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China may become 1st for number of tourists visiting Moscow

China is the second at present, but the country has come to the position very fast, and with such activity, it will be ahead of traditional leader — Germany

SHANGHAI, November 16 (Itar-Tass) — China will become the first in one or two years for the number of tourists visiting Moscow, deputy head of the Moscow committee for tourism and hotels Georgy Mokhov told Itar-Tass, commenting on the results of Year of Russian Tourism in China.

Year of Russian Tourism in China has increased the flow of Chinese tourists to Moscow. It increased by a third, about 30 percent in the first half of this year, he said.

Thus, for the number of tourists, China is the second at present. The country has come to the position very fast, and with such activity, it will be ahead of the traditional leader — Germany, the official believes.

Chinese travellers have high discipline and well organization. It is an attractive flow for tourism agencies. Operators can offer them a tour of the Golden Ring which is very popular among foreigners, he noted.

During Year of Russian Tourism, 50 Russian families visited Beijing at the invitation of the city tourism department. It is a social, but not only tourist, exchange, Mokhov said. Such events popularize countries and help them establish friendly relations, he believes.

Speaking about the committee's plans, the official said that if the project for Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia was implemented, Moscow should prepare for a large inflow of Chinese tourists. The city should prepare excursions, visit programmes and menus, since a Chinese traveller is choosy and pays attention to the price and quality. Tour operators must take all the issues into consideration, he noted.

There are no specific plans for Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia, but the process has begun, and the Moscow government will be supported to receive delegations of authorities, reporters and tour operators from China, the official concluded.

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