HONG KONG, December 24. /Corr. TASS Zoya Rusinova/. Hong Kong tour operators eye Russia as a potentially lucrative destination and work actively on that track, Anatoly Kargapolov, Russian Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau, told TASS.

"For their part, Hong Kong tour operators highly assess the potential of the Russian tourism market and work quite actively on that trajectory," he said. "Routes involving visits to Moscow and St. Petersburg are traditionally popular, interest in traveling to the Far East, as well as to the northern sites of our country is quite significant," Kargapolov pointed out.

According to the diplomatic mission, the most visited by Russian tourists sites in Hong Kong are "Victoria Peak, the Avenue of Stars, the Big Buddha statue, museums and, of course, numerous restaurants and shopping centers."

Russia and Hong Kong have established a good international legal basis, the diplomat said. "In this regard, I would like to reiterate that since 2009 it is possible to visit this part of the People’s Republic of China visa-free for a period of up to 14 days. So the way is open both for tourists and business people, because Hong Kong is one of the financial capitals of the world, a major seaport and aviation hub," he added.

Kargapolov also pointed out that "many large Chinese companies have branches in this metropolis, which makes it easier to establish mutually advantageous cooperation." "Hong Kong's unique position, backed by the 'one country, two systems' principle, allows for access from it to the markets of Southeast Asia and, of course, China itself," he added. "As you know, the metropolis is actively developing economic ties with other provinces of the People's Republic of China, taking part in important national projects," the consul general emphasized.

Direct flights

The first after a more than three-year-long break regular passenger flight operated by Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot arrived from Moscow to Hong Kong on Sunday morning. Regular flights to Hong Kong were suspended in 2020 as part of coronavirus restrictions. Three flights a week will be operated from Moscow - on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Return flights from Hong Kong are scheduled for Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Airbus A330 airliners will be used on that route.

As the city's tourism development authority told TASS earlier, the number of Russian tourists who visited Hong Kong in the first ten months of this year increased 37 times to 40,800 people. The total number of tourists visiting this former British colony over the same period of time amounted to about 26.8 million people.