China lures more Russians for New Year breaks

Increasing numbers of visitors from Russias Far East are spending New Year holidays in China.

More than 6,000 Russian tourists saw the New Year arrive at Hunchun in Northeast China's Jilin province, the local government said.

Hunchun is a city close to the borders of China, Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Liu Shuwei, a guide with a local travel agency, said, “More and more Russians like to spend their vacations in Hunchun, especially during the New Year holiday. We received more than 1,500 Russian tourists on Dec 29 and Dec 31 alone.”

Na Jia, manager of a local travel service that received more than 1,000 Russian tourists last year, said Hunchun has a wide range of catering and entertainment services for these tourists.

Hotels and restaurants in Hunchun have benefited from the Russian arrivals. Major hotels in the city said all their rooms had been booked for the New Year holiday.