One of the tourist destinations in the "red route" is Vladimir Lenin's hometown of Ulyanovsk. (Photo : Wikimedia)
More Chinese people, especially the elderly, are choosing Russia as a tourist destination, opting to engage in "Red Tourism," a new trend that involves visiting spots that had significance to the history of communism.
According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, a total of 204,400 Chinese citizens traveled to Russia in the first half of 2015, 30 percent more than the number during the same period last year.
The Russian government, along with travel agencies in the country, has begun to promote "red route" tours to Chinese tourists, featuring historical sites with a communist connection, such as Vladimir Lenin's former home and Red Square.
Several Russian travel agencies have said that there has been an increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country. Many have claimed that the number tourists on holiday in Russia has more than tripled this year.
According to a tour guide from Meijialun Tourism Company based in Moscow, the company has received new Chinese tour groups every day since June.
"Many of the tour groups were composed of seniors born in the 1940s and 1950s, and I guided three such groups in the past week," the tour guide surnamed Tian told the Global Times.
Many Chinese seniors feel connected to the Soviet Union because they grew up with Soviet culture being promoted by the government. This has prompted Russian tourism companies to cater to them and provide "red route" tours.
While "red tourism" has been around since 2013, it only became popular this year. Some factors that may have contributed to this include the devaluing ruble, the visa-free policy for group tours and the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
There has also been a red tourism exchange agreement between the governments of Hunan Province and the Ulyanovsk Region in Russia to boost tourism and economic cooperation between the two regions.
Hunan is the hometown of Mao Zedong, while Ulyanovsk is the hometown of Vladimir Lenin. These two are the main figures of communism in China and Russia.
