old Days Western tourists eagerly slipped behind the Iron curtain to glimpse the communist ogre. Now the ogre is dead so they go somewhere else. As a result the government misses out on hundreds of millions of dollars at a time when it desperately needs foreign currency to repay an $80 billion debt and modernize Industry. When people think about coming to Russia they Start thinking about political instability rising crime rates and bad water said Dmitry Khankin managing director of Story m travel a Moscow travel Agency. Tourism was better 10 years ago when people wanted to see How the evil Empire  Russia used to be a closed country which Means there were fewer foreigners and fewer crimes against or by them said Vladimir Trifonov Deputy director of statistics for the Interior ministry. Now. Crime involving foreigners is on the  Trifonov said 7,015 crimes were committed against foreigners in the first six months of 1993. Throughout the 1970s and Early 1980s, the number of tourists visiting the soviet Union was constant at about 1 million a year. It began to Rise after Mikhail s. Gorbachev gained Power in 1985. Foreign tourism peaked at 2.8 million in 1989, then slipped to 2.2 million by 1991 As the soviet Union collapsed said Vladimir Braginsky assistant to the president of i tourist travel co., a quasi private firm that emerged from the former state travel Agency. Half the tourists came from the West he said. Braginsky believes foreign interest in Russia has continued to decline since but no accurate comprehensive figures Are available because of the end of both the soviet Union and i tourist s monopoly. In the past six months the new i tourist company handled just 100,000 visitors to Russia a tiny fraction of the old volume he said. State coffers gained just $300 million from tourism in. A Ballet ticket at the Moussorgsky theater in St. Petersburg costs under a Nickel. 1992, Braginsky said while three years ago the former soviet Union took in $1.5 billion. Much of the Revenue goes to new or newly private companies including travel agencies and hotels that compete with i tourist. But neither the new companies nor i tourist can guarantee orderly travel these Days especially in the provinces. Privatization is not working Braginsky said. Before we tried to maintain a Standard. Maybe it was not adequate but there was order. Now there Are just poor  with state run i tourist there always were lost reservations cramped hotel rooms and delayed flights but Many visitors expected that from communism. In a new free Market Russia they May lose their patience. Jan Bergersen of Boise Idaho has kept hers at least for now. You have to bring your tolerance for a different Way of life she said relaxing with friends at the i tourist hotel after a Busy Day of touring Moscow. Bergersen who took a course in russian history before the visit said she had expected a utilitarian trip and came without her husband whom she could never imagine  citizens of satellites made up half the soviet Union s foreign visitors because they were Given special Low rates. But now that East europeans have to pay full Vates which continue to Rise most prefer to travel West. Why go to Sochi when you can go to Greece for the same Price Braginsky asked referring to a resort on Russia s Black sea coast. Tourism is not developing Well in Russia said Irina Volkova sales and marketing director of the Metropole hotel which charges More than $350 for a Standard room. She said Many people cancelled in the High summer season after reports of Street violence in Moscow. At least one tourist was not put off by All the negatives. It is very different said Michael Apodaca of Santa Barbara calif., snapping a photo of Lenin s Tomb in red Square. The i tourist hotel is old and run Down and the food is terrible but i like  february 17, 1994 stripes Magazine