Russia is considering eliminating tourist visas for people from five countries:
Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. This means that people from these countries would be able to visit Russia without having to apply for a visa in advance.
The Russian government is looking to increase tourism from Asia and the Middle East, and they believe that eliminating visa requirements is one way to do that.
This is not the first time that Russia has considered eliminating visa requirements for other countries. In March, the Russian government announced that they were preparing to negotiate intergovernmental agreements for visa-free travel with eleven countries, including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Oman, Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, Zambia, Kuwait, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago.
If Russia does eliminate visa requirements for these five countries, it would be a major boost for tourism. More people would be able to visit Russia without having to go through the hassle of applying for a visa, and this would likely lead to an increase in tourism revenue.