The number of Chinese tourists in Russia increases

According to the data of World Association without Borders, last year Chinese citizens made more than 600,000 trips to Moscow and St. Petersburg in organized tourism groups. This figure shows an increase in flow of 19% compared with 2017 year. 

The majority of Chinese tourists still enter the European part of our country through Moscow - about 400 thousand visits (+ 14.5%). More than 200 thousand Chinese tourists (+ 29%) began to travel across Russia from the northern capital. 

“The past New Year holidays showed the tendency of increasing visits of the two capitals during this period. Thus, during a week before the Russian New Year and two weeks after it, almost 15 thousand tourists from China visited Moscow and St. Petersburg, which is 30% more than last year,” informed the World Association without Borders.  

They also noted that there was an increase in arrivals through border control points located in other regions of the Russian Federation. So, in Novosibirsk a 10% increase in arrivals from China was observed in comparison with 2017 (almost 25,500 visits). 

In November 2018, as a whole the group tourist flow in Russia for the first time exceeded 1 million visits. The final statistics for the past year will be summed up in the near future, but it is clear that 2018 will be the next year of growth of Chinese inbound tourism. 

According to the Association, the average size of the classic visa-free group is 30 people, and the average age of a group member is 50–60 years. In general, the Chinese group tourism since 2014 became younger by 3 years (from 58 years in 2014 to 55 years).