(Yicai) Sept. 3 -- China has added Russia to its visa-free policy on a trial basis, sparking an immediate surge in searches for flights from Moscow on Chinese online travel sites.

Moscow to China flight searches almost doubled within half an hour after the visa waiver was announced, soaring by as much as four times at one point, according to travel agency Qunar. Russia was among China's top three sources of international tourists this summer, with such visitor numbers expected to soar once the new policy kicks in.

Russian passport holders can stay in China for up to 30 days without a visa starting from Sept. 15 this year to Sept. 14 next year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday.

"China's main sources of inbound tourism are Japan and South Korea, but the number of Russian visitors is rapidly growing, and they are particularly fond of traveling to Sanya on the southern tropical island of Hainan," Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of travel agency Spring Tour, told Yicai.

"With this trial visa-free policy, more Russian tourists will visit China during the upcoming holiday seasons," Zhou noted. "Besides Sanya, lower-tier cities and unique tourist destinations are also expected to grow in popularity."

Over the summer holiday, the top 10 destinations in China for Russian tourists were Beijing, Shanghai, Sanya, Guangzhou, Harbin, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Chengdu, and Hangzhou, according to Trip.Com data.

Chinese mainland residents made 1.04 million trips to Russia last year, up 209 percent from the previous year, while the number of Russian tourists traveling to China surged 115 percent to 1.5 million, according to the foreign ministry.

Editor: Martin Kadiev