The expert ruled out an increase in prices for trips to China

An increase in prices for tourist trips to China is not expected in the context of a redistribution of demand, despite an increase in interest from Russians. Alexander Perepelkin, founder of the premium travel agency PrimeTours, told Izvestia about this on April 12.

According to the expert, in conditions of military conflict and restrictions on flights through the Persian Gulf countries, demand is being redistributed to alternative destinations. At the same time, in popular countries such as Turkey, Egypt, Thailand and Vietnam, the cost of tours is expected to increase due to the shortage of transportation and increased demand.

"To understand why prices in China do not fluctuate, we need to take into account the structure of tourism in the country. About 96% of the total flow is domestic tourism, and only about 4% is accounted for by foreign tourists. Accordingly, fluctuations in external demand have virtually no effect on loading and pricing," Perepelkin said.

He clarified that price stability is also ensured by government support and a well-developed internal infrastructure.

Go beyond borders: Russia and China are interested in extending visa-free travel

Moscow will prepare proposals to Beijing in the second quarter of this year.

"China is actively developing infrastructure, building high-speed railways, subsidizing tour operators and accommodation facilities, and promoting various tourism formats. This makes it possible to smooth out seasonal fluctuations and maintain stable demand within the country," the expert explained.

Against this background, the interest from Russian tourists is already showing growth. According to him, there has been a twofold increase in interest in China compared to last year. By the end of the year, the tourist flow is projected to grow by 30-60%.

According to Perepelkin, the perception of China as a tourist destination is also changing.

"There is a hypothesis that China used to be perceived as a beach destination — Sanya, Hainan. But now, given the active development of the country and the fact that it is technologically far ahead, people are interested in seeing what is happening there: how the country is developing, its electrification, robotization, and technological leap. And in this regard, there really is something to see," he said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on April 6 that Russia and China were continuing to coordinate the issue of extending the visa-free regime between the agencies.

On April 5, Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui said that it is desirable to extend the visa-free regime between Russia and China indefinitely. According to him, the current visa-free travel format has already provided citizens of both countries with a significant number of convenient conditions.

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