Suifenhe a magnet for Russia tourists
Print Edition
Experts are predicting a surge in Russian visitors to Suifenhe City in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province after the State Council, the Chinese Cabinet, approved the use of the Russian currency there.
Traveling in China is now easier for Russians as they can spend rubles in the city on the border of the two countries, said Song Kui, president of the Contemporary China-Russia Regional Economy Research Institute in Heilongjiang.
Earlier this month, Suifenhe became the first Chinese city to allow a foreign currency to be used alongside the yuan, after the ruble became an increasingly popular form of payment among residents and traders.
Song added that the pilot program will also curb illegal ruble currency trade in the local underground exchange market.
Meanwhile, a new border entry policy that became effective on December 1 allows Russians to enter Suifenhe without a visa as long as their stay in the city lasts less than 15 days.
With use of the ruble officially recognized, tourism will likely see a boom, said Song Qinghai, a staff member of a travel agency in Suifenhe.
The city usually sees the largest influx of Russian travelers during the summer, Song added.
In the first 11 months of 2013, more than 745,947 foreigners entered China through Suifenhe, up 12.2 percent from the same period a year ago and they contributed more than US$94 million in tourism revenue, according to Wang Tao, deputy director of the city’s tourism bureau.
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