Russian tourist arrivals in Harbin surge following recent visa-free policy

Heihe, a border gateway between China and Russia, has also benefited, seeing increased inbound traffic and consumption. From Sept 15 to Oct 15, Heihe's border crossing recorded a year-on-year increase of 25.8 percent to reach 49,700 entries, 24,100 of which were Russian tourists, a rise of 76.4 percent.

About 90 percent of Russian visitors chose Heihe as their main stop, staying in the city for two to four days, with some visiting the Wudalianchi Scenic Area for one to two weeks.

The city has published the "Russian Tourist Guide to China", upgraded and promoted the intelligent service platform, trained over 2,000 industry personnel, and organized over 30 themed travel circuits, including dental tourism, health and wellness travel, and study tours.

In line with the visa-free policy, Heihe has implemented a joint handling model that reduces the processing time for cross-border temporary driving permits from three working days to 20 minutes, provides a reference for foreign-related government services, and creates a favorable environment for the development of the car rental and related industries.