LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Many people have dreamed of a vacation to view the majestic spires of Saint Basil’s Cathedral or stand in awe of an original Picasso at the State Hermitage Museum.
Unfortunately, some of those experiences have been cut short due to the conflict between Russian and Ukraine.
It’s been a stressful couple days for Michigan State University professor Andrei Simonov and his family. His daughter was visiting Moscow when the invasion of Ukraine began. She was able to catch a plane to Turkey before multiple countries banned flights to or from Russia.
“It so happens that my daughter actually was flying from Moscow to Istanbul,” Simonov said. “She had to go around through Poland, and Czech Republic, and then Romania. Now, she’s in Istanbul and she’s stuck there for two days. Hey! I’m actually a little bit jealous. It’s a good place to be stuck for two days.”
“If the scope of this conflict broadens, then, of course, the global tourism industry is going to be hurt,” said Dr. Ahmet Kirca, MSU director of the CIBER International Business Center.
Kirca is from Turkey and worked in the tourism industry for more than a decade. He said people planning vacations to Europe should pay close attention to the news before boarding a plane because there’s a lot of uncertainty of how much the conflict could spread.
“Things might change in two days or three days,” Kirca said. “Keep an eye on the news and make sure that you follow the developments. Especially if you’re going to Eastern Europe — if you’re going to Finland, if you’re going to Romania, if you’re going to the Balkans.”
As of Friday night, the United Kingdom, Poland and Czech Republic have instated travel restrictions to Russia.
Related: How the Ukraine crisis could impact the auto industry
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