MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – Russia recorded 2.5 million foreign tourists in the first half of 2026, up 20.1% from a year earlier. China remained the largest source market, accounting for more than 22% of foreign visitors. The latest figures reinforce the growth in Russia’s inbound tourism during January through June. Nikita Kondratiev, a senior official at the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, presented the tourism figures during meetings in Shenyang, China.
The data draw on official tourism statistics covering foreign guests using collective accommodation facilities across Russia. Rosstat data also showed that Russians made 43.2 million domestic trips during the first six months of 2026. That represented growth of 4.3% from the same period in 2025. Therefore, inbound tourism expanded at a faster annual rate than domestic tourism during this timeframe, according to the separate official metrics used for each category.
During the first half of 2026, China held the largest share of Russia’s foreign visitor market, with travelers from Persian Gulf countries, Turkey, and India ranking as other significant source regions. Tourists from abroad also explored beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg, visiting destinations such as Murmansk, Vladivostok, and Kazan. Russian officials have reported the existence of direct international air routes connecting to 34 destinations, including several countries in Asia and the Middle East.
China Dominates Russia’s International Tourist Sector
These recent tourism statistics were unveiled during a Tourism Council gathering of the Greater Tumen Initiative held in Shenyang. Attendees also participated in a seminar focused on inbound tourism in Northeast Asia, which covered cross-border travel initiatives involving Russia, China, and Mongolia. Among the projects discussed was the development of the historic Great Tea Road tourism route, which has now moved into the implementation phase and is expected to encompass approximately 20 Russian regions.
The proposed Russian segment of the Great Tea Road stretches from the Far East and Siberia through the Urals and Volga areas, continuing towards Moscow and St. Petersburg. Other key tourism projects mentioned included the connections between Blagoveshchensk and Heihe, as well as tourism growth around Vladivostok. The discussions also covered the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Lake Baikal region, and scientific tourism initiatives linked with the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
Visa-Free Arrangements Grow Between Russia and China
As bilateral travel increases, so too have the regulations facilitating it, with Russia extending visa-free entry for eligible Chinese citizens through Dec. 31, 2027, and China reciprocating by maintaining its visa-free policy for Russian travelers until the same date. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that ordinary Russian passport holders can visit without a visa for up to 30 days for purposes such as tourism, business, family visits, exchanges, and transit.
The first-half figures reflect a broader upward trend in cross-border movement between the two nations, with Chinese official statistics indicating that 154,200 Chinese tourists visited Russia in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 44% increase compared to the same period last year. Additionally, Russia ranked second among China’s inbound visitor countries during the first six months. These new Russian tourism figures position China as the leading source of international visitors to Russia, accounting for more than one-fifth of the total recorded foreign guests.