(Yicai) Dec. 2 -- Russia issued a new visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens, sparking an immediate jump in searches for the European country on Chinese online travel sites.

Russia-related search volume more than tripled half an hour after the new policy was released, with the biggest surges in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Harbin, according to data from LY.Com. 

Chinese passport holders can stay in Russia for up to 30 days for tourism and business purposes without a visa starting from yesterday to Sept. 14 next year, according to multiple reports from Chinese and Russian media.

The number of hotel bookings in Russia soared over 40 percent from the same period a year earlier, with Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Murmansk, and Vladivostok the most popular destinations, data from Fliggy showed.

Russia travel inquiries had soared during the warm-up stage of the policy, Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of Spring Tour, said to Yicai. Many of the travel agency's relevant winter products from January to February and the Chinese New Year, known as the Spring Festival in China, have sold out, Zhou pointed out.

The launch of visa-free travel falls in the peak season for outbound ice and snow tourism, so travel popularity to Russia will likely reach a new high in recent years during the New Year's Day and Spring Festival holidays, according to a research institute under LY.Com.

Traveling along the aurora route in Russia costs as little as half of that in Northern Europe, and combined with experiences such as snowmobiles and reindeer sleds, it has become a new favorite among young tourists. Spring Tour plans to launch special train services to Russia and explore emerging destinations in the far east after the new policy was unveiled.

Uzai.Com will focus on developing aurora and ice and snow featured routes, and promote study tours and business incentive travel by taking advantage of the visa-free policy, noted Li Mengran, manager of the outbound travel site's marketing and public relations department.

Although the visa-free policy has brought great convenience, Western credit cards and UnionPay cards are inconvenient to use in Russia due to ongoing sanctions, while the coverage rate of payment app Alipay is extremely low, so tourists should carry sufficient cash at all times, said Lu Xiangdong, chairman of the Shanghai New Era Cultural Exchange Center.

In addition, according to Russia's new regulations issued on Oct. 6, after a roaming user joins the nation's network for the first time, the system will automatically impose a 24-hour limit on data traffic and text messages, but travelers will not be affected if they apply for a local mobile card.

About 317,800 Chinese travelers visited Russia in the first half of this year, making China its biggest source of tourists. Russia aims to attract 5.7 million Chinese visitors by 2030, which will account for around 35 percent of its total, an official pointed out.

Editor: Martin Kadiev