Russia is the Hottest New Destination for Chinese Tourists

Russia is the Hottest New Destination for Chinese Tourists
Sep 15, 2016 By eChinacities.com

Editor’s Note: With the decline of the ruble, Russia has become a popular new destination for Chinese tourists. Chinese are traveling to Russian cities to go sightseeing and buy luxury goods. This article discusses Russia’s newfound popularity with Chinese tourists and other tourism trends.

There is no part of the world that has been left untouched by Chinese tourists. Since the 2008 tourism boom, the number of Chinese tourists has increased drastically. 57 countries have implemented new policies to make it easier for Chinese tourists to get visas.

Russia’s New Oriental Watch reported that China’s tourism boom has changed the face of the global economy. By 2015, 100 million Chinese had traveled abroad and spent $215 billion. This figure rose 30 percent in 2016. Chinese tourists are the largest group of international consumers in terms of per capital consumption.

 

More Tourists, More Problems?
The Chinese government plans to double the nation’s GDP in the next few years. This will lead to even better standards of living for more Chinese citizens. The number of outbound trips will double by at least 2020.

However, Chinese tourists are not always welcome. Locals complain about Chinese tourists talking too loudly, leaving trash, and getting in the way of local pedestrians. In a few instances, Chinese tourists have vandalized and left their names on famous monuments.

South Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Macau, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia are the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists. Chinese tourists make up the highest proportion of visitors to Australia and Oceania. They love France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Russia. The China Tourism Association reported that Chinese rate the United Kingdom as their favorite destination followed by Germany, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, France, Spain, Italy, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Cambodia.

Chinese tourists have complained about low-quality service, especially in Western countries. These are countries that do not historically cater to Chinese tourists.

Catering to Chinese Tourists
Nations are now trying to make their tourist areas more friendly for Chinese tourists. In 2015, VisitBritain gave Chinese nicknames to key tourist attractions in London. That year, Chinese tourism to London increased by 40 percent.  

It is clear why countries want to attract more Chinese tourists. A steady flow of Chinese tourists means more opportunities to create new, long-term jobs in receiving countries.

From 2015 to 2016, Italy and France invited Chinese police officers to join local officers to patrol urban tourist attractions. This unusual idea helped Chinese tourists feel safer and more secure while touring. The Chinese police officers were proficient in Italian or France as well as Chinese. Their Chinese police uniforms made it easier for Chinese tourists to recognize them.

The United States struggles to attract Chinese tourists. In 2015, Italy received 31 million Chinese tourists, while the United States only received 29 million. The United States has tried to attract more Chinese tourists by offering Chinese-language audio guides and maps in museums, but it has not been enough. The number of Chinese traveling to the United States in 2015 only increased by 37 percent.

Meet Me in Moscow
In contrast, 100 million Chinese visited Russia in 2015. This is only the beginning for Russia: numbers will most likely continue to increase in the next five years with a 100 percent annual growth rate.

The number of Chinese tourists to Russia increased by 80 percent in the first quarter of 2016. This is unprecedented growth. When the ruble depreciated, Russia promoted itself to Chinese tourisms. Chinese flocked to Russia because of its relative cheapness.

The United Kingdom has recently become a more popular destination for Chinese because of the recent devaluation of the pound, but Russia has a few strategic advantages. Russia is closer to China and tickets to Russia from China are cheap. There are almost no visa restrictions for Chinese tourists to Russia.

Chinese tourists like to travel to Russia’s big cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg in the west and Vladivostok and Khabarovsk in the east. Chinese singer Li Jian’s song of the same name has made Russia’s Lake Baikal popular within China. The number of Chinese tourists to nearby Irkutsk increased three-fold in 2016.  

There are now 1.8 times more Chinese tourists to Russia every day than Western tourists. Chinese tourists travel to Russia to see the sights and to shop for luxury goods.

Source: DW News

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Keywords: Chinese tourists tourism in Russia

8 Comments

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victorale

its a beautiful country indeed , I would like to do the same....

Jan 29, 2017 15:05 Report Abuse

donnie3857

This is the same author who told us 600 million Chinese tourist will travel overseas during Chinese New Year. He/She even mention they will travel to China twice.

Jan 21, 2017 00:27 Report Abuse

nitai

Thanks for the article

Sep 23, 2016 17:05 Report Abuse

Guest2650392

no country would allow them in if not for their money; not much lower can any human sink

Sep 18, 2016 22:48 Report Abuse

Shining_brow

100 million visitors to Russian in 2015, and expected to get 100% ANNUAL growth over the next 5 years means.... 2016, 200 million, 2017 would be 400 million, 2018 - 800 million, 2019 - 1.6 Billion, and by 2020 - 3.2 BILLION tourists... Yep - totally believable!!!! (anyone care to do the math on the number of flights, seats, etc to cater to 3.2 billion tourists to a country??)

Sep 17, 2016 12:41 Report Abuse

donnie3857

Don't forget, the article also pointed out that China's Government plans to double the nation's GDP over the next few years. I guess the author didn't notice that China's economy grew by only 6.7 % last quarter

Jan 21, 2017 00:36 Report Abuse

donnie3857

HK doesn't have a choice

Jan 26, 2017 09:34 Report Abuse

Englteachted

Here's how you know this article is seriously biased, Chinese tourists to the US only increased by 37%, how is that struggling to attract? The paragraph before you touted the UK's 40% increase. USA is on the other side of the globe, Russia is next door. I'll give you a hint, more people in the US visited Canada than France. Where do you find 100% growth maintained for 5 years? What the hell ECC? You get your articles straight from the CCP's propaganda department?

Sep 16, 2016 16:17 Report Abuse