'Red tourism' drawing Chinese to Russia

Saint Petersburg

DRAWN by Russia's communist past and a visa-free regime, Chinese tourists are flocking to their northern neighbour in droves as it develops new routes touting "red tourism".

Nearly 410,000 Chinese came to Russia last year, putting them on top of the list of foreign tourists, according to the federal tourism agency.

Their number has swelled 10 per cent since 2013, when Germans topped the list of overseas visitors.

"We had lots of work this summer," said Viktoria Borgacheva, head of the association of Chinese interpreters and guides in the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia's main tourist destination. "I would say our wo…