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, January 12 (Xinhua) — The inbound tourism market in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province continues to gain momentum. Thanks to the benefits of the visa-free policy, many foreigners prefer to travel and shop in China, according to a report posted Sunday on the China Central Television news app.
According to statistics from the Heilongjiang Provincial Main Entry and Exit Border Control Station, from January 1 to 9 this year, more than 91,000 tourists entered and exited Heilongjiang, a 43.8 percent increase over the same period last year, marking a strong start to the province's inbound tourism this year.
Early in the morning, the border and customs inspection hall for passengers at the Heihe waterway border crossing in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China, was already overcrowded, and a large number of foreign tourists were queuing to enter.
According to a Russian tourist named Natalia, who came to China from Khabarovsk, she is pleased and grateful for the neighboring country's new policy, which allows her to travel to China visa-free.
"Since the beginning of this year, the number of tourists entering and exiting through the Heihe border crossing has continued to grow, reaching approximately 4,000 daily. Over the past week, the number of incoming and outgoing tourists has exceeded 27,000," said Zhang Lei, an official at the Heihe border crossing.
With the onset of the winter season, ice and snow tours to Harbin, the "Ice Capital of China" in Heilongjiang Province, have become a popular new cross-border tourism destination.
Heilongjiang Province boasts abundant ice and snow resources and is a pioneer in China in the development and commercialization of the ice and snow industry. Last winter, the number of tourists and total tourism spending in the province increased by 18.5 percent and 30.7 percent, respectively, year-on-year.
As a reminder, in 2025, China and Russia launched a mutual visa-free regime, covering citizens of the two countries holding regular foreign passports.
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