By Emily King

Russia is gearing up for two international events sure to bring hoards of tourists. The country will be hosting the Winter Olympics in 2014 and the FIFA World Cup in 2018.

Hoping to boost its tourism image, Russia is making huge strides in visitor-friendliness. To prepare for the massive influx of travelers coming to cheer on their home teams, hotels are undergoing massive makeovers to compete for customers and new flights are being added across the country. Many global hotel chains are

While new flights will make Russia more accessible to reach for outsiders, concerns over the country’s transportation infrastructure have yet to be addressed. Public transport in provinces across the nation makes travel across Russia difficult.

Obtaining a travel visa is also a difficult and expensive process--while most visas across Europe have no charges, obtaining a Russian visa costs US passport holders $127 and each request must be confirmed by a government-approved company.

As Russia continues to change its image to a more visitor-friendly country, developments and improvements for travelers will continue over the next few years.