Almost 580,000 tourists from Russia, China use visa-free mechanism over past year
MOSCOW. Aug 1 (Interfax) - Almost 580,000 tourists from Russia and China have used the visa-free mechanism since August 1, 2023, when the agreement on visa-free group trips between Russia and China started working again, the Russian Economic Development Ministry press service said on Thursday.
"We are now seeking an increase in the number of tourists interested in visa-free tourism. According to our information, almost 580,000 Russian and Chinese tourists have used visa-free tours since August 1, 2023," the press service said, citing a speech by Russian Deputy Economic Development Minister Dmitry Vakhrukov in a meeting with Chinese Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Zhang Zheng.
Of all tourists who travelled without visas over the past year, 240,000 are citizens of China, who visited Russia, the press service said. A total of 340,000 Russian tourists visited China in groups.
According to earlier reports, China ranks first among the foreign countries whose tourists visited Russia in 2023. About one million tourists from China visited Russia. According to the Russian Economic Development Ministry's forecast, tourism from China to Russia in 2024 may come close to the pre-pandemic level of two million according to an optimistic scenario and may increase by 30%-40% according to a conservative scenario.