Tourist flow between the Russian Federation, China and Mongolia may reach pre-pandemic levels next year

The press service of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation reported on the results of a meeting of heads of tourism administrations of Russia, China and Mongolia. One of the key topics of the meeting was the recovery of the industry and international tourist flows after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, tourist flows are recovering due to the lifting of coronavirus restrictions. It is expected that next year, after all existing bilateral and trilateral cooperation mechanisms have been adjusted, tourist flows will be able to return to pre-pandemic levels.

In the first half of 2023, Chinese citizens made almost 140 thousand trips to Russia. This is more than during the entire period of the pandemic. During the same time, Mongolian citizens made more than 115 thousand trips. At the end of the year, it is expected that the number of tourist trips from China to Russia will reach 360 thousand, and from Mongolia to Russia - 250 thousand.

The department recalled the measures that the Russian authorities are taking to stimulate inbound tourism. On August 1, an electronic visa began to work for citizens of 55 countries. A mechanism for visa-free travel is working, and by the end of the year it is planned to launch a “Tourist Card”, which will simplify non-cash payments for foreign tourists.