China News Service, Sanya, February 14th (Zhang Yue and Li Yufan) At 8 a.m. on February 13th, Andrei, a 32-year-old Russian tour guide in Sanya from Russia, led more than ten foreign tourists to the Yanoda Rainforest Culture in Hainan Visit tourist areas. Due to language and cultural differences, Andre needs to accompany foreign tourists throughout the journey and introduce the landscape, flora and fauna of the scenic spot.

On February 13, Russian-speaking tour guide Andrei (second from left) led a foreign tourist group to visit the Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Area in Hainan. Photo by Zhang Yuehe

　　"During the Spring Festival, Sanya's climate is at its best, and many foreign tourists come to Sanya for vacation." Andre said that similar itineraries are arranged every day and there is no time to celebrate the Spring Festival with his wife and son.

　　Introduced by a friend, Andre went to Xi'an, China to study at the age of 23 and gained some understanding of Chinese history and culture. When traveling to Sanya, Andre fell in love with the warm and humid climate and leisurely holiday atmosphere, and decided to settle here.

　　"Sanya is very popular with people from Russian-speaking countries. Because of its language advantage and understanding of Chinese culture, I became a Russian-speaking tour guide." Andrei said that he often leads tourists from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and other countries. Feel the local customs and customs of Hainan. The journey usually lasts from 7 to 10 days. "Going to the beach to bask in the sun, or visiting the tropical rainforest and tasting tropical seafood and fruits are their favorites."

　　Russian tourist Veresova Anna traveled to Sanya for the first time. She said that she had learned about the Chinese Spring Festival on TV and the Internet before, but this time she experienced it in person and found it very lively. She likes Chinese food very much and plans to buy some green tea to bring to her family and friends.

　　Russia is a key source market for inbound tourists to Sanya. Sanya’s tropical scenery attracts many Russian tourists to come here to escape the cold. According to data provided by the Sanya Municipal Tourism Development Bureau, from 2012 to 2019, Russia ranked among the top three sources of inbound tourists in Sanya. In 2019, Sanya received more than 300,000 Russian tourists.

　　As early as September last year, the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau took representatives from tourism-related enterprises in the Sanya Economic Circle to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, to hold tourism marketing and promotion activities. The Russian representatives said that the visa-free entry policy for people from 59 countries to Hainan would be a good way for Russian tourists to visit Sanya provides great convenience.

　　At the end of December 2023, the international route from Sanya to Moscow will resume. This route will be operated by A330-300 aircraft and will operate twice a week, with flights every Wednesday and Sunday. Sanya Phoenix International Airport revealed that starting from February 15, 2024, the number of flights between Sanya and Moscow will be increased to four flights per week.

　　"Since the resumption of the route from Sanya to Moscow at the end of 2023, the occupancy rate of our company's tourist charter flights from Sanya to Moscow has been almost full, with more than 260 tourists per flight." Guo Hongyuan, manager of the tour guide management department of Sanya Shengda International Travel Agency Co., Ltd., said, Statistics show that the number of Russian tourists in Sanya will increase by 306.03% year-on-year in 2023. In order to better serve tourists from Russian-speaking areas, the travel agency has recalled or hired 70 popular Russian-speaking tour guides since July last year.

　　Sanya's hotel industry is also increasingly welcoming overseas passengers. Chen Lihua, deputy general manager and director of marketing and sales of Sanya Yintai Sunshine Resort Hotel, said that during the Spring Festival, the number of foreign tourists staying in the hotel accounted for about 30% of the total number of guests staying in the hotel, and it received nearly 200 foreign tourists. (over)