Russia’s Tatarstan interested in developing tourism ties with China's regions
KAZAN, August 18. /TASS/ Russia’s Tatarstan is interested in developing tourism ties with China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as well as establishing a direct air service between Kazan and Urumqi, Sergey Ivanov, the chairman of the republic's state committee on tourism, said.
"For us, China is the number one partner for developing tourism ties. We used to have a direct tourist charter flight between Urumqi and Kazan. We brought a fairly large number of tourists from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on it. The region has huge potential: about 25 million people live there. It is the closest region to Tatarstan, only a five-hour flight away," he said on the sidelines of the "SPROUTS: Russia and China — Mutually Beneficial Cooperation" international forum.
The committee head noted that establishing a direct air connection between the regions would open up broad opportunities for mutual tourism development. For Tatarstan, this would mean attracting more Chinese tourists. For Tatarstan residents, Urumqi could serve as a convenient transportation hub for traveling to other parts of China and Asia.
According to Ivanov, Tatarstan tourists are particularly interested in destinations such as Chongqing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Beijing, and Hainan, as well as southern China's unique nature reserves and cultural sites.
The "SPROUTS: Russia and China — Mutually Beneficial Cooperation" international forum is being held in Kazan on August 18-19. The business program includes about 100 events, 70 of which are business sessions. Participants will discuss topics related to the economy, industry, education, culture, finance, investment, transport corridor development, agriculture, and tourism. Around 10,000 people are expected to attend.
TASS is the event’s general information partner.
