Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Beijing, December 3 /Xinhua/ — On December 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree allowing Chinese citizens to travel to Russia visa-free for up to 30 days until September 14, 2026, based on the principle of reciprocity.
"This innovation will further increase Chinese tourists' interest in traveling to Russia this winter," the newspaper Zhongguo Wenhuabao (Chinese Culture) reported on Wednesday, citing industry insiders. It added that border officials at the Chinese-Russian border are predicting a rapid increase in tourist flow from China to Russia.
According to the newspaper, on the day Russia announced the introduction of a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens, the Beijing-based Chinese travel search engine Qunar recorded a sharp increase in searches for flights to Russia. This was especially true for flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu to St. Petersburg and Moscow.
“Although Russia is currently not in peak tourist season, winter-themed itineraries, such as Northern Lights tours to Murmansk, are very popular with Chinese tourists,” said Li Mengran, PR and media relations manager for the Chinese tourism company Zhongxin /Utour Group Co., Ltd., adding that back in 2012, Zhongxin became the official distributor of tickets for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, introducing the Chinese public to high-quality Russian resources for the development of winter tourism.
According to Li Mengran, this winter, Zhongxin developed themed Northern Lights-themed itineraries to Russia, which received a positive market response. Thanks to Russia's introduction of a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens, its competitiveness in the tourism market will continue to strengthen. It is expected to attract more Chinese tourists of all ages. Zhongxin will focus on developing special tourist routes and products dedicated to Northern Lights viewing and winter themes, she noted.
According to the Zhongguo Wenhuabao newspaper, in recent years, exciting winter travel has made Russia a new favorite destination for young Chinese tourists. In Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Naryan-Mar, and other Russian cities, tourists can admire the brilliant aurora borealis, enjoy snowmobiling, whale watching in the Arctic Ocean, and encounter reindeer.
"Russia's introduction of a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens coincides with the peak of winter tourism. During the upcoming New Year and Spring Festival holidays (Chinese New Year, the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year), the popularity of tourist trips to Russia among Chinese is expected to reach a new high for the same period," noted Cheng Chaogong, a research fellow at the Tongcheng Institute of Tourism Research.
According to him, under the mutual visa exemption regime between China and Russia, a rapid increase in tourist flow from China to Russia, as well as from Russia to China, is expected through border crossings between the two countries, including the Heilongjiang Province checkpoint. Thanks to the visa-free regime, Chinese tourists will not only be able to experience winter-themed cultural and tourism products in the cities of Harbin and Mohe in Heilongjiang Province but also travel to Russia to admire its exotic landscapes, he emphasized. -0-
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