English-speaking visitors to Moscow will find the Russian capital much friendlier, as a long-awaited bilingual tourist call center has been opened by the city’s tourism committee.

The center’s purpose is to provide visitors to the capital with all the information they might need in English, be it the city’s historic sights, addresses of various institutions, or public transportation.

The hotline can also be used in emergencies. Operators will connect callers to anything from hospitals to embassies.

“The next step is a database of typical questions that will help operators work more efficiently and quicker,” said Sergey Spilko, chairman of Moscow’s Committee on the Tourism and Hotel Industry.

The center can be reached by calling (7) 800-220-00-01 and (7) 800-220-00-02. The authorities say that by the end of the year, it will be widely advertised all around the Russian capital.

“We've allocated 140 million [rubles] to advertising this year, and plan to spend 200 [million rubles] next year, increasing this by 5 percent annually,” Spilko told RT. “Maybe it's not such a big sum, but for us the most important thing is to use it effectively. We have already launched promotional campaigns on the BBC, RT – and in leading foreign newspapers. At the end of the year, we will also launch a special information website.”

Apart from establishing a call center, Moscow authorities have also upgraded the capital’s navigation system and provided additional parking lots for tourist buses.

The Moscow subway system will also become an easier ride for foreigners, as the head of the underground has ordered that all signs be translated into English. Currently foreign tourists and expats can only see transliterated versions of the names of metro stations on subway maps.

Additionally, around 100 signs with directions in English to the capital's most popular landmarks have appeared across the city. Later, sightseeing spots outside of the capital will also get English signs.