Tour operators express scepticism about idea of dress code for guests of Chechnya

The recommendations of the Chechen Ministry of Tourism on choosing appropriate clothes when visiting the republic were voiced amid a small interest of tourists in the region, note agents of the travel agencies. Dress code tips for Chechen guests are appropriate, but violating those dress code rules will not create problems for tourists, human rights defenders suggest.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 7, the Chechen Ministry of Tourism released a dress code check list for tourists with recommendations to choose "more modest" clothes.

Chechnya has become the only Russian region to introduce a dress code for tourists, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Svetlana Beshanova, the press secretary for the "Biblio-Globus" travel agency.

The very requirement to follow the dress code has in fact no effect on the tourist flow, notes Svetlana Krylova, a leading specialist at the "Intourist" tour operator's call centre. She has also added that tourists are not very interested in visiting Chechnya.

So far, "several dozens" of tours to Chechnya are sold per year, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been informed by Daria Domostroeva, the press secretary for the "Intourist" travel agency. "For comparison: we send from 30,000 to 50,000 tourists to Sochi per year," she notes.

The dress code check list for tourists can be useful for guests of the republic to understand what clothes can provoke "irritation of local residents," believes Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the "Civic Assistance Committee". "It is difficult to say how in fact this will be applied in Chechnya. However, it is useful to warn tourists that going to a mosque in shorts can cause irritation of local residents," Svetlana Gannushkina told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Meanwhile, according to the human rights defender, residents of the republic may be loyal concerning some violations of the "dress code" by guests of Chechnya. "When I visited Chechnya, I was wearing trousers, not a skirt, and there were no attacks in my direction about that fact. Chechnya are a home for people who are used to living in a multinational and multiconfessional state and who are aware there are other cultures and traditions to be also respected," said Svetlana Gannushkina.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 17, 2020 at 03:01 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.