ИСТИНА

Starting from 2014 China has become the biggest source for the Russian inbound tourism market. Tourists come mainly in groups, and simplified visa regime together with the favorable exchange rate serve as powerful factors for inbound tourism development. Tourist products for Chinese visitors should be comparatively different to the products Russian destinations offer to other markets. While western tourists come to Russia to admire its old history and art, Chinese tourists want to see the revolutionary history and Soviet period sites. Like other countries with communist stage in their history, Russia could be very interesting from the red tourism point of view. In 2014 the «Red Route» tourist circuit tracing the life of Vladimir Lenin in four Russian cities was launched. To meet the special requirements of tourists from China Russian tourism authorities and business stakeholders are now promoting red tourism routes and «China Friendly» programs in different parts of the country. The red tourism project is supported by the government and included in the state plan for tourism development. The 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in 2017 is supposed to bring lots of Chinese red tourists to Russia on the newly arranged routes. But the existing problems and difficulties connected with red tourism routes and destinations in Russia should be also taken into account. This refers not only to their organization but, above all, to the content of red tourism programs and their presentation. It is also important to remember that tourism flow from China, though growing, is not the only one and in some years will develop the way all other markets do.