The head of the Russian Federal Tourism Service, Oleg Safonov predicted the number of Russian tourists visiting Greece in 2016 could reach 1 million. Speaking at the Greek-Russian tourism forum at the Grand Resort Lagonissi in Athens, Safonov said Greece had become the number one booking destination for Russians in May. Safonov made reference to the longstanding cultural and historical ties between the two countries, stressing that Russians ‘Loved Greece, loved traveling here’. ‘They like beach holidays, the sun, but there is room for expanding their traveling options to other destinations’, he underlined. Safonov said that there would a series of 50 events in the framework of the Greco-Russian year of friendship in 2016.