RUSSIA EYES 5.5 MILLION CHINESE TOURISTS BY 2030 AS NATIONAL DAY TRAFFIC SURGES

Chinese tourists flooded Moscow streets during China’s National Day holiday, with Russian tourism authorities seizing the momentum to deepen engagement. Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui confirmed that Chinese tourists accounted for over 50 percent of all inbound tourist trips to Russia in H1 2026, with 154,200 Chinese visitors in Q1 alone—a 44 percent year-on-year increase. Deputy PM Dmitry Chernyshenko has set an ambitious target: 5.5 million Chinese tourists annually by 2030.

For the B2B trade, the shift is tectonic. More than 80 percent of Chinese travelers now visit Moscow independently, according to the Moscow Tourism Committee, not in guided groups. This has triggered expansion of the “China Friendly” certification program—Chinese-language information, adapted menus, trained staff—now covering major hotel groups including Cosmos Hotel Group. St. Petersburg has seen Chinese arrivals rise nearly 60 percent since 2021, while the Amur region recorded a 60 percent increase following the 2025 visa-free policy.

B2B Takeaway: The independent Chinese traveler is rewriting the playbook. DMCs and hotel groups targeting Russian inbound must invest in digital payment integration, Mandarin-language services, and independent-friendly itineraries—not group tour infrastructure.

#RussiaTourism #ChinaTourism #ChineseTravellers #B2BTravel #TravelTrade