Overview

• Russian tour industry data show overall bookings to China rose about 20% in the first month of visa-free travel and by 40% in border regions.
• Travel service Tutu reports flight demand to China up 60% year over year for Sept. 15–Oct. 15, with an average round-trip fare of 75,400 rubles, up 17% from a month earlier.
• Independent travelers doubled their hotel bookings in China compared with a year ago, according to major aggregators and the Association of Travel Aggregators.
• Flight operations now total roughly 215 weekly services from 14 Russian cities to Chinese destinations including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and others.
• Booking patterns concentrate on Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, with Moscow accounting for over half of tickets and younger travelers showing the fastest growth.