Moscow’s tourist attractions will now be able to receive special badges confirming that they are compliant with all hygiene standards and recommendations.
Moscow has joined the Safe Travels project of the World Tourism and Travel Council. This is the first global travel safety initiative against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city’s tourist companies, agencies, hotels and infrastructure facilities will now be able to receive a special Safe Travels Discover Moscow badge, indicating that they are compliant with all the hygiene standards and recommendations of the relevant authorities.
Moscow companies and institutions have started receiving international Safe Travels badges. Over 100 of these badges have already been issued, confirming that the organizations receiving them follow all the applicable regulations in Moscow and World Health Organization recommendations. This covers a set of measures, including social distancing, monitoring the health of employees, disinfection, personal protective equipment and so on.
In order to develop safe tourism and digitalization, the Government of Moscow creates a digital service RUSSPASS. Residents can plan their own tourist routes and make them safe with the RUSSPASS. Led by the Moscow Tourism Committee and the city’s Department of Information Technology, the service has been used by 700,000 people for six months of works.
The Safe Travels standards were drawn up by the World Travel and Tourism Council for hotels, airports, conference centers, tourist attractions (such as parks and cultural spaces), accommodation and car rental services, tour operators and agencies. The Safe Travels safety protocols recommend following local and national laws, as well as instructions issued by international organizations, including the World Health Organization.
To get the badge, Moscow organizations need to submit an application on the official website of the Safe Travels initiative in Moscow. Ten days are allowed for an inspection of each site or organization. If the applicant meets all the requirements, it is registered in the Safe Travels system and information about it is placed in the Safe Travels Discover Moscow register.
The local operator for issuing Safe Travels Discover Moscow badges is the Moscow Project Office for Tourism and Hospitality Development.
