MAGAS, November 15. /TASS/. The North Caucasus Republic of Ingushetia will focus on attracting tourists from China, the head of the local tourism committee, Beslan Khamkhoyev, said on Wednesday.
"Last year, some 3,800 foreign tourists visited the republic," Khamkhoyev said. "In 2017, their number increased to 7,000."
He said that the republic is visited mainly by European and Chinese tourists.
"We are planning to offer a special tourist route for Chinese visitors and publish guidebooks in Chinese," the official said.
Khamkhoyev also praised the development of the republic’s tourist infrastructure, adding that Nazran, Ingushetia’s largest city, will soon get two new hotels.
He said the committee is helping local tour companies to obtain permits for foreign tourists to visit the Dzheirakh district on the border with Georgia.
"The Dzheirakh district has many sites worth seeing and a lot of foreign tourists want to come there," Khamkhoyev said.
The district is famous for its Orthodox churches built in the 8th century, ancient burial sites, temples and towers, as well as picturesque gorges, glaciers and valleys.
Before 2013, even Russian citizens had to get special permits to visit this region.