Recently, Tutu.ru, Russia's most visited travel website, released a travel guide in Chinese and Russian, with 8 recommendations for Chinese tourists.
The report was headlined on the Russian news website Lenta.ru "Teach Chinese tourists how to avoid embarrassment in Russia."
The guide reads:
If someone cuts in line, avoid physical contact, politely ask them to leave, and tell them not to cut in line;
Please obtain your consent before photographing strangers;
Don't bargain too much, this is less acceptable to russians;
After 11 p.m., please be quiet;
Do not dress too revealingly in public, which is not suitable for the cold weather of Russia.
According to Russian media outlet Pskov, these guides were written with the help of Chinese expatriates and Chinese tour guides, and were not specifically designed for Chinese tourists, but for the Russian hotel industry. Hotels and restaurants can provide these guides to help customers avoid embarrassment.
In recent years, Chinese tourists have been pouring into Russia. According to 2017 data released by tourism statistics agency TourStat, the number of Chinese tourists to Russia is second only to Ukraine and Kazakhstan, with about 552,000. Ctrip also ranked Russia as one of the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists.
Russian media often report on the uncivilized behavior of Chinese tourists while traveling in the country. In July, for example, the Siberian Times reported on the uncivilized behavior of Chinese tourists in Glass Bay in Vladivostok. Bottles and jars have been left behind on the beach for years, and this beach is also known for debris formed by weathering and corrosion.
However, the situation is also improving now, and Chinese tourists have begun to consciously put garbage in their own pockets and take it away.
In February, the Russian magazine Gorod 812 published an article describing Chinese tourists urinating at famous Russian cultural attractions such as the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
In May, the magazine published another article about another key problem for Chinese tourists in Russia: Tours are mostly run by Chinese travel agencies, and they rarely contribute to the local tourism industry run by Russian natives. They usually employ Chinese guides and drivers, stay in hotels that Chinese, and frequent Chinese shops and restaurants.
Russian tourism industry experts have said that Chinese tourists not only do not bring benefits to the Russian economy, but also undermine tourism.