Kamchatka authorities expect an increase in the tourist flow of guests from China to the region in the 2025 tourist season at least twice as compared with 2024. The main plans to strengthen bilateral cooperation are to establish direct flights between Kamchatka and the cities of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Minister of Tourism of the region, Vladimir Rusanov, told TASS.
“According to the results of the first half of 2025, the Kamchatka Territory took the second place in the rating of the effectiveness of the implementation of the Regional Export Standard 2.0 (RES). As part of the implementation of RES 2.0, the region is actively developing partnerships with foreign countries. China remains the main partner of the region. According to forecast indicators, the number of tourists from China is expected to increase at least twice this year compared to 2024. We consider this a good result based on the results of the Kamchatka Territory’s participation in the Russian-Chinese Expo and the China International Travel Mart international tourism exhibition,” Rusanov said.
According to him, the Kamchatka Territory is interested in opening international flights from China. “A direct flight will improve the transport component of the trip, as travel time will be reduced, which, in turn, will attract an additional audience of tourists not only from China, but also from other Asian countries, as many airports in China perform a connecting function,” said the head of the relevant ministry.
As the regional government told TASS, with the opening of the new airport, it became possible to increase the number of flights not only from major Russian cities, but also from foreign countries. “This will help expand the audience and attract tourists interested in Kamchatka’s unique natural attractions,” the regional government said.
According to forecasts of the regional authorities, it is expected that about 450 thousand tourists will visit the region in 2025. For comparison, in 2024, about 400 thousand tourists arrived in Kamchatka.
The most popular tourist destinations in Kamchatka include visits to volcanoes, as well as natural attractions, including the Valley of Geysers, Kuril Lake and Khalaktyrsky Beach. Boat trips to protected areas are popular, where you can watch killer whales and red sea lions, and visit thermal springs with healing water.