Two hotels of Russian Ufa city – “Hilton Garden Inn Ufa Riverside” and “President Hotel” – received the certificate of adaptation for Chinese tourists named China Friendly. In the second of them during his journey 2015 stayed the Chairman of the people’s Republic of China XI Jinping stayed.
The China Friendly program was launched by the Tourist Association “World without borders” in 2014, from 2015 it got the status of a state programme. At the moment the certificate is received by 40 hotels of 11 cities of Russia: Moscow, St.-Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Krasnodar, Tver, Ulyanovsk, Veliky Novgorod, Vladivostok, Volgograd and Ufa, as well as restaurants, shopping malls, museums and tour operator company.
The presence of the certificate guarantees the tourists information in Chinese language and translation, adapters, plugs to Chinese sockets, access to the media in the Chinese language, and free Wi-Fi access, adapted for Breakfast, chopsticks.
In the first half of 2016 about 230’000 visa-free Chinese tourists arrived in Russia, of which 45% were traveling in the regions of Russia.
In recent years, China is the largest partner of Russia in the number of tourists. This was facilitated by two important agreements between Russia and China: agreement in 2006 on visa-free group tourist trips and Jilin Declaration 2015. According to the Vice-President of the chamber of Commerce and industry Vladimir Padalko, in 2015 the parties agreed on creating a comprehensive tourism transportation system, the development of mechanisms of cooperation in the administrative sphere, the decision of problems of tourists and travel agencies in the border and adjacent regions, security”.
Also in July 2016 was signed a Memorandum on the establishment of a new international tourism brand named “the Great tea road” composed of Russia, China and Mongolia. Vladimir Padalko recalled that “Russia, China and Mongolia already have more than 30 shared tourist trails”.
Sources: Russian Tourist Association World without borders, Chamber of commerce and industry of the Russian Federation.
