Chinese travel agencies on November 15, 2013 said that tours between Russia and China are becoming increasingly popular ever since the ‘tourism year’ started in 2012. The tourism year was introduced as a new strategy with a goal to improve the strategic cooperative partnership between China and Russia.
The tourism year began on March 22, 2012 with almost 400 activities which included summer camps and business studies and have been organized in the two countries. A statement from the China National Tourism Administration said that it helped in attracting huge number of visitors to participate in travel across the border.
The statement from the administration went on to say that from January 2013 to September 2013, exchange visits between China and Russia reached 2.37 million. Due to the policy, the number of travelers from China who are joining tour groups heading to Russia increased to more than 50 percent when compared to 2012. Diao Shuang, the manager of the agency’s European Travel Department said, “We prefer tour projects that can improve interactions between people in the two nations, suchas having Chinese tourists stay in Russian-style wooden houses and make Matryoshka (Russian nesting) doll”.
The tourists from China who were going to Russia in 2012 increased by 30 percent compared to 2011 and the majority of travelers chose an eight-day trip.
Photo Credits: CCTVPIC
