Travelers cash in on exchange rate

The depreciation of the rouble has stimulated Chinese travelers' interest in visiting Russia, according to industry insiders.

According to search data for Russian hotels on the Chinese website of Hotels.com, an online booking and reservation platform for accommodation worldwide, the number of Chinese travelers browsing hotel information in Russia saw double-digit growth in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013. The rising search volume continued in the first two months of 2015. Therefore, Russia can be considered as one of the best-value destinations, in contrast with other European countries, according to Jessica Chuang, regional marketing director of Hotels.com in China.

"This is good news for deal-seeking travelers," she said. "Chinese travelers can enjoy great deals when traveling to Russia, and luxury brands as well as electronic items have become much more affordable."

However, Li Mengran, a public relations specialist at Beijing UTour International, said the cost of its trips to Russia has not been greatly affected by the currency fluctuations because the transactions with local agencies are settled in US dollars. Therefore, shopping is the only incentive for Chinese tourists to go to Russia as a result of such currency changes.

- Wang Zhuoqiong