MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. Russia has invited China to invest in its domestic hospitality infrastructure, jointly manage existing hotel chains, and expand bilateral organized tourism, Boris Titov, Russia’s presidential envoy for sustainable development goals, told TASS on Tuesday.
The statement followed a meeting between the Russian delegation from the Russia-China Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development and the leadership of the state-owned Beijing Tourism Group in Beijing.
"Our colleagues from Tourism.RF corporate group proposed that their Chinese counterparts invest in Russian hospitality facilities and jointly manage existing hotel networks," Titov said.
He noted that the initiative aims to double the number of organized Chinese tourists within a year through more extensive outreach. Titov acknowledged that China remains less familiar to Russian travelers than Turkey, while Chinese tourists are similarly unfamiliar with Russian destinations outside Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Beijing Tourism Group is a major state-owned conglomerate with operations in the lodging, retail, and entertainment sectors, Titov explained. "This includes the historic 'Moscow' restaurant in Beijing. We have proposed closer cooperation at this venue with prominent Russian restaurateurs, specifically the Arkady Novikov Group," he added, noting that a branch of Russia's National Center could also open at the Beijing Exhibition Center in the future.