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
SHANGHAI, January 22 (Xinhua) — The number of Russian tourists visiting the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai (eastern China) in 2025 was expected to reach 385,000. According to statistics from the city's Bureau of Culture and Tourism, this figure increased by 59 percent compared to 2024.
It's worth noting that since September 2025, when China launched a trial visa-free regime for Russians with regular passports, Shanghai has seen a significant increase in Russian travelers. In December of last year alone, nearly 40,000 Russian tourists visited Shanghai, an increase of over 90 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
As a reminder, China has introduced a trial visa-free regime for Russian citizens holding regular passports from September 15, 2025 to September 14, 2026.
“Economic and tourist exchanges between China and Russia are already very close, and the visa-free regime allows us to significantly reduce the time and simplify the registration process for Russian citizens visiting China, especially for those who have a need for frequent and short-term cross-border travel,” said Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of Shanghai Spring International Travel Service /Group/ Co., Ltd.
According to the aforementioned agency, Shanghai's inbound international tourist flow increased by nearly 40 percent year-on-year to approximately 9.36 million visits in 2025. The Republic of Korea became the largest source of foreign tourists to Shanghai last year, with tourist flow from that country reaching approximately 909,000 visits, an increase of more than 103 percent year-on-year.
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