From February 6, China resumes tourist trips for organized groups to Russia and a number of other countries. This was announced on Friday, January 20, by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China.
The agency clarified that tourist trips for organized groups will resume, as well as the air ticket + hotel service, writes Reedus.
The list also includes Argentina, Hungary, Egypt, Indonesia, Cambodia, Kenya, Cuba, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, UAE, Singapore, Thailand, Fiji, Philippines, Switzerland, Sri Lanka and South Africa, RT specifies.
On January 11, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said that Russia and China are ready and working to restore mutual travel of citizens as soon as possible.
According to him, the Chinese side in the new historical conditions is ready to deepen all-round strategic cooperation with Russia.
The ambassador recalled that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory telegram to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of the New Year said that in 2023 “new opportunities will open up for the development of Chinese-Russian relations.”
On January 10, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia reported that tour packages to China began to appear on the websites of some Russian tour operators. However, only those citizens of the Russian Federation who already have a Chinese visa will be able to purchase them.
On the same day, passenger buses crossed the border between Russia and China in Primorsky Krai for the first time since 2020. In total, 28 people drove in both directions that day.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin met with the Chinese President via videoconference on December 30. The President noted that bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and China are the best in history and represent a model of cooperation between major powers in the 21st century.
Xi Jinping on December 31, as part of his New Year’s greetings to Putin, said he was ready to maintain close contacts with him in the coming year.
