Tourist flow between Russia, China grows by 20% in Q1 - Russian Economic Development Ministry

MOSCOW. July 8 (Interfax) - The mutual tourism flow between Russia and China reached 2.7 million visits in 2024, and grew by 20% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same period of the previous year, the press service for the Russian Economic Development Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The total tourism flow reached 2.7 million visits last year. Chinese citizens made 1.2 million tourist trips to Russia, taking first place among tourists visiting our country," the press service quoted Deputy Economic Development Minister Dmitry Vakhrukov as saying at the 22nd meeting of the subcommittee on cooperation in tourism as part of the Russian-Chinese Commission for Humanitarian Cooperation in China's Qingdao.

Tourists from Russia made 1.5 million trips to China, which was ranked fifth among countries most Russian tourists entered for tourism purposes, Vakhrukov said. "The first quarter of 2025 also shows positive dynamics in the growth of mutual tourist trips. A total of 550,000 trips were made, 20% more than in the same period of 2024," he said.

Thanks to direct flights from Russia and visa-free entry, vacations on the Hainan Island are widely popular among Russian tourists, he said.

"The Russian side is also taking measures to facilitate Chinese tourists' entry into Russia," Vakhrukov said.

The Russian Economic Development Ministry added that formalizing a draft protocol to the existing agreement between the Russia and Chinese governments on visa-free group tours is actively progressing thanks to interaction with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The protocol envisages already approved changes to the composition and period of a tourist group's stay in the country and the new provisions taking into account the Russian legislation in the regulation of the activities of guides and guides-interpreters.