China's tourist flow to Russia grew 50% in 2016

Almaty. September 26. Silkroadnews – Over the first half of 2016 China's tourist flow to Russia grew 50%, the flow of Russian tourists to China over the same period increased 45%.

Such a data, as TASS reported, have been announced by the acting head of the diplomatic mission of the state Administration for tourism Affairs of the PRC in Moscow Zhao Huntin taking part in a trip of twelve Chinese tour operators on the new tourist route «Great Silk Road» opened in the North Caucasus.

«In the first half of 2016 the number of tourists from China to Russia grew 50%, from Russia to China – by 45%. According to the projections the growth is expected to retain a high rate in the next half of the year», he said.
«Cooperation in tourism sector becomes strategically important, thus, contributing to boost the cultural exchanges between our two countries», Zhao Huntin pointed out.

He also believes, «the cooperation in the field of tourism will be strengthened through the exchanges on the «Great Silk Road» route coming through Dagestan, as it remains a mysterious and little-known place for the Chinese tourists".

The «Silk Road» cultural tourism route project was developed based on the concept of «cultural-historical heritage of Russia within the context of the Great Silk Road» designed in 2013 on the order of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation by the scientists of the Russian Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg. The scientists have proposed a draft regional, oblast and local routes along the ancient routes of the Silk Road in the Caucasus, Volga region, Southern Ural and the south of Western Siberia, Southern Siberia.

The routes project will include archaeological and ethnographic monuments, natural landscape areas that used to determine the ancient roads and commercial communications operations, as well as objects of cultural heritage and major museums.

According to the Ministry for the North Caucasus, the new route is expected to serve 2.5 thousand tourists per year at least.