On February 25, the first organized group of Chinese tourists after the pandemic arrives in Saint Petersburg. The day before, she went to Moscow. And today, the guests of the Celestial Empire will take the Sapsan train to the northern capital, where they will spend two days. And they will go to Moscow again.The return of Chinese tourists is a landmark event, the first group will be followed by others. All players in the tourism industry hope that the number of tourists will increase. And even if it does not exceed pre-pandemic indicators, it will still be very noticeable.The numbers speak for themselves: if in 2018 the city of Petra was visited by about 800,000 Chinese citizens, then in 2019 – already a million. These data were reported to the St. Petersburg Tourism Development Committee. Without the restrictions linked to the coronavirus, the number of tourists would continue to grow. Now you really have to start from scratch.”The infrastructure is completely ready to receive guests from China. It has only improved during the pandemic,” said Mikhail Ushakov, head of the National Association of Information and Tourism Organizations, “and our common goal is to attract as many tourists from this country as possible, including affluent citizens, it is this segment that must also be developed.By the way, regarding solvency. Chinese people were very willing to buy world famous brand products from us. Today, many companies have left the Russian market. This means that it is necessary to actively promote interesting designer products made in Russia.As Olga Lebedeva, executive director of one of the major travel agencies, explained to RG, there are already requests for group tourism in March. But only we are not talking about large groups for 45 people, but small – for ten or twenty.The “portrait of the tourist” has also changed. So far you have to take regular flights, that is, air travel is expensive. As a result, ticket prices have more than doubled, which is affordable for the already wealthier Chinese. But if charters are massively reintroduced, everything will return to normal.
As for preferences, they book three- and four-star hotels. The priority, as it was, is a visit combined with a visit to the “Two Capitals” – Moscow and St. Petersburg. That is, tourists arrive in Moscow (or St. Petersburg), inspect the city, enter the “Sapsan” and go to another. Typically, Chinese guests stay in the northern capital for five days (four nights). And the program includes: a guided city tour with a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress, Tsarskoye Selo with the Catherine Palace, the Hermitage, Peterhof with the Grand Palace. In fact, these same places are also preferred by customers from other countries around the world.
However, Chinese tourists still like to go to Veliky Novgorod, and tour operators are hoping for a return in demand for this destination. The emergence of massive interest in visiting Vyborg is also expected.Boat tour companies are also eagerly awaiting the return of a massive influx of visitors from China. According to Andrei Kuznetsov, who runs one of them, only a few Chinese tourists have requested sightseeing and educational excursions on the water. But there are enough excursions for bus tourists.Aquatic excursions were more interesting for single tourists and traveling families. And up to 90% of the tourist flow favors entertainment programs. That is to say folkloric shows plus a good table. They are ready to provide both such programs and educational programs.Perhaps there will be an increase in demand for Kronstadt (“island of forts”). Also, some Chinese tourists liked to travel along the Neva to Oreshek Fortress. Tour operators hope that interest in these places will continue.All the texts of the plot “Leisure and tourism in Russia” read here.
