A growing number of countries and international companies have suspended business operations in Russia. The actions by international banks are having a direct impact — including on some Russians who are out of the country.
More than 1,100 Russian travelers came to the Indonesian island of Bali in January.
Many of those planning a lengthy stay have run into trouble paying their bills because the ATMs on the island that are linked to Russian bank accounts have now been blocked.
Credit cards are a similar story.
Reuters reports that Russia’s embassy in Jakarta has helped switch some credit arrangements to China’s UnionPay system rather than Western companies such as Visa and Mastercard, which have stopped doing business with Russian accounts.
The Bangkok Post reports this week that at least 6,000 Russian and Ukranian tourists are now stranded in Thailand because of the abrupt end to international flights.
The paper notes that when Thailand’s island of Phuket first welcomed back international travelers last July, Russia was the top source market for tourists.
Now that many destinations have placed sanctions and restrictions on Russians, the Moscow government has at least one recommendation for would-be tourists heading to Asia.
The Federal Agency for Tourism of Russia has recommended Vietnam as a safe destination with no restrictions on Russian travelers.
That word came last week from the English language Vietnam News.
