Russia’s ‘window to the West’ opens to visitors from the East – Firstpost

On the streets of Saint Petersburg, the famous city founded by Peter the Great as Russia’s “window to the West”, Alexandra Kulikova encountered many different European languages.

“Everywhere you could hear English, French or Italian… and we were always full,” said Kulikova, co-owner of a chain of apartment rentals in the city. AFP.

But the Kremlin’s military offensive in Ukraine – and the flood of sanctions it triggered – has de facto closed Russia off to most potential Western travelers, severely damaging the country’s tourism industry.

To fill this gap, Russia is now hoping for visitors from Asia and the Middle East.

“I see a huge number of Chinese groups, Arab tourists traveling with their families, Indians,” Kulikova said.

“But they must be very rich because they live in luxury hotels and not in apartments,” she added.

This is putting pressure on their business, including previously sought-after apartments with stunning views of the golden dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in the heart of the city.

reorganization

In addition to a political climate that has become even more hostile and unwelcoming towards the West and Westerners, sanctions and logistical difficulties have made travel even more difficult.

Direct flights to the European Union, Great Britain and the USA have been suspended.

And Visa and Mastercard bank cards cannot be used in Russia.

All this has led to a “reorganization of tourism towards the East,” says Sergei Kalinin, chairman of an association of tour guides and interpreters in St. Petersburg.

In the first quarter of 2024, almost half of all foreign tourists visiting Russia came from China – an estimated 99,000 out of 218,000.

According to the Russian Association of Tour Operators, around 8,400 visitors came from Germany – more than from any other Western country. That is two thirds less than in 2019.

A lot in common

In the former imperial capital – famous for its magnificent palaces and picturesque canals – the change is drastic.

On a long summer evening, groups of mostly Chinese tourists crowded into a train station in Saint Petersburg to catch their night trains to Moscow.

“Russia is an interesting country and now it is easier to come here. There are electronic visas,” said Liu Yitin, a 60-year-old waiting to board. AFP.

“There are many attractions in Russia and our countries have a lot in common,” Yitin added.

China has become Russia’s most important political and economic ally in the wake of its offensive in Ukraine, and the two leaders – Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping – regularly embrace each other on the world stage as “old friends”.

While Western governments have strongly advised their citizens against traveling to Russia, Beijing has issued no such warnings. And yet Chinese tourism to Russia has grown exponentially.

“There are many Chinese who want to visit Moscow,” said Xia Kosinai, a young Chinese tour guide in Moscow who was accompanying a group of about two dozen people on a trip from Shanghai.

“You only know Russia from television,” she said AFP.

“They are a little scared because of the fighting in Ukraine. But once they arrive in Russia, everything is fine,” she said.

Not very optimistic

Given the country’s isolation in the West, Russian authorities are trying to provide more travel opportunities for citizens of so-called “friendly” countries.

Moscow is considering visa-free travel with the countries of the Middle East and Southeast Asia and wants to expand direct flights to China and Iran, the Russian Ministry of Economy said.

Saint Petersburg has also increased its own marketing.

After the city experienced a spate of similar events in India, they traveled to trade fairs in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu in May.

They hope to visit 16 major trade fairs in Asia, the Middle East and the former Soviet states this year, the city said.

Despite all efforts, many industry representatives complain that there is still an acute shortage of tourists in Russia.

“It’s not like it used to be,” says Maria Khilkova, a tour guide in St. Petersburg.

“Even with the Chinese (tourists), there is no big flow of tourists, it is not comparable to what it was before Covid,” she said.

Instead, the city is heavily dependent on domestic tourists.

Of the approximately nine million visitors to St. Petersburg in 2023, foreigners accounted for only six percent.

Before the pandemic, they made up half.

“I’m not very optimistic,” Khilkova said.

“It will take at least five years for everything to recover.”

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