The return of Chinese tourists causes unique moments in Russia: “It took us a long time to convince them that $ 30 for a lunch at a good restaurant in Moscow is a reasonable price.”

In 2024, more than four times more Chinese citizens visited Russia through the tour operators, compared to the previous year. The groups of Chinese tourists have become a regular presence in many places – from the Moscow subway and the Ermitaj Museum in St. Petersburg, to less traditional destinations such as the Far North and the Far East, reports the jellyfish. Overall, however, Chinese tourism in Russia has not yet returned to the levels before the pandemic.

So, why doesn't this return to celebrate the Tourism Industry in Russia?

In 2024, about 848,040 Chinese tourists visited Russia through the travel agencies, according to the Russian Travel Operators Association. A year before, the number was 199,791, although this figure does not include business trips or tourists who traveled independently.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said after his last meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, on May 8, that about 1.2 million Chinese citizens visited Russia last year, while 1.6 million Russians traveled to China.

China remained in 2025 the main source of foreign tourists in Russia. Between January and March, 228,800 foreign tourists entered the country, and almost half of them, 106,700, came from China, according to the FSB's border guard service.

The recent growth followed the resumption, in August 2023, of the bilateral visa -free travel program for the organized groups.

An explosion of the demand of Chinese tourists for Russia … and sudden cancellations

Travel between China and Russia have become lighter. During the holidays from the beginning of May, common to both countries, the number of direct flights increased by 25%, according to Yandex Travel, and the average ticket price decreased by 6%.

However, while the air tickets became cheaper, the prices of the tourist packages increased by 20-30% compared to the pre-Covid period. Chinese tourists have also become more attentive to topical events, especially to safety related ones. For example, after last year's terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow, many spring scheduled group trips have been canceled.

Chinese tourists also change their way and travel destinations. The executive director of the Association of Tourism Operators in Russia, Maya Lomidze, told Forbes Russia that before, Chinese visitors were most interested in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but that about half ago I go to the distant East of Russia, especially in the Regions of Primorie and Habarovsk.

Alexandr Lvov, general manager of the retro-tourism agency, argues that “frequent strokes of drones in central Russia” have redirected the tourist flows to Lake Baikal and the Pacific coast.

In addition, although most of the Chinese tourists came with the plane, many now arrive on the ground. More and more visitors are traveling on their own, and most of them come from China's wealthier Eastern provinces.

Record of Chinese tourists at Murmansk

In 2024, about 26,000 Chinese tourists visited the Murmansk region of the North Russia – five times more than in the previous year, according to the Chinese Consulate in St. Petersburg. Attracted by the aurora boreal and by the dogs drawn by dogs or reindeer, Chinese tourists opt for “Arctic Adventure” tours, which cost much less than similar packages in Finland.

However, against the background of increasing the number of tourists, the tourist companies in Murmansk have begun to complain that Chinese business eliminates local competition. According to them, the situation is now worse than before pandemic. For comparison, in 2019, the region received about 16,000 visitors from China.

“We were working with organized groups before, but now the individual tourists come with their own guides and drivers,” said Polarlitsis, the director of Polar Star, told Forbes. She says the peak season coincides with Chinese New Year, when many flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg are full of Chinese tourists.

These tourists often book services through Chinese applications such as Ctrip or Wechat, travel in rented minibuses and attend cafes and pensions owned by Chinese. The result, says Purlitsis, is a busy traffic, safety problems on narrow roads and locals who no longer find accommodation in the peak season.

In a public meeting with the governor Andrei Chibis, in February, some inhabitants of the Murmansk region expressed xenophobic frustrations. “The Chinese are dirty, leave garbage … and they are arrogant with the locals,” said a participant. Chibis has replied that Asia tourism stimulates the regional economy.

Dissatisfaction and in Moscow

In Moscow, the tourist services dedicated to Chinese visitors almost collapsed, according to a Russian tourist agency owner. Chinese travel agencies promote Russia as a cheap destination – advertisements offer one -week stays, with flights, tables and trips, for only 3,500 yui (less than $ 500). But these low-cost packages are profitable for Russia travel agencies only if Chinese tourists spend large on the spot.

“I use tourists as logistics chains. People bring tablets, smartphones and other electronics to see here. This covers the cost of travel,” said the owner of the Russian agency about colleagues in China.

She said for Forbes, under the condition of anonymity, that her agency is increasingly expensive and inefficient to work with Chinese groups because, when they are offered “realistic prices” for packages, they seem exaggerated to Chinese tourists.

“We had an official visiting delegation and it took us long to convince him that 2,500 rubles ($ 30) for a full lunch at a good restaurant in Moscow is a reasonable price,” she said, adding that her agency has recently reoriented to Russian tourists and trips to China and other Asian countries.

Chinese tourists will guide to speak tangerine

The new regulations complicate the situation further. From March 2025, only accredited Russian citizens can work legally as guides or translators, according to the changes made to the Tourism Law in Russia. But the application of the law is precarious, and the Chinese groups continue to use their own, unauthorized guides.

“There are no sanctions. And it is difficult to prove that someone leads a tour and not only walks with friends,” accuses Lvov, the general director of retro-tourism.

However, even the supporters of the sanctions admit that he has no one to replace the Chinese guides. Most Chinese tourists prefer professional guides who speak mandarin, but many of them have left the industry during the pandemic and have not returned.

Overall, however, Chinese tourism in Russia has not yet returned to the levels before the pandemic. In 2019, 1.2 million Chinese visited Russia in organized tours, almost 400,000 more than last year.