A new player in the Russian travel and tours industry aims to grab more than 20 percent of the market for travel to the United Kingdom.

Competitors believe London-based Trinatours can only achieve its goal by undercutting the market and hoping for fast visa processing at the British Embassy.

But Terry Anthony, general director and one of the owners of Trinatours, said the company is planning to work with local agencies rather than compete with them. "We will offer packages to agencies and in one year we intend to send from 5,000 to 8,000 people to England," he said, adding market research found 70 Russian tour companies could be potential partners.

Yelena Nikitina, vice president of Lanta Tour Voyage in Moscow, said the goal was achievable if Trinatours offered packages for less than $450, the current average for a week-long stay in England.

A major problem would be helping Russian citizens get visas quickly, she said. "A tourist visa to Schengen countries is 99 percent guaranteed, but British visas are never predictable. They [embassy officials] often request interviews with residents of the regions, who cannot afford to travel to an embassy or consulate."

Some companies say getting a British visa can take weeks. Anthony said their procedure would take less, though he could not specify a time. He also said Trinatours, known for offering luxury tours, would not undercut the local market or employ aggressive marketing strategies.

Trinatours has branches in Athens, Cyprus, Malta, Israel and Italy and sends 200,000 tourists to the United Kingdom every year, with an annual turnover of $140 million. Both individual and package tours are offered with the support of British Airways, a leader in world air transport.

The partnership offers Russian-speaking staff for clients from the Russian airport to their British hotel. "Up to 40 percent of our flights to the U.K. are filled by Russians and not all of them speak English," explained Julia Cook, British Airways' sales manager in Russia. The company has 19 flights per week to London and has worked in Russia since 1958.

Both partners declined to say how much they are investing in Russia.

The United Kingdom is the 16th most popular foreign destination for Russian tourists, behind Poland, China, Turkey, Spain and others, according to market research by the Russian Association of Tour Agencies. However, tourist flow to Britain increased about 60 percent last year, when 35,000 Russians visited on tourist visas.

A representative of Russia's 1,200-odd tour operators reacted positively to the new competitor's plans. Sergei Abramov, RATA deputy director, predicted Trinatours' expensive packages would not compete heavily, and said the industry welcomes "fair and transparent competition ... typical of a growing market, and also shows that Russia is an interesting place to do business."

Analysts say the tourism market's turnover is around $7 billion annually, and has grown 10 percent year on year since 1999. Four million Russians toured abroad last year.