According to the results of 2023, the flow of tourists from China to Russia will recover by only 20% compared to the pre-pandemic level, Sergey Voitovich, head of the commission of the Russian Union of the Tourism Industry (PCT) on international cooperation, is sure.
“In the best case, the tourist flow from China to Russia by the end of the year will be 200-250 thousand people, which is five times less than before the pandemic, when about a million travelers arrived,” he told Izvestia.
Group tourist trips of Chinese people, the first in three years, will be possible from February 6, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China said. So far, we are talking about traveling only to some countries: in addition to Russia, these are mainly Asian states, as well as individual destinations in Europe, Africa, South America and Oceania. The ministry said in a statement that travel will be resumed in a “pilot” mode.
According to Izvestia, in Russia the first group of Chinese tourists are expected in St. Petersburg on February 9.
The resumption of Chinese tourism will revive inbound tourism in the Russian Federation, which has decreased by 99% compared to 2019. Nevertheless, one should not expect a mass flow: the lack of an agreement on visa-free tourist trips, the lack of air travel and other factors are hindering, Sergei Voitovich noted.
According to the vice-president of the PCT, Dmitry Gorin, visa-free travel with Chinese tourist groups in Russia can be restored in the near future.
Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:
Made with China: tourism from China to Russia will recover by 20% in 2023
