Nikolai Korolyov: SCO countries have excellent potential for developing tourism

At the Heads of SCO National Tourism Agencies Meeting, Deputy Head of Russia's Federal Agency for Tourism Nikolai Korolyov said the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation should develop new international and interregional itineraries.

"Nationals of SCO member states account for 30 percent of all foreign tourists in Russia. We have reached this figure largely owing to the People's Republic of China - about a million Chinese tourists visited Russia in one year. This success is the result of our active bilateral cooperation," he emphasised.

Nikolai Korolyov pointed out that for the time being there is no tangible tourist flow of tourists from other SCO member states.

He said that people feel nostalgic for the Soviet time, when tourist itineraries covered the republics of a single country. This shows there is good potential for further promoting tourism between the SCO member states.