On 23^rd of July 2019 the Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Board Iurii Tsurkan held the meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs State Duma Committee Sergei Krivonosov (“United Russia” faction).

The parties discussed the draft of the Intergovernmental Agreement on visa-free tourist exchange between the Russian Federation and People’s Republic of China. "The draft of the agreement on the results of two stages of the All-Russian public hearings was recognized as “not meeting the interests of the Russian Federation and the domestic tourism industry", - stated Iurii Tsurkan, who finds it premature to sign the Intergovernmental Agreement in the proposed version before the detailed elaboration and technical readiness for the implementation of its provisions.

According to the data of public organizations, almost all tourist groups from China in Russia are serviced by Chinese companies under "grey" schemes, as a result of which this tourist flow is absolutely unprofitable for legal Russian business.

Chinese companies now own transport, restaurants, hotels, guides and souvenir shops on the Russian territory, which is why all the profits from tourists from China are actually returned to the PRC, bypassing both the Russian tourism business and the domestic budget. At the same time, it is the budget that has to pay for the recreational load from Chinese tourists. During the meeting the Deputy Chairman of the Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs State Duma Committee Sergei Krivonosov got acquainted with the documents provided by the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association.

"The situation described by representatives of public organizations cannot contribute to the strengthening and development of partnership relations between Russia and China in the field of tourism", - said Sergei Krivonosov. According to the results of the verification of the provided information, in case of detection of facts of violation of the Russian Federation’s legislation, the parliamentarian will send the corresponding requests to the federal authorities.

New military-patriotic cultural and entertainment tour «Storm of Victory» is made for a differentiated range of segments of tourism services and products consumers and can be aimed at popularizing of the military, ideological and technological cultures of Russia. An open-air museum where you can touch and hold mock-ups of weapons, which our grandfathers and great-grandfathers used to protect the freedom and independence of our country.

Representatives of the Russian tourism industry were offered a set of reconstruction scenes, which introduced guests to the historical period of the World War 2 and gave them the opportunity to plunge into one of the most outstanding eras of the military achievements of our country, to unite with their colleagues in team work and feel themselves in the role of a soldier defending Leningrad. Crackers, imitation, fumes - all of this added reality.

At the end of the info-tour, the participants were given the opportunity to get acquainted with the authentic military field cuisine and individually, under the supervision of instructors, familiarize themselves with props and military equipment.

On 29^th of June 2019 in “Jurassic amber park” in Otradnoe,  Kaliningrad region the Third Annual “Russian Amber Fest” was held by the «Russian Amber» Holding.

CEO of «Russian amber» Sergey Zaitsev named the main goal of the fest to be to return amber brand and status of the richest country with amber to Russia, which, unfortunately, is not an obvious fact for European and world partners. Also, the goals of the “Russian Amber fest” are to increase the attractiveness of the Kaliningrad region and Svetlogorsk in particular for guests of the region, as well as the development of event tourism.

During the Fest program, the Chairman of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Board Iurii Tsurkan announced the official launch of the implementation of the cultural and historical project "The Amber Route", designed to become a new milestone in the development of Russian tourism and amber industries and to give Russian tourist destinations and masters of Russian folk art to express themselves on the international arena.

The implementation of "The Amber Route"project is carried out on the basis of a creative initiative, which was confirmed by the establishment of three new achievements recorded by the Interrecord international record-registration agency: The Amber Park opened a new art object - an amber oak with a height of 7m. and 10cm., which recognized as the tallest sun stone tree in the world; through the efforts of the guests of the park, during the whole festival day, the largest amber globe appeared in the world, which will soon take the place of honor in one of the prominent places in the structure of the Russian Amber holding; and in the evening program of the festival, more than a thousand people witnessed the world's largest salute of 250kg. of amber.

The proposal to include "The Amber Route" project was sent by the project working group to the Federal Tourism Agency. The project participants and its partners hope for a positive decision of the Federal Tourism Agency.

On 28^th of June 2019 representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the Hanseatic Cross-Border Cooperation Forum “Towards way”, which took place as part of the XXXIX International Hanseatic Days of the New Time and IX Russian Hanseatic Days in Pskov, which were held from 27^th to 30^th of June.

During the events of the business program of the Forum, Deputy Executive Director of the Association and Coordinator of the cultural and historical project "The Amber Route" Kirill Beliakov-Donets held meetings with representatives of the Government of the Pskov, Novgorod and Kaliningrad regions, the International Hanseatic League and other representatives of the international tourism industry.

As part of his speech during the Panel session “Tourism as a non-resource sector of the economy. Export of tourism services and promotion on the foreign market”, moderated by the Association for Economic Interaction of the Subjects of the Russian Federation “Union for the Development of Tourism in the Russian Federation” Board’s Chairman Sergei Krivonosov, Beliakov-Donetsk Kirill said to those present information about the impending crisis in the field of servicing tourists from China who are arriving in Russia as part of the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the China on visa-free group tourist trips from 29^th of February 2000.

The main attention in his speech Kirill Beliakov-Donets paid to the cultural and historical project “The Amber Route”, which is currently underway, aimed at popularization of Russian tourist destinations and increase of the Russian tourism industry competitiveness on the international market. At the end of the presentation, the floor was given to the project participants: General Director of «Amber Park» Yan Sergeantov and to the Organizing Committee’s Chairman of the “Modern Heritage of Russia” Project Elena Tsvetkova.

On 18^th of June the Russian-Chinese tourism problems press-conference was held in «Interfax-north-west» Info agency. The meeting was attended by expert Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism and Hospitality Industry Committee of "Delovaya Rossiya" Irina Semenova, Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Board Iurii Tsurkan, Co-Chair of the "Regions" Associations Union of Road Carriers and Entrepreneurs Oleg Kuksov, General Director of Best Drive LLC. Kira Zhuravskaya, Advisor to the Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights in Saint-Petersburg Ilya Antonov.

Representatives of the tourism industry responded to the complexity and tension of the situation, in which Saint-Petersburg’s tourism administration has been taking a series of actions over the past month that could adversely affect the tourist flow from the Celestial Empire and bring the tourism market involved in serving tourists from China to decline.

Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism and Hospitality Industry Committee of "Delovaya Rossiya" Irina Semenova noted that in the interests of developing the tourism industry of Saint-Petersburg and Russia as a whole, it is necessary to establish a constructive dialogue between representatives of government and the business community in order to build the most effective system of strategic planning and development of the industry.

The participants also paid special attention to the specialized information system (SIS), the very use and existence of which causes discontent on the part of tour operators due to the fact that it actually exerts monopolistic pressure on Russian tour operators in terms of insurance coverage for tourists from China - a concept and principle not provided for by agreement. In the framework of the discussion of SIS, General Director of Best Drive LLC. Kira Zhuravskaya noted that it was the patronage by certain employees of specialized tourism administrations to this system that is the main reason for the dominance of illegal guide-translators of foreigners and the prosperity of shadow schemes in the Russian travel industry.

In conclusion, the experts unanimously expressed their hope for the development of a mutually respectful contact between business and government and for an early resolution of the existing problems in the field of Russian-Chinese tourist exchange.

On 10^th of June 2019 in Sofitel Hotel the presentation of regular direct flight between Saint-Petersburg and Kunmin, province Yunnan, China, was hosted by Lucky Air airline.

In this meeting the Deputy Director for Relations with Government Agencies and Public Relations of the Managing Company of Pulkovo Airport “The Air Gate of the Northern Capital” Dmitriy Pavshinskiy, Consul for Trade and Economic Affairs of the Consulate General of China in Saint-Petersburg, Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Board Iurii Tsurkan and Managing Director of Hainan Airlines in Saint-Petersburg Mr. Meng Chen delivered a welcoming speech. A press conference and a drawing of memorable prizes were also held for representatives of the tourism community and the media.

According to the results of the first 4 months of 2019 direct passenger traffic between Saint-Petersburg and China increased by 73% compared to the same period in 2018 and amounted to 77 thousand passengers.

Lucky Air, a low-cost airline, is a subsidiary of the Chinese holding company HNA Group, which also includes Hainan Airlines, which has been operating direct flights between Saint-Petersburg and Beijing for 12 years.

Congratulations to all participants in the tourism market with a great new opportunity for business development with China.

On 16^th of May Russian-Chinese department of friendship, peace and development and the Russian-Asian united of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs held the Russian-Chinese Dialogue Forum: "70 years: points of conjugation and growth"

Among the organizers, speakers and experts of the forum were Ombudsman for the President of the Russian Federation for entrepreneur rights, Chairman of the Russian-Chinese Committee for friendship, peace and development Igor Titov, Head of the LDPR fraction in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vladimir Zhirinovsky, President of the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Vitaliy Mankevich, Advisor on Trade and Economic Affairs of the Chinese Embassy in the Russian Federation Mr. Li Jinyuan, Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov, heads and representatives of federal executive bodies and legislative power, deputies of the State Duma, heads of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, representatives of Russian and Chinese entrepreneurs of the banking sector, associations and unions, journalists, guests.

The plenary session was devoted to the strategic direction of Russian-Chinese cooperation. Speakers in their speeches noted that the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinpin led to the establishment of strong long-term friendly relations between Russia and China, which resulted in the growth of mutually beneficial political, military and cultural-humanitarian cooperation, and in Economic cooperation mutual trade in 2018 amounted to 108 billion US dollars.

During this panel discussion the participants discussed issues of regional cooperation and opportunities for the development of trade and investment. The forum continued with a session on the introduction of Russian goods to the largest world market in China and thematic sessions on innovative issues of interfacing the Digital Silk Road and the digital economy and on attracting Chinese investment to the Russian market.

On 25^th and 26^th of April events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Orel State University named of Ivan Turgenev were held in Orel. With the participation of the Ministry of science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Orel Region, the Orel Region Rospotrebnadzor Office, the Orel State University of  Ivan Turgenev, the Union of the Orel Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Development Cluster of the Orel Region, Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association the "Development of the Tourism Industry in the Context of Global Market Changes" Forum and the I International Scientific and Practical Conference "Integration of Tourism in the Economic system in the region: prospects and barriers" were held.

The events and activities of the Program Committee were attended by the Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov.

The plenary session was opened by Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Government of the Orel Region Vadim Tarasov, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Safonov, Rector of the Orel State University of  Ivan Turgenev Olga Pilipenko.

Vladislav Loskutov addressed the participants with a welcoming speech and delivered a plenary report on the topic: “Promising areas of cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the regions and the People’s Republic of China”.

In his speech, Vladislav Loskutov emphasized that in the current conditions the region has the potential to expand interregional relations with the China and develop the tourism cluster as an important element of the non-resource sector of the economy in connection with the formation of the “Tourism Development Strategy until 2035” by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

At the plenary session, reports were also presented by representatives of the Federation of restaurateurs and hoteliers of Russia, Moscow State University named of  Mikhail Lomonosov, Development Cluster of the Orel Region, Travel Business School, Orel Branch of RANEPA, Kuban State University, Orel State University of  Ivan Turgenev, Kazan Innovation University of Vasiliy Timiryasov, Russian International Academy of Tourism, etc., a seminar on outbound tourism programs and a round table on the problems of legal regulation and law enforcement practice sphere of tourist activity was held.

The conference continued in sections on the development of small and medium-sized businesses, international cooperation and the export of tourism services, creating a comfortable urban environment, professional competencies and standards, health tourism and creative industry in the region.

And the events ended with the performance of the theater studio "Juventa" of Orel State University of  Ivan Turgenev, visiting the exhibition "Architectural Sights and Cultural Heritage Sites of Russian Cities" and thematic excursions.

On 11^th of April the XIV Annual Student Tourism Forum "Tourism and its transformation in the digital space" was held at the Faculty of International Relations and Tourism of Moscow University of Humanities.

The forum was opened by the Vice-Rector of Moscow State University for Educational, International, Publishing and Further Education Evgeniy Bely, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations and Tourism of Moscow State University Galina Amrakhova and Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov, who also conveyed a welcoming speech from the Deputy Head of the Federal Tourism Agency Aleksei Konyushkov.

The forum was attended by representatives of the Dmidriy Likhachev Russian Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage, members of the International Tourism Academy, heads of leading Russian and international tourism enterprises, teachers and students of tourist universities.

The forum hosted a fair of vacancies in tourism professions organized for students by leading Russian tour operators, and a case-championship for student projects. According to the results of the championship, Chairman of the jury Vladislav Loskutov and representatives of Moscow State University awarded certificates to the forum participants and announced the winners, which this time became the team of the Moscow State Institute of Tourism Industry of Iurii Senkevich and the Faculty of International Relations and Tourism of Moscow State University.

Leading industry experts shared with students their experience in using modern information technologies and creating travel startups in the tourism industry.

The forum ended with a scientific-practical conference "Problems and Prospects for Digitalization of the Tourism Sphere in Russia".

On 15^th of March 2019 Moscow hosted the III annual city holiday “Moscow Guide Day” and the IV International guide and conference “Guide in the 21st Century - Global Challenges and Effective Solutions” organized by the Association of Guide-Translators and Russian Tourism managers and the Committee of Tourism in Moscow.

The events were attended by international experts, including representatives of the World and European federations of tourist guides, representatives of state authorities, experts and guides from Moscow and tourist centers of the Russian Federation regions, heads of professional tourist associations. The conference was attended by Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov.

During the events, master classes were held for guides, students, volunteers, a bus tour “Moscow of the 21st Century” was specially designed for the holiday, and at an international conference leading experts discussed problems and perspectives of tourism industry. Particular attention was paid to coordinate entrepreneurial activities in order to protect professional interests in the field of Russian-Chinese tourist exchanges, in connection with which the chairman of the Association «Safety Tourism» expressed special gratitude to Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association for the work carried out in this direction.

From 14^th till 15^th of March the first All-Russian industry championship of professional excellence in tourism organized with the support of the Moscow Tourism Committee was held in Moscow City.

The opening ceremony of the championship was attended by the Head of the Tourism Department of the Moscow Tourism Committee Ekaterina Borisova, the Head of the Tourism Coordination Department Inessa Grig, the Head of the Hotel Management Department Aleksei Tikhnenko, heads of industry associations, tour operators, representatives of the hotel and tourism business, specialized higher and secondary special educational institutions.

The opening ceremony and the championship were attended by the Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov together with the partners of the Association - Moscow Humanitarian University.

The championship was held among juniors, college and university students and professional participants according to the World Skills methodology in the competencies of "Tour Operator Activity", "Travel Agent Activity" and "Organization of Excursion Services".

The launching of the championship, according to its participants, will enhance the status and standards of professional training and create a platform for combining the tourism industry and educational institutions.

From 12^th to 14^th of March 2019 the annual XXVI International touristic exposition MITT-2019 was held in Moscow at the Expocentre.

The exhibition was supported by the Moscow Tourism Committee and gathered more than 1800 companies and representatives from 54 countries and 52 regions of Russia at its sites.

The exhibition was attended by Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov

The business program of the exhibition included numerous conferences, seminars, round tables and press conferences on pressing issues of development of the tourism industry.

 “Touristic information center. Ways to increase efficiency. The best Russian and foreign experience” a discussion and exchange of best foreign and Russian practices to improve the efficiency of the TIC began at the conference. Technology trends in the tourism sector were discussed at the MITT digital conference, where experts shared their practical experience in promoting online tours and technological automation of work.

Participants of the events could get acquainted with the educational program of the MITT Academy for representatives of travel agencies and specialists, attend the analytic session “Portrait of Russian Tourism”, the MICE seminar, the business session for hoteliers, panel discussions “Challenges and Shocks of Russian tourism market – «market shocks» and “Marketing in tourism, which is not there”, the foresight session“ Tourism-Business 2025-2030” and the thematic conference “MITT 365 - Diversification of Travel Products” and the culmination of the exhibition was the solemn ceremony of rewarding the bay with its participation.

During multilateral meetings with Russian and foreign partners of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association, executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, as well as leading players in the tourism market, agreements were reached on cooperation and joint participation in promoting the best Russian tourist brands for the development of domestic and inbound tourism as well as expanding international cooperation and strengthening good neighborly relations with foreign partner countries.

From 9^th to 11^th of March in «Crocus Expo» XIV international touristic exhibition «Intourmarket» was held, which traditionally brought together representatives from more than 70 regions of the Russian Federation and foreign participants and guests.

The exhibition was opened by Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Government Olga Golodets, who noted that great attention is now being paid to the development of tourism, support and promotion of tourism products in order to open Russia to both Russian tourists and visitors.

The ceremony was attended by Chairman of the Federation Council’s Social Policy Committee Valerii Ryazansky and Deputy Chairman of the Committee Igor Fomin, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Sergei Galkin, Deputy Head of Federal Tourism Agency Aleksei Konyushkov, Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov, Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Culture and Tourism of the PRC in the Russian Federation Ms. Wang Xiaosia, representatives of federal executive and legislative authorities, heads of tourism administrations of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, associations and tour operators moat, public and political figures.

The All-Russian meeting on topical issues of tourism development in the Russian Federation discussed the results of the federal target program "Development of domestic and inbound tourism in the Russian Federation (2011 - 2018), the prospects for the introduction of electronic visas and the preparations for the 23rd session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which will be held in Saint-Petersburg.

In a festive atmosphere, a number of cooperation agreements were signed between representatives of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and tourist associations, including the Agreement on the implementation of the federal project “Gastronomic Card of Russia” (new Federal Tourism Agency project of 2019) and the Agreement between the executive bodies of state power in sphere of tourism in Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Leningrad regions on cooperation on the development of a new interregional project "Sovereign Road".

From 28^th February to 3^rd of March 2019 45th International Exhibition "Hunting and fishing in Russia" was held in Moscow at VDNH with the support of the Russian Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This is the largest exhibition in Russia and the world's leading exhibition traditionally has more than 900 Russian and foreign companies.

Within the framework of the exhibition, on 28^th of February the Russian Federation Public Chamber held public hearings on the theme: "Children's tourism as a tool for creating a healthy generation". The round table and the opening ceremony of the exhibition were attended by the Head of the Commission of the Russian Federation Public Chamber for the development of public diplomacy, humanitarian cooperation and the preservation of traditional values ​​Elena Sutormina, Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov, representatives of federal executive and legislative bodies, heads of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, public and political figures. Based on the results of the discussion, the Russian Federation Government will send recommendations on the development of children's tourism as a strategic direction for patriotic education, education and health of new generation.

On 19^th of February  the Installation Forum of the cultural-historical project "The Amber Route" was held in Saint-Petersburg in Russian Ethnographic Museum. Within the framework of Forum a series of round tables dedicated to the discussion of the prospects of implementing the project's tools in the tourist and near-tourist sphere was held.

The event was attended by Representative of the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saint-Petersburg Vladimir Zapevalov, Co-Chair of the project implementation group of the SCO SC Secretariat Sergei Averin, Consul of the Consulate General of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alexandra Alenova and Deputy Director of the Russian Ethnographic Museum Olga Botyakova.

The Forum was attended by representatives of the higher school, as well as experts from Saint-Petersburg, Leningrad, Kaliningrad, Tver, Novgorod regions, Chechen and Udmurtia Republics, and other regions of the Russian Federation.

At the beginning of the Forum, the Project Coordinator, Deputy Executive Director of the Association Kirill Beliakov-Donets made a presentation on the project concept and the basis of its implementation mechanism.

Within the framework of the round tables "Tourism" and "Amber Industry" the representatives of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association, Saint-Petersburg State Budgetary Institution "City Tourist Information Bureau", Russian Ethnographic Museum, "Modern Heritage of Russia" Project, JSC "Kaliningrad Amber Factory", Public Organization "Amber Union", "Amber Park" made their reports, as well as representatives of the Solidarity Bank discussed the prospects of diversifying the event map of «The Amber Route» project, and prepared an expanded cultural and educational program of the project aimed at promoting the products and services complexes of the tourist business of the Russian Federation and Russia's tourist destinations.

During the Forum, agreements on cooperation were signed between Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association and the "Amber Park" organization and the Fund for International Business Cooperation "Fund for International Innovative Programs".

On 12^th of February within the framework of the 26th International Exhibition of Foodstuff, Drinks and Raw Materials for Their Production "PRODEXPO" the Annual Round Table "Russian Hospitality" was held in Moscow.

The round table was organized by the Federal Tourism Agency, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, the Russian State University of Tourism and Service and Expocentre JSC.

The event was attended by Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Vladimir Dmitriev, Head of the Federal Tourism Agency Department of State Tourism Projects and Tourism Security Evgeniy Kudelya, Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Exhibition, Fair and Congress Activities Department Ivan Korotin, Rector of the Russian State University of Tourism and Service Andrey Fedulin, Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov, Vice-President of the Russian Restaurateurs and Hoteliers Federation Vladimir Bakanov, heads of Russian Federation Ministries, coordinators of the Federal Tourism Project "Gastronomic Map of Russia", representatives of the tourism industry and hospitality, invited guests.

The participants discussed the implementation of priority national projects and the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of  07.05.2018. No. 204 "On the national goals and strategic objectives of the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024" in terms of the development of domestic and inbound tourism in the Russian Federation. The issues of promotion of regional gastronomic brands and routes to the tourist market, including the program "Gastronomic Map of Russia" were touched upon, and the results of the professional tourist competition "Gastronomic Experience/Taste Experience - 2018" were summed up.

On 26^th of January a meeting of the Commissioner under the President of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights Boris Titov, the Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights in Saint-Petersburg Alexandr Abrosimov with experts in the tourism industry, with the participation of representatives of the All-Russian Public Organization "Business Russia", including the Chairman of Saint-Petersburg "Business Russia" Dmitriy Panov and the Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism and Hospitality Industry Committee of "Delovaya Rossiya" Irina Semenova was held in the hotel "Ambassador".

The event was also attended by Chairman of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Associatio’s Board Iurii Tsurkan, President of the Association of Chinese Language Translators of Saint-Petersburg Victoria Bargacheva, Candidate of Historical Sciences Konstantin Yakhontov and media representatives.

In the course of a rich and fruitful meeting, the participants discussed the development of Russian-Chinese visa-free group tourism trips, analyzed the economic activities of travel agencies, as well as identified the main problems currently existing in the tourism industry in this segment.

At the end of the event, it was decided to send an official letter from the experts of "Business Russia" and the Office of the Commissioner in Saint-Petersburg to Boris Titov, which will outline the main issues that deserve special attention.

On 24^th of January within the framework of the project "Jian Days in Saint-Petersburg", timed to coincide with the solemn event "Chinese New Year - Spring Festival in Saint-Petersburg", there was held the "Presentation of the city of Jian: Culture, Tourism, Trade", organized by the Government of Saint-Petersburg, the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Saint-Petersburg, the Chinese Business Center and the Russian-Chinese Association for Research and Development of the Strategy "One Belt - One Road".

In the course of business communication with colleagues from Russia and China, representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association presented a new Russian cultural-historical project in the field of tourism "The Amber Route", implemented in the framework of the strategy "One Belt - One Way" and designed to give a new impetus to the development of comprehensive international relations, particularly in the tourism sector, throughout the trans-Eurasian space.

"The Amber Route" has arised interest especially among Chinese colleagues, who appreciated the high potential and prospects for increasing tourist exchange between the two countries through large-scale implementation of the project in both Russian and Chinese space.

On 21^th of January representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the opening ceremony of the Representative Office of JSC "Kaliningrad Amber Factory" in the Greenwood Business Park in Moscow.

The event presented the activities of Russia's only enterprise, which is engaged in industrial mining and processing of amber, as well as jewelry and new exclusive collections of the plant's subsidiary - "Amber Jewellery".

"Kaliningrad Amber Factory has a unique raw material base - 90% of the world's 50 million year old mineral reserves are concentrated near the village of Yantarny. The reserves of the Primorskoye deposit are estimated at 116 thousand tons.

In 2013, the Kaliningrad Amber Factory was transferred under the management of ROSTECH State Corporation. As a result of comprehensive modernization of production processes, equipment upgrade and efficient management in 2018, the plant produced a record 500 tons of the world's best Baltic amber and 17 unique nuggets weighing from 1 kilogram.

The company carries out its production activities in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation and the Strategy for the Development of the Amber Industry of the Russian Federation, approved by a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation.

The Representative Office of Kaliningrad Amber Factory in Moscow was established in order to create a platform for quality cooperation in the framework of cooperation and strengthening trade relations with Russian and foreign partners, as well as to enter new markets.

Representatives of the authorities and businesses of Russia, China, India, Malaysia, UAE, Qatar and other countries were invited to the opening ceremony.

From 15^th to 17^th  of January the X anniversary forum of Gaidar 2019: "Russia and the world: national development goals and global trends was held in Moscow in the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation (RANEPA).

The Forum was attended by the Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov.

This significant political and economic event, called "Russian Davos", gathered influential experts from all over the world, leading scientists and politicians, representatives of financial and business circles, who influence the socio-economic development of regions and states with their advanced achievements.

The Forum Organizing Committee was headed by the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Anton Siluanov, and the Program Committee was headed by the Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Andrei Kudrin.

Chairman of the Russian Federation Government Dmitry Medvedev made a key presentation at the plenary discussion of the forum "National Development Goals and Global Trends".

The expert discussion "Trends in the sphere of hospitality in Russia: challenges, expectations, reality" was attended by the President of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia, Dean of the Faculty of Hospitality of the Russian Academy of Agriculture and Public Administration Igor Bukharov, Vice-President of the Federation Vladimir Bakanov, Vice-President of the Federation, Managing Partner of Hotel Management Alliance Vadim Prasov, representatives of the professional and business community. The discussion focused on the impact of global events on the development of hospitality and the index of business activity in this area, the legacy of Russia after the World Cup, gastronomic brands of the regions and the experience of catering at public events.

In the course of the forum's events, Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov also held meetings with the heads of the Russian Federation's regions, government authorities and professional associations in the field of hospitality and tourism, where he discussed promising interaction and cooperation on the Association's projects "The Amber Route", "Great Tea Road", "Red Route".

On 19^th of December the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development and the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RASPP) in cooperation with the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia organized a reception dedicated to "Summing up the results of the year of Russian-Chinese cooperation - 2018", held under the aegis of the "40 years of reform and openness policy" in Moscow.

The Chairman of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development, the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights Boris Titov, Plenipotentiary Minister, Counsellor for Trade and Economic Affairs of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation, Mr. Li Jingyuan, who read the welcome address on behalf of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Li Hui, Director of the First Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Grigoriy Zinoviev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian-Chinese Committee, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Dmitriy Kiselev, Chairman of the Media Council of the Russian-Chinese Committee Mr. Zhou Liqun, Chairman of the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia Mr. Fan Weigo, Director of the Asia-Europe Bureau of the Xinhua News Agency, representatives and heads of the Russian Federation constituent entities, federal executive authorities, deputies of the State Duma, heads of the largest public and private corporations The Russian-Chinese Association was represented at the reception by the Chairman of the Commission on International Affairs Vladislav Loskutov.

The event summed up the results of business cooperation between Russia and China in 2018, discussed the directions of foreign policy of our countries on the basis of the results of the new presidential terms of Vladimir Putin and Mr. Xi Jinping, as well as measures to coordinate efforts in the current difficult geopolitical environment.

The participants noted the positive dynamics of the development of relations between Russia and China and the strengthening of friendship between two nations, which is greatly facilitated by the instruments of popular diplomacy.

In the course of the event, bilateral meetings and exchange of views were held on current directions of cultural and humanitarian cooperation and promising projects implemented by Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association, one of which is the revival of "The Amber Route".

The XVIII All-Russian Summit of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers PIR Expo 2018 was held in Moscow at the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre from 24^th to 27^th of September and the First All-Russian Hospitality Summit.

This key event of the year in the field of hospitality attracted 45 thousand visitors, 614 companies, 256 events, conferences, forums, seminars, workshops, trainings, competitions, business games were held at the stands of the international exhibition and specialized venues.

The main event was the I All-Russian Summit of the hospitality industry, with a welcome letter to the participants of which the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, who noted the growth in the quality of services of restaurateurs and hoteliers and the importance of increasing the tourist attractiveness of Russia.

On 24^th of September the leading representatives of tourism and hotel business gathered at the round table at the Conference "Hotels of Russia - life before, during and after the World Cup 2018".

The conference was moderated by the Vice-President of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers Vadim Prasov, among the speakers were the Member of the Federation Council for Social Policy Igor Fomin, Head of the Hotel Industry Department of the Committee for Tourism of Moscow Aleksey Tikhinenko, Advisor to the President of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers on migration and registration Elena Railian, Executive Director of the Kazan Association of Hotels of the Republic of Tatarstan Anna Ivanova, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Kaliningrad Region Andrey Ermak.

Conference participants discussed the problems identified during the World Cup 2018, the development of destinations to increase the flow of tourists, the effective preparation of hotels for large-scale events in the future, discussed statistics on the results of the World Cup.

During the discussion Vladislav Loskutov and Aandrey Ermak informed the participants about the project "The Amber Route" implemented by the Association in partnership with the Government of the Kaliningrad region and the directions of cooperation to increase the quality tourist flow from the People's Republic of China to the Kaliningrad region.

On 25^th of September within the framework of the 18^th All-Russian Summit of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers "PIR EXPO - 2018" held in the Moscow International Exhibition Centre Crocus Expo and the First All-Russian Summit of the Hospitality Industry, the "Moscow Hotel Complex Business Forum" was held, organized by the Moscow Tourism Committee.

This significant annual event in the hospitality industry traditionally gathered leading representatives of the professional community.

The event was opened by Head of the Hotel Industry Department of the Moscow Tourism Committee Aleksey Tikhinenko, who told the audience about the results of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Moscow and the priorities of the hotel industry development in Moscow.

In his speech Aleksey Tikhinenko emphasized that citizens of the People's Republic of China among non-CIS countries took the first place in the number of tourist arrivals at the World Cup 2018. The total number of arrivals amounted to 223.2 thousand people, which is 20% higher than last year's figures for the same period.

The forum discussed the issues of classification of hotels and accreditation of organizations that carry out their classification, information support of the activities of hotels and other accommodation facilities, training and development of trade union associations for the hotel sector, tourism development strategy in Moscow and special accommodation facilities.

One of the important issues discussed at the forum was the issues of ensuring the safety of tourism. Chairman of the Board of the Association "Tourism Security" Sergey Gruzd informed about it in his report and pointed out in his speech the Chairman of the Board of the Association for Assistance to Russian-Chinese Tourism Iurii Tsurkan, who mentioned the positive experience of cooperation with law enforcement agencies and tourist police of Moscow.

In his video interview Iurii Tsurkan also thanked the Moscow City Government for the support provided by the city authorities for the development of domestic and incoming tourism and wished the professional community success and prosperity.

The Beijing International Travel Mart (BITM-2018) travel show took place in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, from 5^th to 7^th of September. Russia was represented at the exhibition by the stand of the Moscow City Government, which, according to the general opinion, became the most visited during the whole period of the exhibition. Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association was invited as a co-exhibitor to the stand of the Moscow City Government.

On 6^th of September a press conference of the Moscow City Government was held, which was attended by more than 25 representatives of the Chinese media, including the Xinhua Agency, as well as tour operators in Beijing and other regions of China. Particular interest was aroused by the presentation of Moscow, presented by the Head of the Tourism Department of the Department of Sports and Tourism of Moscow Ekaterina Borisova.

In the course of the press conference the Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan made a report on the main directions of activities of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association. The event was also attended by the Head of the company - the organizer of the exhibition BITM-2018 - Singapore Conference & Exhibition Management Services Pte Ltd, who addressed the audience with a welcoming speech. In his speech, he stressed the importance and significance of strengthening bilateral ties between Russia and China, as well as between tour operators in Moscow and Beijing.

The Association expresses its gratitude to the organizers of the stand of the Moscow City Government for their high professionalism and well-established highly professional work during the exhibition.

On 24^th of August the presentation of the trade and economic potential of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, China, took place in Moscow at the Metropol Hotel.

The events were organized by the Moscow City Government, the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow and the People's Government of Chengdu.

Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association was represented at the forum by the Chairman of the Board Iurii Tsurkan and the Chairman of the Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov.

The Forum was opened by Secretary of the CPC City Committee in Chengdu Mr. Fan Zhuyping, Representative of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation Mr. Su Fantsyu and Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow Elena Dridze.

In the course of the meeting, representatives of the Association exchanged views on promising areas of cooperation with Head of the Chengdu Tourism Committee Ms. Do Yannamu, Head of the Chengdu Exhibition Committee Mr. Chen Fu, representatives of the Chengdu People's Government and the Moscow City Government, as well as representatives of business circles of China and Russia.

The forum aroused interest among its participants in establishing new business contacts, and also resulted in the signing of bilateral agreements between Russian and Chinese companies.

The event ended with performances by artists of the National Theatre of Folk Music and the Golden Ring Song and Sichuan Opera.

On 22^nd of August the official presentation of the tourist potential of Jinan - the capital of Shandong Province, China - took place in Moscow at the President Hotel.

The events were organized by the Jinan Tourism Development Committee in cooperation with the Russian-Chinese Society for Cultural Exchange of Talents "KitRus" and the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association.

Head of the Diplomatic Mission of the State Department of Tourism of the People's Republic of China in Moscow Ms. Wang Xiaoxia, Chairman of the Jinan Tourism Development Committee Ms. Zhi Liang, Consultant to the Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of the Government of Moscow Marina Pasuginova, and Chairman of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association’s Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov, who addressed the participants of the meeting with welcoming speeches.

Shandong Province is known as the birthplace of Confucius, and its capital city is famous for its mineral springs and numerous sights included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Since 2017, the city has been famous for its mineral springs and numerous attractions on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Moscow and Jinan are connected by direct regular flights, which opens up prospects for increasing mutual tourist exchange.

The participants of the meeting - experts, tour operators, hoteliers, heads of enterprises and organizations in the field of culture and hospitality, representatives of the state authorities of Moscow and the Russian Federation - noted the importance of such bilateral contacts for the successful implementation of the strategic direction of cooperation "One belt - one way".

As a result of the event, Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association and the Jinan Tourism Development Committee of Shandong Province signed a general agreement on cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere.

On 22^nd of August within the framework of the Days of Shanghai in Moscow the Forum on trade and economic cooperation "Shanghai-Moscow" was held in the Metropol Hotel.

The Forum was held by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the People's Government of Shanghai and the Department for External Economic and International Relations of the Moscow City Government with the support of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation and the Interregional Council of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development and with the participation of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association.

The Forum brought together experts and heads of state authorities of Moscow and Shanghai, representatives of the public and business circles, who exchanged views on promising areas of bilateral cooperation.

The Forum was attended by the Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov. Meetings were held with representatives of the Moscow City Government, the People's Government of Shanghai, the Governor of the Moscow Region, the Russian-Chinese Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development, the management of the representative offices of the Russian Federation to the Government of the Russian Federation, tour operators and journalists.

The official part of the forum ended with a concert of traditional Chinese music and a tour of the photo exposition dedicated to the culture of old Shanghai.

On 10^th of August a thematic round table on tourism "The Orel region - the pearl of the Chernozemie" was held within the framework of the "Days of the Orel region in Moscow".

The round table was organized by the Department of Sports and Tourism of the Moscow City Government, and the Department of Culture and Archives of the Orel Region Government.

On behalf of the Department of Sports and Tourism, the participants of the round table were greeted by the Head of the Tourism Coordination Unit Inessa Grig, who noted the importance of holding the Days of the Orel region and the round table on tourism for the further development of cultural ties between our regions and the establishment of business contacts between the companies of the tourism industry.

The representative of the Department of Culture and Archives of the Orel region Nadezhda Danyushkina and heads of tourism companies, museums, accommodation facilities, tourist information center and spiritual and Orthodox center presented the tourism potential of the region.

Moscow was represented at the round table by the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association, Mosturpool Association, companies of tourism and international cultural and humanitarian exchange.

On behalf of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association, Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan, informed guests about promising areas of cooperation and invited to participate in the projects of the Association, such as "The Amber Route", "Red Route", "Great Tea Road".

The Association reached an agreement with a representative of the Administration of the Orel region and the participants of the round table on the organization of study tours, involvement in Russian-Chinese projects implemented by the Association, assistance in the training of guides and guides, joint participation in events in Moscow, Orel region and China.

On 30^th of July, a meeting of representatives of the city's tourism industry and the delegation of the Beijing Tourism Development Committee took place at the Saint-Petersburg Government's Center for Entrepreneurship Development and Support. The meeting was timed to coincide with the end of the official visit of the delegation of the Chinese capital's tourism administration to Russia.

Culture Consul of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Saint-Petersburg Mr. Zhuang Jianping was the guest of honor at the event and expressed on behalf of the Consulate General his gratitude to his Russian and Chinese colleagues for their interest in the development of bilateral tourist exchange.

Present were the Deputy Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Association of guides-translators and the Director of the Laboratory for the Study of Chinese Tourism Polina Rysakova, the Deputy Director General for Excursion Activities of GBU CTIB Svetlana Iuriieva presented to their colleagues from the PRC the main achievements of the Northern Capital in the sphere of tourist flows servicing from China. Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan also made a welcoming speech to the audience. He noted that the visits of representatives of the People's Government of Beijing had already become a good tradition in the development of bilateral relations and served the interests of the two Great Powers.

At the end of the business part, the Chinese delegation together with the leadership of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association visited a photo exhibition, which introduced everyone to the main tourist attractions and destinations of Beijing.

From 26^th to 29^th of July Moscow received the delegation of the People's Government of Beijing at the "Days of Beijing in Moscow", one of the co-organizers was Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association. This bright event was a continuation of the Days of Moscow in Beijing, which took place in the autumn of 2017 in the People's Republic of China during the visit of Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev.

The achievements of our countries in the areas of cultural exchange, social protection and medical care, development of transport infrastructure and urban development were demonstrated to the participants of the events at various venues of the capital and in the Government of Moscow.

One of the central events organized by the Government of Moscow, the People's Government of Beijing, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation, the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow, the Committee for Tourism Development of Beijing with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Department of Sports and Tourism of Moscow and Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association was the presentation of the tourism potential of Beijing on Tverskaya Square in Moscow and the opening ceremony of the street festival within the framework of the Days of Culture of Beijing in Moscow. After the opening of the festival, the delegation of the Beijing City Government, representatives of the Russian and Chinese sides and the management of the Association visited the art exhibition of traditional Chinese painting, which presented the works of recognized landscape masters – Mr. Yu Yunmao and Mr. Li Daefu.

The festival continued with the opening of an art exhibition of traditional Chinese painting in TSUM and a solemn concert "Beijing Night in Moscow" in the Moscow International House of Music.

From 7^th to 10^th of June representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in working events dedicated to the III International Economic Forum of the amber industry "AMBERFORUM 2018" held in Svetlogorsk.

Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan, Executive Director of the Association Roman Lyzhin, as well as representatives of the Moscow Center for International Cooperation, All-Russian Public Organization "Business Russia" and a member of the Association - Holding "Russian Amber" spoke at the panel discussions devoted to the issues of production and sales of amber products, as well as the development of the tourism industry of Kaliningrad region and Russia as a whole.

In the course of the Forum there was held a presentation of a new tourist project - "The Amber Route", developed by Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association and its partners, which is designed to popularize tourist destinations in Russia and attract new investors for the development and expansion of tourism infrastructure in Russia's regions.

The main purpose of the proposed route is to create a tourism and marketing project designed to become a parallel to the tourist route "Great Tea Road" coming from China, implemented within the framework of the international strategy "One belt - one way", supported by the Russian Party.

On 28^th of April the III International Conference of guides and tour guides "Excursion work: new challenges" organized by the Association of guides-translators, tour guides and tour managers took place in Moscow "Zaryadye" park with the support of the Moscow Government.

The conference was held within the framework of the II city holiday "Day of the Moscow guide" and gathered numerous participants from the regions of Russia, near and far abroad.

The conference was attended by Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Turcan and Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov.

The participants were greeted by Head of the Department of Sports and Tourism of the Moscow City Government Nikolay Gulyaev, Head of the Department of State Tourism Projects and Tourism Security of the Federal Tourism Agency Evgeny Kudelya, President of the Russian Union of Tourists and Entertainment Sergey Shpilko and President of the Association of Guide Translators, Tour Operators and Tour Operators Alexander Osipov.

Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Turcan informed the audience about the work carried out by the Association together with legislative and executive authorities in the interests of the professional tourist community, guides, guides and tour managers.

Representatives of Russian regions in the course of the discussion touched upon the problems of Chinese inbound tourism, imperfection of the legislative framework, expressed wishes to the relevant state authorities to protect the interests of the tourist community, not individual subjects.

Participants noted the positive role of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Department of Tourism and Regional Policy in connection with their legislative initiatives and providing control functions for the activities of subordinate organizations.

Heads of the Association of guides-translators, tour guides and tour managers expressed gratitude to the Association of Assistance to Russian-Chinese Tourism for cooperation and protection of the rights of members of the tourist community.

On 28^th of April in the Great Conference Hall of the Moscow City Government were held solemn events of the II Moscow City Festival "Day of the Moscow Guide", which gathered leaders and experts of the tourism industry from Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Irkutsk, Udmurtia, Sevastopol, Armenia, Georgia and other regions.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan and Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov.

Welcoming speeches were made by Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sergey Nalobin, Head of the Department of State Tourism Projects and Tourism Security of the Federal Tourism Agency Evgeny Kudelya, President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Sergey Shpilko, President of the Association of Guide Translators, Tour Operators and Tour Operators Alexander Osipov and Honorary President of the Association Mr. Jozsef Schneidgen.

Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan made a report on the current challenges in the context of globalization of the tourism market, informed about the directions of further work in the field of tourism security and congratulated all those present on the occasion of the holiday.

On 25^th of April a presentation "Get Healthy on Hainan Island" organized jointly by Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association and Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (hereinafter referred to as "TCM") in the framework of the marketing strategy for the development of the new Medical Center of Beijing University TCM in Haikou (Hainan Province, PRC) was held in the Neva Hall of the Kempinski Hotel.

During the presentation the guests of the event got acquainted with the results of the two-year work of the Saint-Petersburg Center of the Beijing TCM University in Strelna and received comprehensive information on the main medical and tourist opportunities of the new Medical Center of the Beijing TCM University in Haikou, which, with the active assistance of the Government of Hainan Island, was one of the first to enter the new medical cluster of Hainan province. Beijing TCM University, having two centers, has created effective conditions for Russian tourists and patients to be constantly accompanied and monitored, thus ensuring the high quality of medical services.

Representatives of the Russian authorities, travel and insurance companies of Saint-Petersburg and other Russian cities expressed genuine interest in the new Medical Center of Beijing TCM University in Haikou and in a new promising area of cooperation, noting the high potential of development of the medical tourism segment, which is gaining momentum in Saint-Petersburg and in Russia as a whole.

On 29^th of March zero readings of the bills "On Amendments to Article 16 of the Federal Law 'On Amendments to Article 16 of the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation'" and "On Amendments to Article 18.9 of the Code of Administrative Offences" were held in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation under the leadership of the Chairman of the Commission for Development of Public Diplomacy, Humanitarian Cooperation and Preservation of Traditional Values Elena Sutormina and with the participation of the representative of the Main Department of Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Oleg Morkel.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov, the Head of the Department for the Formation and Maintenance of the Register of Tour Operators of the Legal Department of Federal Tourism Agency Andrey Merklin, members of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation and others.

The issues of the obligation of the inviting party to take measures to ensure compliance of foreign citizens and stateless persons with the declared purpose of entry into the Russian Federation and the terms of their stay in the Russian Federation, as well as the responsibility of the inviting party for the failure to take measures to monitor their compliance were discussed.

From 28^th to 29^th of March the XIII International Student Tourism Forum "Tourism as a Factor of Territory Development", organized by the Faculty of International Relations and Tourism, was held at the Moscow Humanitarian University (Moscow State University).

The forum was opened by the Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov, who was invited as a guest of honor together with the heads and representatives of tourism management bodies, tourist industry associations, research institutes, universities and colleges.

The management of Moscow State University expressed special gratitude to Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association for its support and participation in the forum, and Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov was invited to work in the State Examination Commission of the university.

On 21^st of March, representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association were invited as experts to participate in the panel discussion "The potential of the tourism industry in Saint-Petersburg. Problems that have a negative impact on the development of the industry", which took place within the framework of the discussion held from 20^th to 22^nd of March.

Executive Director of the Association Roman Lyzhin and General Director of Luna LLC Konstantin Yakhontov expressed their gratitude to the Federal Tourism Agency (represented by Evgeniy Kudelya), the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee (represented by Deputy Chairman of the Committee Nana Gvicia) and the Public Council for Small Business Development under the Governor of Saint-Petersburg (represented by Elena Tsereteli) for the work done to protect the rights and interests of tourist enterprises and the Russian tourism industry in general.

During the panel discussion moderated by the Chairman of the Public Council for the Development of Small Business under the Governor of Saint-Petersburg Elena Tsereteli Roman Lyzhin and Konstantin Yakhontov, representatives of tourist organizations operating in the field of implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips were voiced. In particular, representatives of local and federal tourism administrations discussed the Draft Agreement, which is currently being prepared for signing by both parties, some articles of which cause discontent on the part of representatives of the tourism industry.

The 25^th Anniversary Moscow International Travel Trade Fair MITT-2018 was held in Moscow from 13^th to 15^th of March.

The exhibition was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Federal Tourism Agency, the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Government of Moscow.

Executive Director of the Association Roman Lyzhin and Chairman of the Association's Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov took part in the official opening ceremony and in the work of the exhibition.

Deputy Chairman of the Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs State Duma Committee Sergei Krivonosov, Head of the Federal Tourism Agency Oleg Safonov, member of the Federation Council Igor Fomin greeted the audience at the opening ceremony.

At the exhibition were presented the regions of the Russian Federation, representatives of tourist administrations of foreign countries, Russian and foreign companies engaged in the tourism industry. In the course of the events, documents on international cooperation were signed, meetings of the Association's representatives with Russian and foreign partners were held, as well as exchange of opinions on the issues of strengthening and development of cultural and humanitarian exchanges.

On 10^th of March the XIII International Tourism Exhibition INTOURMARKET-2018 was opened in Moscow at the Crocus Expo IEC.

The official opening ceremony of the exhibition was greeted by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vitaliy Mutko, the Head of the Federal Tourism Agency Oleg Safonov, the Chairman of the Committee for Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Mikhail Shchetinin, the member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Igor Fomin, the Head of the diplomatic mission of the State Administration for Tourism of the People's Republic of China in Moscow Mr. Wang Xiaoxia.

Chairman of the Association's Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov took part in the opening ceremony and in the work of the exhibition.

During the events, bilateral meetings and exchange of views on cooperation with the heads of tourism administrations of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the states participating in the exhibition were held.

On 22^nd of February the 3^rd annual Russian-Chinese business forum "Russia-China: new ways of cooperation" took place in the exhibition and congress center LenExpo, Saint-Petersburg.

Representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the events held under the business program, discussed the prospects of cooperation with potential partners.

The founder of the Association - Pulkovo Airport - presented air products of airlines operating flights to Chinese destinations.

On 16^th of February, at the initiative of the Ministry of Industrial Policy, Entrepreneurship and Trade Development of the Kaliningrad Region, a meeting was held at the building of the Government of the Kaliningrad Region to discuss the implementation of the cultural and historical project "The Amber Route", aimed, among other things, at the development of both the potential of the amber industry and tourism industry in the region. The project is based on the idea of rethinking the role and significance of historical trade routes and modern interpretation within the framework of implementation of the strategy "One Belt - One Road" supported by the Russian side.

The meeting was attended by the Minister for Industrial Policy, Entrepreneurship and Trade Development of the Kaliningrad region Dmitriy Kuskov, First Deputy Minister for Culture and Tourism of the Kaliningrad region Sergey Kuznetsov and representatives of the initiative group, which proposes a project to revive "The Amber Route".

During the discussion of the issues, the participants repeatedly expressed the opinion on the need for close and constructive interaction between local entrepreneurs and government authorities in order to improve the efficiency of production of high level processed products. The issues of using the potential of the Kaliningrad region amber industry as one of the most powerful and promising drivers for the development of the tourism industry not only within the region, but also in the Russian Federation as a whole were discussed.

The authors of the project drew attention of the region's leaders to the fact that "The Amber Route" project is aimed at expanding cooperation of the region with the regions of the Russian Federation, increasing the brand recognition of the Kaliningrad region through the marketing promotion of its exclusive products, and is designed to contribute to a significant influx of Russian and foreign tourists in the region.

Speakers stressed that the project will contribute to the development of major tourist routes in the country, such as the "Golden Ring", "Silver Necklace" and "Red Route", supporting and complementing their cultural and historical significance through the introduction of, among other things, a commercial component.

In addition to the above, according to the participants of the meeting, the project should contribute to the creation of new jobs not only in the manufacturing industry and tourism, but also in related fields of activity, including during the low tourist season and in the off-season.

The proposed project of revival of "The Amber Route" aroused interest among the representatives of the Government of the Kaliningrad region. Following the results of the meeting, the Minister Dmitriy Kuskov decided to assign responsible employees to maintain interaction and develop specific solutions within the framework of the questions posed.

The initiative group was invited to finalize the draft project plan and to coordinate it with interested legal entities.

The representatives of the Initiative Group expressed their gratitude to the Government of the Kaliningrad Region for their attention to the development of key sectors of the region.

On 6^th of February within the framework of the 25^th International Exhibition of Foodstuffs, Beverages and Raw Materials for Their Production "Prodexpo-2018" Federal Tourism Agency together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and the Russian State University of Tourism and Service held a round table "Russian Hospitality".

The round table was attended by Head of Federal Tourism Agency Oleg Safonov, Director of the Department of Exhibition, Fair and Congress Activities of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Igor Korotin, RGUTIS Rector Alexander Fedulin, Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Vladislav Loskutov, representatives of the management of the Russian Federation's constituent entities, trade unions, heads and experts of tourism and related services companies.

In the course of the discussion the problems of gastronomic tourism, development of tourism on the basis of food and processing industry enterprises, personnel training for hospitality sphere were touched upon.

An exhibition-tasting of winners and laureates of the professional competition "Gastronomic Impression 2017" was held and their awarding with honorary diplomas took place.

On 6^th of February Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan took part in the round table on the theme "Strategy for the development of the amber industry. Opportunities for cooperation", held by the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship Development and Trade of the Kaliningrad region, the Fund "Center for Support of Entrepreneurship of the Kaliningrad region (microcredit company)" and SRO YANTAR.

During the round table the issues of forming an amber industrial cluster of the Kaliningrad region, development of cooperation projects, inventory of initiatives and projects were discussed.

The 25^th anniversary exhibition Prodexpo-2018 was held at Expocentre in Moscow from 5^th to 9^th February.

Among the honored guests at the opening ceremony of the exhibition were Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Evgeniy Gromyko, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Mikhail Shchetinin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues Vladimir Kashin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Regional Policy and Problems of the North and the Far East Nikolay Kharitonov, Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Maxim Fateyev, heads of Russian regions, heads of industry unions, ambassadors and

Chairman of the Association's Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov took part in the opening of the exhibition.

During the events, working meetings were held on the directions of the Association's activities in the revival of the Great Tea Road from China to Russia, taking into account the cultural, tourist and food security aspects.

On 1^st of February, the Business News Agency held a press conference dedicated to the problems of Russian-Chinese relations in the field of tourism.

The press conference was organized by the Business News Agency with the support of an initiative group of representatives of tour operators, guides and interpreters and Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association.

Representatives of the Russian tourism industry asked the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky not to agree on a new version of the draft Agreement between Russia and China on visa-free group travel. The editorial board, which was prepared secretly from the tourist community by individual officials of Federal Tourism Agency, and which, if approved, can undoubtedly lead to the abolition of the tourism industry as a whole, is now in the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation for the approval and implementation of domestic procedures for preparation for signing by the high Parties.

Present as an honorary guest, the Plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights in Saint-Petersburg, Alexander Abrosimov pointed out to the speakers the need to protect the rights of entrepreneurs and guides-translators with the use of the established legal mechanism of appeal to the state regulatory authorities to conduct inspections and proceedings on the merits of emerging problems.

The first agreement between the governments of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on visa-free tourist group trips was signed in 2000. The new version of the agreement is currently undergoing the stages of approval by the agencies.

Despite the acuteness of the issues discussed, the main leitmotif of the speeches was the development of friendly bilateral relations and economic relations on a fair and mutually beneficial basis.

General Director of the tour operator Best Drive LLC Kira Zhuravskaya, Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurcan, President of the Saint-Petersburg Association of Chinese Language Translators Victoria Bargacheva, Candidate of Historical Sciences in Ethnography Konstantin Yakhontov, Director of the Chinese Tourism Research Laboratory Rysakova Polina, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Passenger Carriers Associations "Regions" Oleg Kuksov, Executive Director of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Roman Lyzhin, Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights in Saint-Petersburg Alexander Abrosimov and member of the Saint-Petersburg Legislative Assembly's tourism industry commission Irina Ivanova participated in the press conference.

On 26^th of January Sichuan Airlines opened regular flights to Saint-Petersburg from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.

Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan and members of the Association took part in the celebrations dedicated to the opening of the fourth Chinese destination of Pulkovo Airport.

From 24^th to 25^th of January at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia the Institute of Hotel Business and Tourism of PFUR and the World Association for Training of Personnel for the Hospitality Industry AMFORHT held the annual conference "Competence Building for the Hospitality Industry in the University Environment".

Head of International Cooperation Department of Federal Tourism Agency Valery Korovkin, Chairman of the International Activities Commission of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Vladislav Loskutov, Head of the Legal Support Department of Federal Tourism Agency Alexander Kudrevatykh, First Vice-President of AMFORHT Martin Ferri, heads and experts of universities and research institutes of the industry took part in the conference as honorary guests.

Within the framework of the Forum, PFUR university students defended the projects "Hotel Forum" of Epochs' Game", prepared in the interdisciplinary direction "Conscious Choice - 2018".

The invited experts highly appreciated the quality of the projects implemented by the students, who by the time of the Forum turned the standard classrooms of the Institute into operating thematic restaurants and hotels.

At the invitation of the Chinese side, on the eve of the SCO summit of tourism ministers in Wuhan in the first half of 2018, Chairman of the International Activities Commission of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Vladislav Loskutov visited the capital of Hubei province, Wuhan, and took part in the revival of the Great Tea Road in Xiaogang from 18^th to 21^st of January.

In October-November 2017, during the visit of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China, the Government of Moscow, at the invitation of the People's Government of Beijing, held the Days of Moscow in Beijing.

In the course of these events, Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association signed agreements with the Chinese side on the revival of the Great Tea Road from Hubei Province (PRC) to Russia with the development of tourism potential of the border areas within the framework of the concept of "One Belt - One Road".

The parties agreed then to develop cooperation through the participation of representatives of tourism business, industry and trade, as well as government agencies in exhibitions, forums and summits.

At the events held in the Hubei province Vladislav Loskutov headed the delegation of Russian producers and promoters of agricultural products.

In his welcoming speech, Vladislav Loskutov noted the importance of strengthening bilateral cultural and humanitarian cooperation, increasing tourist flows in such an important strategic direction as the Great Tea Road, which historically originates in the Hubei province and touches upon important aspects of agricultural products exchange and food security.

In the course of the events, Vladislav Loskutov met with the head of the Hubei Xiaogang Party Committee, the Mayor and the leaders of the Xiaogang People's Government, representatives of the Hubei Provincial Government and Chairman of the Association for International Agricultural Exchange of the People's Republic of China Mr. Liu Intse.

The meetings focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the cultural, humanitarian and economic spheres.

The members of the delegation also participated in the reception on behalf of the Mayor of Xiaogang Mr. Wu Haitao.

During the visit, the delegation visited high-altitude tea plantations and production associations, got acquainted with the technological process of its production.

The events ended with a concert of masters of art and a traditional exchange of souvenirs and gifts.

From 16^th to 18^th of January representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the events held within the framework of the Gaidar Forum held in Moscow

Within the framework of the Forum, in accordance with the business program, Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan held working meetings and negotiations with specialists and heads of specialized organizations and authorities in the field of tourism.

The events ended with a concert of masters of art and a traditional exchange of souvenirs and gifts.

On 8^th of January Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia held an annual Christmas party for children, which was attended by children from Svetlogorsk. They have made for Patriarch Kirill an unusual amber bouquet from sunflowers and chamomiles. The children made this gift at the production facilities of the member of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association - "Russian Amber" Holding, General Director of the Holding Sergey Zaitsev personally participated in this process. This amber souvenir was presented to Patriarch Kirill in the State Kremlin Palace on the patriarchal Christmas tree.

On 19^th of December Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association held a General Meeting of the Association's members to sum up the results of 2017 and a solemn event dedicated to the second anniversary of the Association and the celebration of the New Year 2018 in the "Big Restaurant Qin".

The event was attended by heads of tourism industry organizations in Russia, as well as companies operating in tourism and other sectors of the Russian economy. Among the honored guests were representatives of the State Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Saint-Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics, Higher School of Economics in Saint-Petersburg, Pulkovo Airport, Big Port of Saint-Petersburg, Sovavto-Saint Petersburg JSC, Chinese Business Center.

Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan delivered a welcoming speech and his speech was continued by Executive Director of the Association Roman Lizhin, who, in his turn, informed the audience about the successes and achievements of the Association over the past year in the form of a presentation. In a festive atmosphere, new members of the Association were presented with certificates, members and partners, whose contribution to the activities of the Association and the tourism industry in Russia was most felt in 2017.

The participants of the event had the opportunity to evaluate the activities of the Association for the past period, to discuss joint activities in 2018, as well as just to communicate and congratulate each other on the coming New Year in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association organized business meetings for the members of the Delegation of Representatives of the Rectorates of the leading universities of Hebei Province, China, during their stay in Saint-Petersburg in December 2017.

On 8^th of December representatives of the Association together with the Delegation attended the presentation of the Higher School of Economics, which presented the main educational programs of the university, the potential and prospects for cooperation in the international student exchange between Russia and China.

On 15^th of December representatives of the Association together with the Delegation of Hebei Province held a meeting with the management of Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics and Technology "Petrovsky College". During the meeting, the parties reported on their capabilities and experience in implementing training, including international programs. As a result of the negotiations, representatives of Hebei Province's special education institutions reached agreements with the Saint-Petersburg State University "Petrovsky College" on the implementation of joint training programs and further cooperation.

On 12^th of December the Federal Tourism Agency held a meeting of the Coordinating Council of the "Russian Hospitality" Project in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Head of Rostourism Nikolay Korolev.

The meeting was attended by Member of the Social Policy Committee of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Igor Fomin, Director of the Department of Exhibition, Fair and Congress Activities of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Igor Korotin, Head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Valery Korotin, Deputy Head of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee Nana Gvicia, Chairman of the Board of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurcan, Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov and other invited experts.

The issues of national marketing strategy, implementation of the project "Russian Hospitality" in the regions of Russia, preparation of hotels and restaurants for the upcoming World Cup, voluntary standards, work in the Iranian tourism market were discussed.

The China Friendly program provoked a heated discussion, and a number of participants spoke about the disputable goals and objectives, as well as the ownership of this program. Suggestions were made to prevent misleading market participants and to promote brands of voluntary certification, issued as mandatory.

After discussing the prospects of the Visit Russia program development, a new Head of FSUE "NMCT" Vadim Naumenko was presented to the audience.

Iurii Tsurcan had a detailed conversation with Nikolay Korolev on topical issues of the tourism industry. It was decided to continue contacts on this issue.

From 11^th to 12^th of December the Department of Sports and Tourism of Moscow with the participation of the Federal Tourism Agency held the "Forum of Travel Industry Professionals", dedicated to the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2018 in Moscow.

At the opening of the Forum, welcoming speeches were made by Deputy Head of Rostourism Alexey Konyushkov, Member of the Social Policy Committee of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Igor Fomin, Head of the Sports and Tourism Department of Moscow Nikolay Gulyaev, Vice President of Interstate Hotels & Resorts Konstantin Goryainov.

The Forum was attended by Deputy Head of the Regional Security and Anti-Corruption Department Kirill Malyshkin, Deputy Director of the Strategic Projects Department of the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Andrei Romankov, Head of the Hotel Management Department of the Sports and Tourism Department of Moscow Aleksei Tikhnenko, Head of the Tourism Department of the Sports and Tourism Department of Moscow Ekaterina Borisova and Chairman of the Board of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurcan.

The forum discussed topical issues of reception of FIFA World Cup guests, security organization, transport service, purchase of tickets for matches, booking accommodation facilities and their availability, registration of fan passports, as well as training for the tourism industry.

In conclusion Iurii Tsurcan gave an interview to Sputnik.

On 6^th of December, a meeting of the Public Council for the Development of Small Business under the Governor of Saint-Petersburg was held in the House of Entrepreneur under the chairmanship of Elena Tsereteli. Representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association reported on the main negative components that have now developed in the segment of tourism exchange under the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group travel, which adversely affect the budget component and employment of Russian citizens in tourism in Saint-Petersburg. In addition, the participants discussed the need to improve the system of legislative regulation of organized children's transportation in order to maximize the safety of children.

The meeting was attended by Chairman of the Public Council for the Development of Small Business under the Governor of Saint-Petersburg Tsereteli Elena, lawyer of the Public Council for Small Business Development under the Governor of Saint-Petersburg Yulia Charnotskaya, President of the Saint-Petersburg Association of Chinese Language Translators Viktoria Bargacheva, General Director of Best Drive LLC Kira Zhuravskaya, General Director of Kozyrev & Co Andrey Kozyrev, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Passenger Carriers Associations "Regions" Oleg Kuksov, Executive Director of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Roman Lyzhin, Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Turcan, member of Union of Passenger Carriers Associations "Regions" Elena Shiryaeva and General Director of Luna LLC Konstantin  Yakhontov.

Following the results of the meeting, it was decided that the Public Council for the development of small business under the Governor of Saint-Petersburg should prepare an appeal to the Government of Saint-Petersburg, the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee on the issue of supporting the legislative initiative of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, which provides for the right to carry out the activities of guides-translators only by citizens of the Russian Federation, as well as introducing the requirement for mandatory certification of guides-translators and appeal to the Government.

On 6^th of December in the Representation of the Komi representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the event dedicated to the presentation of tourist opportunities of the Komi Republic.

Welcoming speech was made by the Deputy Director of NWRO RST Pavel Rumyantsev. The report on the development of tourism in the Komi Republic was made by the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Archives of the Komi Republic Sergey Yemelyanov.

During the teleconference "Saint-Petersburg-Syktyvkar" the representatives of the tourism industry of the regions presented to the audience the modern tourist products developed in accordance with the modern consumer preferences of consumers of tourist services.

On 27^th of November representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the official presentation of the "Amber Bridge of Russia" Project - the first step on the way of implementation of the Project "Amber Bridge of Russia" (which develops in parallel with the Programs of the Project "One Belt - One Road": "Great Tea Road" and "Great Silk Road"), implemented by the "Russian Amber" Holding and the Great Gostiny Dvor of Saint-Petersburg.

The following guests of honor took part in the event: Vice-Governor of Saint-Petersburg Sergey Movchan, Deputy of the Kaliningrad Regional Duma for Social Policy Larisa Shvalkene, Head of the Svetlogorsk district Valeriy Bondarenko, Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC "Big Gostiny Dvor" Natalia Tushakova, General Director of "Amber Mosaic" Karen Galstyan, Commercial Director of "Amber Mosaic" Timur Brovko, General Director of "Russian Amber" Holding Sergey Zaitsev and Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan.

As part of the official opening of the presentation, a new member of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association, the Russian Financial Society, which is implementing a new payment system for the Russian market, which is aimed at tourists from China, was also presented.

The participants noted the high potential of the proposed project aimed at raising the Russian tourism industry to a new level.

This project is designed to unlock the potential of the domestic amber industry and to minimize the distance between suppliers of quality jewelry and their consumers.

On 23^rd of November in Saint-Petersburg, on the territory of the exhibition complex Lenexpo the jubilee "XV Saint-Petersburg Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Forum" was held . The final event of the Forum was the panel discussion "Potential of Saint-Petersburg Tourism Industry. Problems that have a negative impact on the development of the industry", among others, was considered the issue "Development of inbound tourism from the People's Republic of China. Participation of small and medium business of Saint-Petersburg - tour operators, hoteliers, professional guides and interpreters in servicing tourist groups from the People's Republic of China".

The discussion was attended by the Chairman of the Public Council for the Development of Small Business under the Governor of Saint-Petersburg Elena Tsereteli, Chairman of the Commission on Industry, Economy and Entrepreneurship of the Legislative Assembly of Saint-Petersburg Alexandr Makarov, Chairman of the Committee for the Development of Entrepreneurship and Consumer Market of Saint-Petersburg Evgeniy Kachaev, Deputy Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee Nana Gvicia.

The Executive Director of the Association Roman Lyzhin was invited as an expert to the panel discussion, who informed the participants of the event about the main negative components that have developed now in the segment of tourist exchange within the framework of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips from 29^th of February 2000, which negatively affect the budget component and employment of citizens of the Russian Federation in the sphere of tourism in Saint-Petersburg and other regions of the Russian Federation. In the course of the discussion, Roman Lyzhin made irrefutable arguments in terms of protecting the interests of tour operators of Saint-Petersburg and Chinese language interpreters.

Following the results of the discussion part of the Forum, by tradition, the adoption of the Resolution - a document with which the Public Council will work throughout the next year - took place.

On 23^rd of November in the Grand Hotel "Emerald" representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in an event dedicated to summing up the results of the tourist season 2017, held by the State Budgetary Institution "CTIB".

Within the framework of the event, the Deputy Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee Nana Gvicia, General Director of the State Budget Institution "CTIB" Evgeniy Pankevich, Director of the "Center for Time Travel - KOD" Olga Solnyshkina and other representatives of the tourism industry of Saint-Petersburg and the Leningrad region, the Representative of Visit Saint-Petersburg in the People's Republic of China Sergey Mstislavsky spoke.

Within the framework of the business communication program the representatives of the Association discussed the potential for the development of the Luxury class tourism segment, as well as the prospects of training of new specialists in the field of tourist services from the Asian region with the Representative of Visit Saint-Petersburg in the People's Republic of China Sergey Mstislavsky.

In the course of the discussion the issue of the International tourist project "Great Tea Road" aimed at popularization of tourist destinations of the Russian Federation, previously unknown to mass tourists, in particular, in the case of Saint-Petersburg, through the project "Time Travel Center - KOD" presented at the event was also touched upon.

On 23^rd of November the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation held a round table on "Effective mechanisms for the withdrawal of the tourism industry from the shadow economy".

The meeting was attended by members of the Federation Council, Director of the Department of Tourism and Regional Policy of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Yarilova, representatives of the Governing Bodies of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation and the Main Directorate of Economic Security and Anti-Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the Federal Tourism Agency, representatives of the executive authorities of the Russian Federation subjects, professional associations in the field of tourism and related industries, invited experts and managers.

Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association was represented at the meeting by the Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan and the Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov.

The discussion touched upon the problems of the tourist industry withdrawal from the shadow economy sector and the ways of legalization of collective and private means of accommodation for tourists.

Representatives of the Association informed the audience about the results of the All-Russian public hearings on the so-called project of amendments to the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips from 29^th of February 2000 and addressed to the Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko with the proposals to conduct the procedures stipulated by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in accordance with the powers of the supreme legislative body of the state power.

The participants supported the position of the Association's representatives on the inadmissibility of monopolization of the domestic tourism market by foreign companies and the need to withdraw the industry from the shadow economy.

According to the results of the round table in the Federation Council will be convened a separate meeting to consider the issues of Russian-Chinese tourist exchange.

From 23^rd to 24^th of November Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the International Tourism Forum SIFT, which was held in the main media center of Sochi.

SIFT is one of the most important business platforms for domestic and inbound tourism in Russia.  The Forum is organized by the Federal Tourism Agency, Administration of Krasnodar Region, Administration of Sochi. The Forum was held with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Resorts, Tourism and Olympic Heritage of Krasnodar Territory, the Russian Union of Travel Industry, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Krasnodar Territory, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sochi.

As part of this event, representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in many events of the congress program, round tables, scientific and practical conferences, as well as in training seminars and presentations.

The XXIV International Tourism Exhibition "Resorts and Tourism. Season 2017-2018 and the XVIII International Specialized Exhibition "Hotel and Restaurant Business 2017", held in the framework of SIFT, representatives of the Association have been actively working with the participants of the exhibitions and discussed the prospects for possible further cooperation in the upcoming tourist season.

On 23^rd of November in the conference hall of the Silk Route Hotel, Saint-Petersburg, within the framework of the World Entrepreneurship Week Tourism Day Program, a round table with an organized dialogue between representatives of the tourism industry of Saint-Petersburg and Astana on the theme "Development of hotels that are not part of large chains" was held.

Within the framework of the round table the issues related to the sphere of European and Asian type of hospitality, the prospects of creating a communication space for establishing specific business relations were discussed.

In the course of the event, the representative of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Alexey Sochkov brought the participants of the round table information about the activities of the Association, the prospects for effective cooperation between members of the Association and leading representatives of the hospitality industry. He also expressed his readiness to cooperate with representatives of the hospitality industry.

The 2^nd All-Russian Congress of Tour Operators took place in Sochi on 21^st to 24 ^h of November.

The Congress was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan and on 22^nd of November he spoke at one of the Congress sessions on the topic: Main challenges and prospects of the 2018 season.

The Head of the Federal Tourism Agency Oleg Safonov and the Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurcan met on the margins of the Congress. During the meeting a wide range of issues in the field of Russian-Chinese tourism was discussed. Agreements were reached to place information on the "Program to create a comfortable and safe environment for foreign tourists" on the website of the Federal Tourism Agency, along with information about other volunteer programs.

Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association organized business meetings for the members of the Delegation of the State Council Committee on Control and Management of State Property of the People's Government of Beijing during their stay in Saint-Petersburg in November 2017.

On 21^st of November, the representatives of the Association together with the Delegation of the State Council Committee on State Property Control and Management of the People's Government of Beijing attended a series of lectures by professors of Saint-Petersburg State University on the aspects of establishing partnerships with partners from the Russian Federation.

On 22^nd of November, a business meeting was held with the heads of Lenta's retail network, which agreements were reached to establish partnership relations in the retail sector.

On 16^th of November the VI Saint-Petersburg International Cultural Forum was opened in Saint-Petersburg. This year's business program of the Forum was presented by the work of 14 sections. The events were attended by more than 33 thousand participants from 96 countries of the world. The events lasted from 16^th to 18^th of November and included: "Museums and Exhibition Projects, Preservation of Cultural Heritage, Creative Environment and Urbanism, including in the area of Tourism: Business Session Modern Methods of Promotion and Attraction of Events to the Region, Joint Meeting of Coordination Councils on Culture and Tourism under the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Tourist Forum: New cultural routes and tourist cooperation of Russian and Austrian regions", Round table on the interaction of tourist information centers with the players of the tourist market "TIC and Tourist Track: points of contact" and many others.

In accordance with the official business program of the section of the VI Saint-Petersburg International Cultural Forum dedicated to tourism, representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the Joint Meeting of the Coordination Councils for Culture and Tourism under the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, in the framework of which the Association's management held business negotiations with the Minister of Tourism and Health Resorts of the Stavropol Territory, Director of OGKU Agency for Tourism of the Ulyanovsk Region, Chairman of the Committee on Tourism of the Ulyanovsk Region.

In the course of business communication were discussed the directions of cooperation in the sphere of Russian-Chinese tourism exchange, the prospects of including the regions in international tourism projects, actively involved in the promotion of which the Association for Assistance to Russian-Chinese Tourism, such as "Great Tea Route", "The Amber Route", aimed at promoting national tourist destinations to promote Russian tourism products.

As a result of business communication, agreements were reached on signing Cooperation Agreements between the Association and tourist administrations of a number of Russian regions.

The Association management expresses its gratitude to the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation for the opportunity to participate in the event of such a high level.

On 16^th of November  in MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia the First International Youth Forum "Russia and China: a look into the future" was launched, which was organized by the Center for Chinese Studies of the University's Economic Club.

Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Nikolay Asaulenko, Vice-Rector for Personnel Policy of MGIMO Vladimir Morozov, newly appointed Plenipotentiary Minister of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation Mr. Fan Xianzhong, Director of the Department for Support of Projects in the Asia-Pacific Region of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Natalia Stapran, Scientific Director of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations Anna Makarenko, and other invited experts and handlers.

The opening and work of the Forum was attended by the Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov and the Plenipotentiary Minister, Counsellor for Education of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation Mr. Yui Jihai.

Mr. Fan Xianzhong made a speech on behalf of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Russian Federation Mr. Li Hui, and personally welcomed the representatives of the Association for Promotion of Russian-Chinese Tourism participating in the Forum.

The first day of the Forum was devoted to the discussion of Russian-Chinese infrastructure projects and Russian-Chinese cooperation in solving global problems.

On 17^th of November in MGIMO the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia the I International Youth Forum "Russia and China: a look into the future"finished its work.

In the final part of the Forum, dedicated to the issues of public diplomacy and soft power in the development of Russian-Chinese relations, Ambassador for Special Assignments of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Evgeny Tomikhin and Chairman of the Commission on International Affairs of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Vladislav Loskutov took part as invited experts.

In the section of humanitarian and cultural cooperation between Russia and China, the Executive Director of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Roman Lyzhin presented a report "New approaches to the stimulation of tourist flows between Russia and China".

In the case study of the economic and cultural cooperation between Russia and China, Deputy Director of the Association Kirill Beliakov-Donets made a report on "Prospects for the restoration of the Great Tea Road".

In his speech, Kirill Beliakov-Donets noted the importance of the Agreement on the Revival of the Great Tea Road within the framework of the program "One Belt - One Road", signed by the Association during the SCO events "Days of Moscow in Beijing" during the visit of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitriy Medvedev to China in November 2017.

Both reports were awarded special certificates on the results of the Forum.

The Chairman of the Association's Commission on International Activities Vladislav Loskutov addressed the audience with the final speech.

The International Forum, which brought together students, postgraduates, scientists, experts and managers from many regions of Russia and China, will become an annual platform for exchanging views on promising areas of cooperation between the two countries.

From 13^th to 15^th of November, at the invitation of the Ministry of Tourism of the Tver Region, representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association and its member organizations took part in a three-day info tour organized for tour operators in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, specializing in the reception of tourists from the People's Republic of China.

On 15^th of November in the hotel "Tver" with the participation of the Minister of Tourism of the Tver region Ivan Egorov there was held a round table on the results of the info-tour with representatives of the Tver region tourism business, where representatives of the Association and tour operators expressed their expert opinion on the state of tourism infrastructure of the Tver region.

Also, within the framework of the round table Deputy Director of the Association Natalia Popkova presented a report on the aspects of implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips from 29^th of February 2000.

In the course of business communication of the Deputy Director of the Association Natalia Popkova an agreement was reached on signing the Agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism of the Tver region and the Association for Assistance to Russian-Chinese Tourism.

On behalf of the members and partners the Association sincerely thanks the Ministry of Tourism of the Tver region for the opportunity to participate in the event.

On 8^th of November in the Military Patriotic Park of Culture and Recreation "Patriot" of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was held a conference to strengthen Russian-Chinese cooperation in the field of military and historical  tourism.

The conference was held by the Federal Tourism Agency with the assistance of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation with the participation of representatives of regional executive authorities claiming to be included in the concept of the extended "Red Route", representatives of tourism, hotel and museum sectors, heads of public associations, political parties and invited guests from the People's Republic of China.

The conference was attended by the Chairman of the International Activities Commission of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association, Advisor to the Chairman of the Coordination Service of the Council of Commanders of the Border Troops Vladislav Loskutov.

Lieutenant General Sergey Miroshnichenko addressed the audience with a welcoming speech from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Deputy Head of Rostourism Alexey Konyushkov made a report on the new priorities of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the field of tourism along the Red Route.

Tourist opportunities of the subjects of the Russian Federation were presented at the thematic exhibition and in presentations of tourist routes of the regions pretending to be included in the concept of the extended "Red Route".

A solemn ceremony of awarding the "Red Route" prize and awarding the participants with honorary diplomas on behalf of the Federal Tourism Agency was held.

On the Sino-Russian cooperation in the field of red tourism were the representative of the State Unitary Enterprise of the People's Republic of China, the head of the diplomatic mission in Moscow Mr. Wang Xiaoxia and Director of the Cultural Center of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation Mr. Gong Jiajia.  

Bilateral meetings of  Vladislav Loskutov with representatives of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the leadership of the Federal Tourism Agency, representatives of the State Tourism Administration of the People's Republic of China and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation, the leadership of the subjects of the Russian Federation, the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, public associations and tourist organizations took place on the fields of the forum.

After the conference the expositions of the museum complex dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War and the military and historical complex "Partisan Village" were demonstrated to the audience.

Last week the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, paid an official visit to the People's Republic of China, during which he met with the President of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Li Keqiang, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Mr. Zhang Dejiang, and held the 22^nd regular meeting of the Heads of Governments of Russia and China.

At the invitation of the People's Government of Beijing, during the official visit of Dmitry Medvedev to Beijing, the Moscow City Government held "Days of Moscow in Beijing" from 31^st of October to 3^rd of November.

The official delegation headed by Deputy Mayor of Moscow in the Moscow City Government Leonid Pechatnikov took part in the events of the Days of Moscow in Beijing with the participation of the Chairman of the Board of the Association for Promotion of Russian-Chinese Tourism Iurii Tsurkan and the Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov.

During the visit, bilateral meetings and consultations were held between Iurii Tsurkan and  Vladislav Loskutov and representatives of the Management of the State Department of Tourism of the People's Government of the People's Republic of China, the Management of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretariat, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the People's Republic of China, meetings were held with heads of tourism, insurance, financial, trade and industrial organizations and other organizations in Beijing and other regions of the People's Republic of China, agreements on cooperation were reached and agreements signed.

As part of the cultural program of the Days of Moscow in Beijing, an ice show was held with the participation of Moscow figure skaters, including Olympic champion Tatyana Navka, a concert of masters of art in Moscow, children's competitions in badminton and ushu, Photo exhibition of the Moscow Zoo, performance of the National Theatre of Folk Music and Song "Golden Ring" and the People's Artist of Russia Nadezhda Kadysheva, Gzhel ensemble, Moscow State Theatre of Folklore "Russian Song" and "Choir Turetskogo".

On 1^st of November the SCO Secretariat hosted a round table on cooperation in the field of tourism between Moscow and Beijing with the participation of Alexey Tikhinenko, Head of the Hotel Industry Directorate of the Department of Sports and Tourism of the Moscow City Government, and Mr. Liu Jianming, Deputy Director General of the Department of Supervision and Management of the GUTT of the People's Republic of China.

On 2^nd of November, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Association Vladislav Loskutov took part in the official dinner of the Minister of the Moscow City Government, the Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow Sergey Cheremin with the representatives of business circles of Beijing, where the presentation of the investment potential of Moscow was presented to the audience. On 2^nd of November ,with the participation of the Minister of the Moscow City Government, Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow Sergey Cheremin, Chairman of the Committee for Tourism Development of the People's Government of Beijing Sun Yu and Deputy Secretary General of the SCO Viacheslav Potapenko, the conference "Travel to Moscow" was held.

The Conference heard a report by Iurii Tsurkan on the topic: "Safe and comfortable conditions for foreign guests is a priority of the hospitable capital of Russia". On behalf of the Moscow Department of Internal Affairs, the report by Iurii Tsurkan highlighted the issues of cooperation between the Association and the Tourism Police of Moscow in the interests of the safety of tourists arriving in the capital from China.

At the end of the Conference, the Minister of the Moscow City Government Sergey Cheremin handed over Mr. Sun Yu "The Tree of Friendship" to the Chairman of the Tourism Development Committee of the People's Government of Beijing as a gift of the Moscow City Government to the People's Government of Beijing. "Friendship Tree" is an amber product made by a Member of the Association - Kaliningrad "Russian Amber" Holding by special order.

In the presence of Deputy Secretary General of the SCO Viacheslav Potapenko, Minister of the Moscow City Government Sergey Cheremin, Chairman of the Tourism Development Committee of the People's Government of Beijing Mr. Sun Yu and Chairman of the Association's International Activity Commission Vladislav Loskutov signed a Cooperation Agreement to develop the "One Belt - One Way" strategic partnership and cooperation program.

The agreement provides for the development of tourism along the Great Tea Road and the Great Amber Road, development of cross-border cooperation projects in tourism, cooperation in cultural, humanitarian and trade and economic spheres.

On 3^rd of November  in the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the People's Republic of China, with the participation of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the People's Republic of China Alexandr Denisov, a solemn reception on behalf of the Moscow City Government was held for members of the official delegation and invited persons. Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan gave an interview to local and Russian mass media.

According to the Association's management, all the set goals and objectives were fully achieved:

- Business meetings and negotiations with potential partners were successful, a number of Agreements on cooperation in tourism and insurance were signed.

- During the meeting with the representative of the State Department of Tourism of the People's Republic of China mutual understanding was reached on the key issues of implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips from 29^th of February 2000.

- An important step was taken to implement the Great Tea Route Revival Project within the framework of the International Program "One Belt - One Road".

The results of the Days of Moscow in Beijing were highly appreciated by the members and partners of the Association, and the hope was expressed that it would serve as a reliable basis for the rapid development of bilateral relations on a mutually beneficial basis.

On 27^th of October in the Coordination Service of the Council of Commanders of Border Troops (CC BMTC) was held a ceremony of awarding the jubilee medal "25 years to the Council of Commanders of Border Troops" to the Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladislav Loskutov.

The medal was presented by Colonel General Andrey Manilov, Chairman of the Coordinating Service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

The Council of Commanders of the Border Troops was established to coordinate and protect the external borders of the CIS member-states by the Council of Heads of the Commonwealth. The Chairman of the Committee is the First Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service of Russia - Head of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia, Army General Viacheslav Kulishov.

On 23^rd of October Vladislav Loskutov took part in the meeting on topical issues of protection of the rights of tourists and airline passengers.

The meeting was held in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation under the chairmanship of the Chairman of the Commission for the Development of Public Diplomacy, Humanitarian Cooperation and Preservation of Traditional Values Elena Sutormina and a member of the Committee of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Social Policy Igor Fomin with the participation of representatives of the Public Council of the Federal Tourism Agency, the Association "Tourist Aid", the Russian Sports Union of the Disabled, the All-Russian Association of Tourists and other invited ex-guests.

The meeting discussed the creation of a national system for the protection of tourists' rights, the creation of specialized funds, taxation and the introduction of a tourist national rating.

During the meeting Vladislav Loskutov informed the audience about the results of the meeting held on 17^th of October in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation in connection with the order of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation on the normalization of transportation of tourists and air passengers.

During the discussion of issues related to ensuring the safety of tourists, the participants were informed about the Association's program to create a comfortable and safe environment for foreign tourists.

This Program will be presented by the Moscow City Government at the invitation of the People's Government of Beijing "Days of Moscow in Beijing" from 31^st of October to 4^th of November during the visit of Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev.

On 20^th of October representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the Round Table "Summing up the results of the tourist season 2017", organized by the Committee for Tourism Development of Saint-Petersburg.

The event, dedicated to the results of the tourist season, featured speeches by the Head of the Sector for Regional and International Projects of the Committee for Tourism Development of Saint-Petersburg, Deputy Director General of Saint-Petersburg State Budget Institution "CTIB" Svetlana Iuriieva, Head of the Department for Coordination of Excursion Activities of Saint-Petersburg State Budget Institution "CTIB"Andrey Gromov, Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Association of Chinese Language Translators Victoria Bargacheva and Senior Plenipotentiary Officer for Especially Important Cases of the 9th Department of the HRC No. 2 of the Saint-Petersburg State University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and Leningrad Region Olga Polyakova.

Within the framework of the business communication event provided for by the program, the representatives of the Association discussed with the Chief Operating Officer of the 9th Department of the HFO №2 of the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Saint-Petersburg and Leningrad Region Olga Polyakova the aspects of practical implementation of the Association's Volunteer Group activities (functioning in accordance with the Association's program of creating comfortable and safe conditions for foreign tourists), which carries out activities to provide information support to foreign tourists and assists the authorities

On 17^th of October in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (CCI RF) under the direction of the Chairman of the Committee on Entrepreneurship in the sphere of tourism, resort, recreational and hotel activities of CCI RF, Vice-President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI) Iurii  Barzykin and President of RUTI Sergey Shpilko held a meeting with representatives of the Legal Committee of the Association "Tourist Aid".

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan and the Chairman of the Commission on International Activities of the Association Vladilav Loskutov.

In the course of the meeting the issues of execution of the order of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation on the normalization of air and charter transportation, issues of emergency assistance to tourists, draft amendments to the Federal Law "On the Fundamentals of Tourist Activity in the Russian Federation" were discussed.

On 13^th of October Vladislav Loskutov met with the delegation of the Department of Agriculture of Hubei Province (Wuhan, PRC)

The delegation was headed by Deputy Director of the Hubei Provincial Agriculture Department Mr. Tu Shenghua. The meeting was attended by Assistant Head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor)Alexey Alekseenko, , Mr Yue Zihua, Vice-Chairman of the Xiaogang Industry and Trade Association, Chairman of the Hubei Chamber of Commerce and other officials.

The issues of revival and development of the Great Tea Route, which historically originates in Wuhan, cultural and humanitarian cooperation and tourist Russian-Chinese exchange in this direction were discussed.

On 12^th of October representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the official opening of the jubilee exhibition INWETEX-CIS TRAVEL MARKET 2017, held in the exhibition complex LenExpo.

In the course of the program of events the Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Turcan held business meetings with the Minister of Tourism of the Kaliningrad Region Andrey Ermak, Acting Head of the Information and Tourist Center of the Leningrad Region Olga Golubeva, General Director of the City Tourist Information Bureau of Saint-Petersburg Evgeniy Pankevich, Deputy Director of the North-West Regional Branch of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry Pavel Rumyantsev.

On 23^rd of September in Saint-Petersburg, in the conference hall of the business center "Ligovka", a business meeting of the Management of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association and its partners with the delegation of the Administration of Tsyunghai, island, Hainan, China, headed by Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China in Qianghai Mr. Liu Jian, Chairman of the Qianghai Tourism Development Committee Mr. Wu Enze and Chairman of the Qianghai Foreign Affairs Office Ms. Zhao Lihong.

The event was attended by the representatives of the Communist Party of China, the Tourism Development Committee of Qinghai, the Office of Foreign Affairs of Qinghai, the Committee of the International Medical Tourism Pilot Cluster "Lecheng" of Boao, the Boao Airport Directorate, the Semprogroup Management, as well as businessmen of the city of Zhao Lihong. Tsynkhai, from the Russian side - employees of the Information and Tourism Center of the Leningrad Region, the Management of the Association of Medical Tourism and the Association of Chinese Language Guides of Saint-Petersburg, as well as representatives of tourism, health care and retail organizations.

In the course of the meeting, the potential of medical tourism in Saint-Petersburg and Tsynkhai was presented, as well as the objects of the Red Route show in Russia and China, as the most competitive forms of tourist exchange between Russia and China.

The parties exchanged gifts, reached new agreements and established partnership business relations, aimed at developing bilateral relations between the countries and cities, in particular.

On 13^th of September in the Administrative building in Moscow, in agreement with the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the second stage of the All-Russian public hearings devoted to the discussion of the so-called draft of the Russian side of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips took place.

The event gathered representatives of the leading tour operators of the Russian Federation, guides-translators of Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, other tourism organizations, as well as specialized executive authorities responsible for the tourism industry.

Candidate of Historical Sciences Konstantin Yakhontov made a historical reference on the peculiarities of formation and development of tourist exchange between the PRC and the Russian Federation and, in particular, on the aspects of creation and implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the PRC on visa-free group tourist trips from 29^th of February 2000.

After the text of the mentioned draft Agreement was announced, a discussion arose during which the participants expressed their categorical disagreement with the attempt to revise the current Intergovernmental Agreement in favor of the interests of a transnational group that monopolized the visa-free segment of the Russian-Chinese tourist market, as well as with the implementation of the so-called "representatives of tourist organizations" - "accompanying", which, according to the Vice President of the Association of guides-translators, tour guides and tour managers of Moscow.

The speakers noted that the Federal Tourism Agency, through its efforts to legalize foreign guides-translators under the guise of accompanying persons (instead of training with the support of the state a proper number of guides-translators from among the citizens of the Russian Federation) and Partnership "World without Borders", which in May 2016 began to accredit the above-mentioned persons, destabilized the situation in the tourism market of the Russian Federation.  It was also noted that in the field of Russian-Chinese visa-free exchange Rostourism often acts arbitrarily and outside its competence.

The speakers were almost unanimous that the draft Agreement under discussion does not meet the interests of both the Russian Federation and domestic organizations operating in the field of tourism. Opinions were expressed on the damage that the Russian tourism industry may cause to the draft Agreement, if it is adopted in its current form. The participants of the conference agreed that the current Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips of 29^th of February 2000, meets the modern requirements of the market and requires only small additions, not a radical revision, which is provided for by the draft Agreement under discussion.

Also the newly received information was brought to the attention of those present, according to which the beneficiaries, from among the transnational group, for a long time carried out activities with signs of illegal concealment of the purpose, goals and objectives of information systems used to ensure the process of visa-free exchange.

The representative of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation - Head of the Tourism Department of the Department of Tourism and Regional Policy Vasiliy Chesnokov informed the participants about the development of the draft federal law "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in terms of improving the legal regulation of the activities of tour guides, guides-translators and so on".

The participants of the conference-public hearings expressed the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation in the activities to protect the interests of the domestic tourism business and guides-translators, as well as voted for the adoption of appeals to the State authorities of the Russian Federation on the inadmissibility of signing the draft Agreement promoted by the Partnership "World without Borders", and a proposal to consider alternative proposals, which will be attached to the materials of the public hearings.

On 16^th of August a conference "Amendments and additions to the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips" was held in the hotel "Vvedensky".

The conference "Amendments and additions to the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on Visa-Free Group Travel" was held by the Association of Assistance to Russian-Chinese Tourism in cooperation with the Association of Chinese Language Translators of Saint-Petersburg, in coordination with the Department of Tourism and Regional Policy of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

The participants of the public hearings discussed the so-called Project of the Russian Party "Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips", designed to replace the current Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips from 29^th of February 2000.

At the end of the event, the overwhelming number of votes of those present made a decision to send proposals regarding the Project to the Commissioner under the President of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights Boris Titov to take urgent measures on the substance of the issues raised due to their extreme importance.

The participants of the conference-public hearings were unanimous in their opinion that such deep liberalization of the current Intergovernmental Agreement, which is proposed in the Project, is obviously premature and does not fully reflect the interests of one of the Parties to the Intergovernmental Agreement.

The opinion of those present at the event was supported by tour operators and representatives of the tourism business, who, for various reasons, could not participate in the conference-public hearings.

As the honorary guests-members of the Presidium the event was attended by the Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights in Saint-Petersburg Alexandr Abrosimov, Head of the Department for the Development of Priority Areas in the field of tourism Ekaterina Bocharova, expert lawyer of the Public Council for the Development of Small Business under the Governor of Saint-Petersburg Yulia Charnotskaya and Specialist of the Department of Tourist Infrastructure of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee Saint-Petersburg Orhan Rzayev.

From 28^th to 30^th of July, the International Economic Forum of the Amber Industry took place at the Yantar Hall Variety Theatre (Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad Region). The Forum was dedicated to the creation of an international platform on the basis of the Kaliningrad Region for interaction and exchange of experience of business, professional and expert communities of the Russian economy, European countries, near and far abroad.

In accordance with the business program of the forum, the event dedicated to the tourism industry of the Kaliningrad region "Amber Way. Tourist attractiveness", during which the Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan made a report on "Tiger Spirit", what will happen to him on the way to the Celestial Empire?", which highlighted such problems as consumer expectations of tourists from China, aspects of their service in Russia, as well as the main characteristics of the shadow business, covering the sphere of amber products to Chinese customers.

The forum also included an exhibition of amber products for small and medium-sized businesses.

On 25^th of July, representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in a brunch-breakfast at the Corinthia Hotel Saint-Petersburg dedicated to the presentation of the opening of the weekly charter flight on the route "Saint-Petersburg - Hainan", conducted by the tour operator LLC "Matreshka-Tour" and "Sanya Wealth Travel".

Special attention was drawn to the presentation of the main tourist destinations and infrastructure facilities, the use of which is provided by the Russian tour operator LLC "Matreshka-Tour".

On 19^th of July the Legislative Assembly of Saint-Petersburg hosted a working meeting of the Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan, the Representative of the Association of Chinese Language Guides of Saint-Petersburg Konstantin Yakhontov, as well as the Chairman of the Commission of the Municipal Council for Social Affairs, Culture, Relations with Public Organizations and Cooperation with the State Authorities, the Deputy of the Primorsky District of Dmitriy Shvedov with the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of Saint-Petersburg Tourism Industry Commission Andrey Gorshechnikov.

During the discussion the issues of necessity of fixing at the legislative level in accordance with the protocol of the Marrakesh Agreement the legal norm that only a citizen of the Russian Federation with special education and appropriate permission (license) can work as a guide-interpreter in Saint-Petersburg.

A preliminary agreement was reached to hold a round table in the first ten-day period of September this year with the participation of all interested parties in order to discuss initiatives for the formation of legislative initiatives to protect the economic interests of Saint-Petersburg and the participants of the tourism business.

From 16^th to 18^th of June, the delegation of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association, headed by Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan  took part in the international tourism exhibition BITE-2017, held in Beijing, China.

On 16^th of June, within the framework of the program of events, a seminar on promotion of inbound tourism at BITE 2017 was held, where  Iurii Tsurkan made a report on "Prospects of cooperation between the Chinese and Russian tourism industry", in which he highlighted the need to develop the tourist infrastructure of the cities receiving tourists from China, noted a set of measures aimed at increasing information awareness of tourists coming into unfamiliar surroundings, as well as paid attention to the problems of correcting business models implemented in the context of the Agreement The seminar was attended by more than 150 people, among whom were representatives of the tourism industry, administrative authorities regulating the issues of tourism in China and other countries of the Asian region. The seminar also featured presentations of the Association's member companies and partners.

In accordance with the official program of events, on the second day, on 17^th of June , there was held a press conference of the Department of Sports and Tourism of Moscow, which was attended by the Head of the Department of Hotel Management of the Department of Sports and Tourism of Moscow A. Tikhnenko, Head of Sales Development Sector in the Asian market of "Russian Railways Tour" Anna Evstigneyeva, where Iurii Tsurkan also spoke with the topic "Safe and comfortable conditions for foreign guests - the priority of the hospitable capital of Russia", dedicated to the consideration of the problems of the region.

During the exhibition, member tour operators and partners of the Association, through presentations and handouts, presented their services and products at the main tourist exhibition in China, thus presenting the tourism potential of Russia.

According to the results of the international tourism exhibition BITE-2017, the unique stand of Moscow was awarded 4 prizes: "The most outstanding stand", "The most popular stand", "The most creative stand" and "The best stand organization".

On 23^rd of June an international business meeting with a delegation from the administration and tour operators of Jiangsu Province was organized in the Sokos Vasilievsky Hotel by the tour operator Triumph LLC together with Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association.

The purpose of this reception was to further develop relations between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China in the field of tourism, thanks to personal communication with the authorities of the Chinese tourism industry.

On the part of the People's Republic of China, representatives of the Jiangsu Province Administration and the cities of Suzhou, Huai'An, Taizhou and Lian Yungang were present. Representatives of the City Tourist Information Bureau of Saint-Petersburg and the Leningrad Region delivered welcoming speeches from Russia. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Russian tourism industry.

During the tea party, which followed the official part of the event, business negotiations were held to establish contacts between representatives of the Russian and Chinese sides.

On 27^th of April in the Press Center of Saint-Petersburg, the host city of the FIFA World Cup 2018, representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in a press conference dedicated to the preparation of the host city of Saint-Petersburg for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017.

At the press conference, information was presented on the preparation of transport infrastructure to ensure the movement of viewers, the result of the recruitment of citizens in the volunteer program.

During the press conference the Ambassador of the host city of Saint-Petersburg Gennady Orlov presented the volunteers with a travel card "Podorozhnik" with the official symbols of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017.

On 26^th of January representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the annual MICE workshop dedicated to the development of business tourism at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Representatives of the Association met with the organizers of business, event and corporate trips, hotels, airlines, business and conference centers, transport and cruise companies to discuss the prospects of cooperation.

On 8^th of December Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association held a conference on "The Chinese Vector in Tourism: Problems and Prospects" in the tourist and hotel complex "ALPHA".

The formal occasion was an article in the newspaper Izvestia "The ban on foreign guides will hit the tourism business," in which the executive director of “World without Borders” voiced the intentions of this organization to make changes to the draft of the Federal Law" On the Fundamentals of Tourist Activity in the Russian Federation in terms of providing foreigners with the opportunity to carry out labor activities as a guide interpreter in Russia.

The event was attended by tour operators of Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, involved in the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips, as well as representatives of the Association of guides, tour guides and tour managers of Moscow and Saint-Petersburg Association of Chinese Language Translators, as well as representatives of the media. Representatives of the Moscow Tourism Police and the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of Moscow were invited as honorary guests. The event was attended by more than 40 representatives of organizations operating in the field of tourism.

Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan made a presentation of the Program of creation of comfortable and safe conditions for foreign tourists in order to familiarize those present with the full range of activities implemented by the Association in the interests of the tourist community. The Executive Director of the Association Roman Lyzhin conducted an information report on the main results achieved by the Association during the past period.

Candidate of Historical Sciences in Ethnography Konstantin Yakhontov, within the framework of his report on "Inbound tourism from China: why did everything not go quite the way we expected" explained that the annual increase in tourist flow from China attracts new participants, which increases the demand for professional guides and interpreters. He also concluded that the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips of 29^th of February 2000, which was clearly created in the second half of the 90s, is a "product of the shadow economy of that period", thus he explained the shortcomings of the Intergovernmental Agreement as a legal act. The Intergovernmental Agreement, which is a product of the use of public resources, is at the crossroads of public and private interests, which allows some beneficiaries with close ties in the authorities to carry out activities that meet their purely personal interests, thus they are able to prevent undesirable companies from carrying out activities in the framework of visa-free Russian-Chinese tourist exchange.

Summing up his speech, Konstantin Yakhontov added that as a result of the described historical realities of the formation of the modern Chinese tourism market, a shadow market of sales and resale of confirmations about the reception of tourist groups of Chinese citizens has been formed in Russia, which allows Russian and Chinese unscrupulous entrepreneurs to resist attempts to resolve the current situation in the part of the formed illegal monopolization of the tourist services market. In this situation, the main beneficiaries have the opportunity to promote "accompanying tourist groups" (illegal guides and interpreters), which do not operate in the interests of the Russian economy.

The program of the conference included a discussion of the main problematic issues raised at the event. Since the Chairman of the Board of Partnership "World without Borders" and his deputy did not respond to the invitation, instead of discussion it was proposed to hold a discussion.

During the discussion of program issues, tour operators and tour guides-translators expressed their dissatisfaction with the current situation on the market of tourist services in recent years, which manifested itself in the creation of an artificial monopoly and promotion of the ideas of the introduction of "accompanying tourist groups" and other campaigns created and implemented by some unscrupulous employees of Partnership "World without Borders" and Federal Tourism Agency in the interests of the Chinese side. In such conditions, some tour operators and tour guides have become unable to conduct their activities in full, as provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Following the results of the Conference, the Vice-President of the Association of guides-translators and tour managers of Moscow Marina Kressova proposed to form a collective appeal to the executive bodies of municipal and state authorities, as well as to the deputies of the State Duma on the inadmissibility of including in the draft Federal Law "On the Fundamentals of Tourist Activity in the Russian Federation" an amendment that guides-translators under the new law may be foreign citizens, which will undoubtedly entail negative consequences for the entire tourism industry in Russia.

Alexey Pikover, a senior research fellow at the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences, suggested that information on violations by Partnership "World without Borders" and its associated enterprises in the field of information security of the Russian Federation should be sent to the investigating authorities.

The Executive Director of the Association  Roman Lyzhin made an initiative to send a proposal to bring the market of visa-free Russian-Chinese tourism within the legal framework.

On 21^st of October representatives of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association attended the presentation of tourist and recreational potential of the Republic of Dagestan in the State Budgetary Institution “City Tourist Information Bureau”.

Within the framework of the event, representatives of the Association met with the Minister of Tourism and Folk Arts of the Republic of Dagestan Magomed Isaev, as well as with representatives of the tourism business to discuss the tourism potential in the context of the development of Russian-Chinese tourism.

On 20^th of October Pulkovo Airport hosted China Day, an event dedicated to introducing Chinese culture and traditions to passengers and guests of Saint-Petersburg. Representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association were invited as honorary guests.

Commercial Director of the Northern Capital Gateway LLC Ilyin Evgeny, Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee Andrey Mushkarev and First Deputy Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Saint-Petersburg Mr. Zhang Shuyun made a solemn speech.

During the event, representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association met with employees of China Southern, China Eastern, Hainan Airlines to promote the activities undertaken within the framework of the program to create a comfortable and safe environment for foreign tourists.

On 13^th of October representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association visited the oldest tourism exhibition in Saint-Petersburg - INWETEX-CIS TRAVEL MARKET, which was held in Pavilion 7 of the exhibition complex LenExpo.

The main event of the event was the VII Saint-Petersburg Hotel Forum, in which speeches were made by: Deputy Head of the Federal Tourism Agency of Russia Sergey Korneev, Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee Andrey Mushkarev, Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Investment Committee Irina Babyuk and Deputy Head of the Department of National Policy, Interregional Relations and Tourism of Moscow Konstantin Goryainov. The participants discussed the main issues of development of the hospitality sphere, improvement of the legislative basis of tourist services provision and prospects of the tourist sphere as a whole.

Employees of the Association held talks with representatives of tourism companies, focusing on the need to create a favorable and safe environment for tourists arriving in Russia, to improve the image of Russia in the world.

On 12^th of October representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association attended a presentation of the tourism potential of the Kaliningrad region in the conference hall "Neva" of the hotel complex "Moika Kempinski”.

Within the framework of the event, representatives of the Association met with the Minister of Tourism of the Kaliningrad region Andrey Ermak, as well as with tour operators directly providing tourism services in the Kaliningrad region, to discuss the tourism potential in the context of the development of Russian-Chinese tourism.

On 12^th of October representatives of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the meeting with the official delegation of entrepreneurs and organizations representing Anhui Province, China, in the Russian-Chinese Business Park.

The Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Saint-Petersburg Ms. Guo Min, who took part in the event, expressed her deepest gratitude and personally thanked the Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurkan for the work done in the field of Russian-Chinese tourism and expressed support for the Association's initiatives, which, in her opinion, will contribute to the further development of tourism and Russian-Chinese relations, in particular.

On 5^th of October a meeting regarding the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips was held in the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, in the presence of the Director of the Department of Tourism and Regional Policy of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Yarilova.

Among those present were representatives of the Department of National Policy, Interregional Relations and Tourism of Moscow, Deputy Head of the Federal Tourism Agency Sergey Korneev and Chairman of the Board of the Association Iurii Tsurcan, as well as representatives of the Association of guides and interpreters of Moscow.

The participants discussed the issues of further development of intergovernmental relations between Russia and China in the field of tourism and formulated their proposals for improving the mechanisms of implementation of the Intergovernmental Agreement and methods of monitoring their implementation.

On 27^th of September Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan met with representatives of the Department of National Policy, Interregional Relations and Tourism of Moscow: Deputy Head Konstantin Goryainov and Head of the Department of Tourism Alexandr Bandurin.

Within the framework of the meeting the interim results of the Association's activity in Moscow were considered in terms of implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips and ways of its further development.

On 27^th of September Chairman of the Board of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan met with the Head of the Federal Tourism Agency Oleg Safonov.

During the meeting the issues of further development of activities under the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on visa-free group tourist trips were discussed.

The Head of the Federal Tourism Agency conveyed congratulations to the participants of the Association on the professional holiday - International Day of Tourism and expressed hope for productive cooperation.

On 24^th of August the Vvedensky Hotel hosted the Annual Industry Conference "Tourist Industry of North-West Russia" with the support of the Plenipotentiary Office of the President of the Russian Federation in the North-West Federal District. The series of industry conferences "Vector of Development" was organized by the Public Chamber of the Leningrad Region and the All-Russian Public Organization of Small and Medium Enterprises "OPORA RUSSIA".

The Conference was attended by representatives of legislative and executive authorities of the regions of North-West Russia, commercial and non-commercial organizations of tourism and hospitality, transport companies, information technology, consulting and auditing organizations. Among the speakers and participants of the conference were members and partners of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association.

The conference was moderated by Gerasimov Roman, a journalist and presenter of Channel 5.

In the framework of the Plenary session "Inbound and domestic tourism in the North-West: status and prospects" the issues of strategic development of the tourism industry, priority types of tourism, sources of tourist traffic, as well as the readiness of infrastructure: transport, medicine, communications, payment systems, insurance and further were discussed. Particular interest among those present was aroused by the problems of registered transportation in tourism, those present discussed the shortcomings of the current legislation and possible solutions. During the discussion of the issue "State support and interaction: goals, forms and institutions, addressees, expected results" by the tour operators who were present at the Conference, they expressed their dissatisfaction with the actions of the Federal Tourism Agency (Federal Tourism Agency), which allowed violations of their legal rights to carry out their labor activities. The warning issued on 03.08.2016 by the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Federal Tourism Agency was widely discussed, as the orders issued by the authority No. 138-Pr-15 dated 31.03.2015 and No. 88-Pr-16 dated 16.03.2016, which set requirements for tourist organizations not provided for by the Intergovernmental Agreement, thus creating conditions for restricting competition between tourist organizations.

At the panel discussion "Economy of tourism" the topics of innovative development of the tourism industry were raised, the main problems and ways to overcome them were discussed. Special attention was paid to the issue of "Interaction of large, medium and small businesses of the industry". Members of the Partnership "World without Borders" expressed numerous claims to the activities of this organization on the issues within the competence of the above mentioned non-commercial partnership. A significant part of the audience was not satisfied with the answers of the Executive Director of Partnership "World without Borders".

At the expert session "On trends in the industry, breakthrough business models, best practices of growth", the report "Promotion of territories and the formation of global tourism products: Russian and international experience" aroused special interest among those present.

This discussion platform within the framework of the Annual Industry Conference "Tourism Industry of North-West Russia" proved itself as an arena where the most promising and progressive projects in the field of tourism are "tested".

On 22^nd of August in the Radisson Royal Hotel in the conference hall "Stasov/Ushakov", on the initiative of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee a presentation of Saint-Petersburg for tour operators and journalists from Brazil and the People's Republic of China was held.

The presentation was attended by representatives of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee, the City Tourist Information Bureau, network and non-network hotels, operators providing reception services for tourists from Asia and Latin America, museum and theater complexes and other tourism professionals.

The presentation of the Program of creation of comfortable and safe conditions for foreign tourists visiting Russia was made by the Executive Director of the Association Roman Lyzhin. The presentation of the Association's Program aroused keen interest among those present.

On 22^nd of June members of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association took part in the opening ceremony of regular flights of China Eastern Airlines at the Saint-Petersburg - Shanghai exchange rate, which took place in the restaurant "Europe" of Belmond Grand Hotel Europe.

The event was attended by a delegation from Shanghai and Russian representatives of China Eastern Airlines, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Saint-Petersburg, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Tourism Development of Saint-Petersburg, Representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saint-Petersburg, management of Pulkovo Airport, representatives of the tourist community of Saint-Petersburg, as well as the media.

Deputy Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Tourism Development Committee Rimma Sachunova delivered a welcoming speech, followed by a delegation from Shanghai and Pulkovo Airport management.

At the ceremony, the new air supply channel to Saint-Petersburg - Shanghai was presented and a video presentation was made to showcase the tourism potential of Shanghai.

On 9^th of June the Public Council for the Development of Small Business under the Governor of Saint-Petersburg  held a meeting with the agenda "Development of provisions to expand the list of market participants engaged in the provision of services to tourist groups from China. Ensuring compliance with fair competition principles".

Following the results of the Meeting it was decided to send a complaint from the Public Council to the Federal Antimonopoly Service and Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Alla Manilova, who coordinates the work of the Federal Tourism Agency, as well as to send a collective complaint from tour operators of Saint-Petersburg and Moscow, which will be sent to the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation.

On 19^th of May an extraordinary meeting of tour operators of Saint-Petersburg on urgent issues was held in the premises of the State Budget Institution "CTIB" of Saint-Petersburg in terms of introduction of the specialty "Accompanying tourist groups" not established by the Labor Legislation of the Russian Federation and other problematic issues in the tourism industry of Saint-Petersburg.

The organizers of the meeting were: Association for Assistance to Russian-Chinese Tourism and Saint-Petersburg Association of Chinese Language Translators.

The following issues were on the Agenda of the Extraordinary Meeting:

 1. information of the President of the Saint-Petersburg Association of Chinese Language Translators Victoria Bargacheva on the self-governance of the NP OMIT "World without Borders" and illegal actions that caused a massive loss of jobs among Chinese language guides and interpreters.

 2. Report of the Chairman of the Council of Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association Iurii Tsurkan "On the situation in the Russian-Chinese segment of the tourism business and ways out of the crisis" /

 3. Speech by the Chairman of the Board of NWRO RST Leonid Flyt on topical issues of the state of the tourism industry in Saint-Petersburg and the North-Western Federal District.

The event was attended by 28 heads of travel industry enterprises of our city, transport enterprises and other organizations related to the implementation of the reception of foreign tourists in Saint-Petersburg, as well as representatives of the Saint-Petersburg Association of Chinese Language Translators. The majority of those present took part in the discussion.

Following the results of the Extraordinary Meeting an open letter was signed to the Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko.

On 11^th of March at CTIO the Presentation of the Russian-Chinese tourism promoting Association was held.

The presentation was attended by representatives of the CTIO, Ministry of the Inner Affairs and the Federal Migration Service in Saint-Petersburg, "Northern Capital Gateway" as well as more than 70 representatives of the tourist industry, hotels, airlines, transport companies and other organizations relevant to the implementation of the reception of foreign tourists in Saint-Petersburg and other regions.

The presentation included: proper presentation of the Association, press release announcement of the Association within the framework of the Chinese Spring Festival and photo report, presentation of the program of creating a comfortable and safe environment for tourists from China as well as the Q&A.

There were many questions, among the participants of the presentation there was interest in the activities of the Association, causing debate on certain issues. After the event, some companies have expressed their desire to join the Association.