Russia aims to welcome over 5.5 million Chinese tourists  

Russia plans to receive more than 5.5 million travelers from China, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said Thursday at the VII Russian-Chinese Forum. He said the historic visa-free decision by the two countries’ leaders has already boosted tourist flows 1.5-fold, with first-half figures expected to exceed the pre-COVID level of 4.2 million.  

To prepare, Russia is expanding hotel capacity, attractions and products tailored for Chinese guests. More than 80 hospitality facilities—including hotels, visitor sites and airports—have been certified under the China Friendly standard. New products for the Chinese market will be presented under the DiscoverRussia brand at an outbound tourism exhibition in Beijing in October.  Russia also plans to open new tourist routes and launch mutual car tourism.

In 2025, 1.76 million Chinese citizens visited Russia, including 835,000 tourists, according to FSB Border Service data.

Photo by media team of ITB China 2026 post-tour trip