VisitBritain has secured a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism in a bid to increase the "tourist flow" between the two nations.

The national tourism agency for the UK also confirmed that the agreement aims to help both countries build on the opportunities presented by London 2012 and Sochi 2014. VisitBritain will also provide destination marketing insight and encourage a greater exchange of skills across the industry as part of the newly-signed MoU.

Laurence Bresh, the agency's director of marketing, said: "This is another positive step forward for VisitBritain as we look to build on the growing significance of new and emerging overseas markets such as Russia. "We look forward to working closely with the Federal Agency for Tourism and to assist it as Russia prepares to host the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi."