Russia Targets 5.5 Million Chinese Tourists by 2030, Says Deputy Foreign Minister
Russia is planning to significantly increase tourist traffic from China, aiming for 5.5 million arrivals by 2030, with the Far East region expected to draw 1.8 million of those visitors, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.
In an interview with the Russian Arctic and Far East Development portal, Rudenko stated, "We have plans to increase the volume of tourist flow from the PRC to 5.5 million people by 2030, with the Far East expected to account for 1.8 million of them."
Rudenko attributed the positive outlook to the "traditional friendship between the peoples of our countries" and the "high level of interest among residents of the Russian Far East and Chinese citizens in the culture, history, and natural landmarks of their neighboring country." He added that the "strong social foundation of this interstate interaction points to excellent opportunities for advancing future cooperation across all spheres without exception, including tourism."
Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, writing in the Kommersant newspaper, highlighted that mutual tourism between Russia and China is currently growing at double-digit rates. Lavrov noted that this growth has been "significantly supported by the existing visa-free travel regime between the two countries."
Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Russia and China would extend their visa-free regime until 2027, a move that is expected to further bolster people-to-people exchanges.
These statements come as both countries continue to deepen bilateral ties across economic, cultural, and travel sectors, with officials expressing confidence in sustained growth in tourism cooperation.