ITE HCMC held its first show in 2005 with two international pavilions from Thailand and Cambodia, 43 buyers, and 86 booths. Most of the exhibitors were local enterprises. Today, it has grown to become the largest and most established travel event in Vietnam and the Mekong sub-region. In 2019 more than 350 exhibitors and 30,000 visitors are expected, with 250 international buyers, 50 outbound Vietnamese buyers, and a record number of 40 hosted media. To celebrate its 15th year milestone, the International Travel Expo, Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC) is introducing a bundle of new features and special highlights to make the annual event an even more spectacular one for the expected record-high attendance.

In January-June 2019, citizens of the Russian Federation made 21 212 095 trips abroad. This is 6.67% more than in the same period of the last year. Turkey became the leader of outbound tourism, Italy is growing rapidly and tourist flow to Thailand has slightly decreased.

On August 1, Tez Tour expands its own flight program to the Chinese island of Hainan on the boards of its strategic partner - the airline iFly. The new flights are planned from three cities. Prices for weekly tours start from 50 thousand Rubles (708 Euros) for two persons on BB basis. As Tez Tour told, the direct non-stop flights to Sanya Airport in Hainan will be carried out twice a week from Kazan, Krasnoyarsk and Ufa on Airbus A330 with a capacity of 325 seats. 

On the 5-th of July 2019 the anniversary flight to the capital of China took place from the Russian airport Kolzovo (Ekaterinburg). That was ten years ago when “Ural Airways” fulfilled the 1-st flight from Ekaterinburg to Beijing. This regular flight started in 2009 was strategic for the economic relations strengthening between Ural region and China. 

Azur Air, the biggest charter airline in Russia, has launched regular weekly Boeing 767-300 flights from Moscow’s Vnukovo to China’s Taiyuan, with the new flight program targeting Chinese tourists visiting Russia, the company announced.  Until recently, Azur Air has provided only outbound tourist flow support by performing flights from 42 Russian regions to 27 foreign resorts. 

“Russia and China will sign a new intergovernmental agreement on visa-free group tourist trips in 2019,” told Oleg Safonov, the head of Rostourism. He also noted that the negotiation process on intergovernmental agreement is in the final stage. In accordance with the new agreement, the minimum number of "visa-free" tourist group will be reduced from five to three people - this is done to encourage family tourism.

Tour operator Rus Tour postponed the launch of a flight program to Hainan from a number of Russian regions due to the fact that the Chinese authorities did not issue slots of the airport of Sanya for Red Wings airline’s flights. The corresponding message is published on the website of the tour operator.

IrAero still has no confirmation of slots from Chinese aviation authorities for implementation of the flight program to Hainan since October 8 from a number of regions. For this reason, Rosaviatsia did not issue permit to the carrier for flights, ordered by Pearl River tour operator. This decision was made on September 21 at a meeting of the working group. This was reported on September 26 by a source, closed to the agency.

The flight programs to Hainan from Russia continue to change. RusTour operator announced cancellation of the chain from Moscow to Sanya from October 6, 2018 and widening of the regional program. As stated in the message of RusTour operator, "the reduction of the flight program is connected with an increase of the cost of air transportation on this direction".

Tez Tour Operator together with the largest tourist company of China Tempus Tour Group and with the support of the tourism committee offered Russian tourists the tours to the Chinese province of Shandong with the possibility of combining sightseeing and beach holidays. "We are pleased to offer tourists a new product in the most authentic region of China.

“Hong Kong in 2017 was visited by almost 150 thousand tourists from Russia, which is 4% more than a year earlier”, - said the President of Hong Kong Airlines Wang Lia. On May 18 Hong Kong Airlines opened a direct flight to Moscow's Vnukovo airport. Airplanes A330-300 fly to Moscow on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and to Hong Kong - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. From July 2010 to March 2012 the airline performed flights to Sheremetyevo airport.

The Russian tourist flow to Hainan Island last year reached a historic level of 284 thousand people. This is 251% more than in 2018. "By the end of 2018 we plan to increase this figure by another 10%", - said E Kaizhong, the Deputy Director of tourism of Sanya. According to him, interest to Hainan has grown from other abroad markets.

“The mutual tourist flow between China and Russia has amounted about 4 million tourists in 2017”, - said the Ambassador at Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Yevgeniy Tomikhin. "Today we can say that the annual tourist flow in both directions is about 4 million, which is a lot", - he said in Rosturizm at a meeting on the preparation of a new agreement about visa-free group tourist trips between Russia and China.

Russian Railways notes the growth of passenger traffic to China and Finland. According to the company, in 2017 the number of long-distance trains on these routes increased by 23.7% (China) and 21% (Finland). In general, international transportation increased by 9.7% - up to 706.2 thousand people. Between Russia and Germany, 18.5% more passengers were transported than in 2016. Since 2016 “Strizh” Moscow-Berlin train (manufactured by the Spanish company Patentes Talgo) connected these cities. The trains are equipped with by automatic wheel-shifting system that reduces time of the transition from the Russian standard (1520 mm) to the European (1435 mm) at Brest railway station (Byelorussia). In 2017 “Strizh” transported 26.8 thousand passengers. In the schedule of train traffic for 2017/2018 the international passenger transportations (including transit) will be carried out to 11 countries of Europe and Asia (Germany, France, Finland, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, China and others) and to the same quantity of CIS and Baltic region’s countries (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia).

Tour operator Pearl River expands its flying program to Hainan Island. Since March 1, 2018, the company will transport tourists to Chinese resort from another 11 Russian cities. According to the provider, direct flights to Sanya from Barnaul, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, Novokuznetsk, Tomsk, Ulan-Ude, Khabarovsk and Chita will be performed by Alrosa Airlines. Recall that the tour operator announced about the launching of its own flight program in mid-September 2017 - when the flight program included departures from five Russian cities, later four more flights were added.

“Ural Airlines airline began regular flights on the rout Vladivostok-Harbin-Bangkok”, - reported the press service of Vladivostok International Airport (MAV). In the winter timetable of the airport the implementation of the new flight is scheduled twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays by airplane A320.

According to the winter schedule, Aurora Airlines (part of the Aeroflot group) will fly in 45 destinations to the cities of the Far East and Siberia, as well as to Japan, Republic of Korea and China.

AVIAREPS, the global leader and expert in developing and shaping outbound tourism, aviation and hospitality demand and spend, has expanded its China market presence with the opening of its newest office in Shenyang, North East China. With this office opening AVIAREPS’ presence in Greater China is now extended to 7 offices.

“On Tuesday China Southern Airlines started regular non-stop flights from Vladivostok to Shenyang”, - it is said in press release of Vladivostok International Airport. As follows from the timetable of Vladivostok airport, now China Southern also carries out the regular flights to Chinese cities - Harbin and Chanchun.

“In 2017, Russians spending in China increased seven-fold”, - according to the results of the Yandex Money service resource. The experts analyzed the payments that people made with the help of Yandex Money cards in the first half of 2016 and 2017. "The number of Russian payers in China grew by 63%, and the average check of the Russian tourist grew 4.8 times.