Russian tourist arrivals in Harbin surge following recent visa-free policy

Air travel has become the primary mode of transport. Data from the Harbin immigration station shows that from Sept 15 to Nov 25, the number of Russian passengers entering through the Harbin Airport port has reached over 10,000, a year-on-year increase of 56.1 percent.

Among them, the proportion of visa-free entry passengers was 87.6 percent.

By using the express channel, the average clearance time per person has been reduced to 10 seconds.

Harbin's Central Avenue and the Chinese-Baroque Historic and Cultural Block remain top destinations for Russian tourists.

The Maple Leaf Village Hot Spring Resort, another top attraction, has been particularly popular among Russian tourists. According to the hotel, it has received over 5,000 Russian visitors over the past two months.

"The maximum number of customers in a day reaches 1,000, with Russians making up half of the visitors," said Zhang Hongxing, the hotel's vice-general manager. "With the addition of the surrounding lighting effects, the hot spring pool has become the top choice for taking photos and posting on social media."

Over the past two months, Harbin Trip of Garden International Tour Co has received over 400 Russian tourists, a year-on-year increase of 30 percent.

"Most visitors come from Vladivostok and Khabarovsk," said the company's vice-general manager Wang Taixiang. "After arriving in Harbin, they often choose tourist routes to popular cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Luoyang in Henan province, and Zhangjiajie in Hubei province."

"With the ice and snow season approaching, I believe more Russian tourists will extend their stay in Harbin," he said. "They really like the unique 'double-flavor hot pot pool'— the hot spring pool which is half filled with milk, fruits and vegetables, and half with chili peppers."