The BRICS TimesRussia-bound travel from China sees a massive spike, climbing up to 400%, driven by President Putin’s visa-free announcement and a major diplomatic feud between Beijing and Tokyo.
Visa-Free Promise Fuels Immediate Surge
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Chinese citizens visa-free travel. This pledge, along with rising tensions involving Japan, has dramatically increased Chinese searches and bookings for Russia. Market researchers report that some metrics show a surge of up to 400%. Subramania Bhatt, CEO of China Trading Desk, noted a huge jump. He said, “In the 48 hours after President Putin signaled visa-free entry for Chinese, search and product-view volumes for Russia on Chinese platforms were roughly three to five times higher than in the previous week.”
Putin’s announcement came last week. It follows China’s move in September to lift visa requirements for Russian passport holders. The official start date for the new Russian policy is still unknown. Bhatt also shared positive booking news. December Russian hotel bookings for Chinese visitors are up by about 50%. This is compared with the same time last year. The CEO called visa-free travel a major force. He stated, “Visa-free travel, along with earlier group visa-free and e-visa programs, is probably the single most powerful accelerator of Chinese travel to Russia right now.”
Geopolitical Rift Accelerates Travel Shift
A diplomatic row between China and Japan is also boosting this interest. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi created the rift this month. She told parliament that a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan could start Japanese military action. Takaichi’s remarks angered Beijing greatly. China’s Foreign Ministry then urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan. Bloomberg reports that Chinese airlines have received instructions. They must cut flights to Japan through March 2026.
Bhatt confirmed a new travel trend. Many Chinese tourists planned trips to Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Hokkaido is famous for excellent powder snow for skiing. Now these travelers are changing their plans to Russian destinations.
Russia’s Far East and Arctic regions also offer alternatives for winter travel. He further explained the shift’s simplicity. He added, “Once you add visa-free entry and the perception that Russia is less politically sensitive than Japan right now, that substitution becomes even easier for agencies to suggest and for travelers to accept.”
Russia and China already allow mutual visa-free entry for group tours. Last year, China also let Russian transit travelers stay up to ten days visa-free. Putin’s earlier visa pledge in September had already caused a jump in searches. It affected hotel and flight searches from travelers in China.
