When Russian tourism agency South Cross declared bankruptcy it left 740 Russian tourists stranded in Sanya and Wanning — two popular tourism destinations in China’s tropical island province, Hainan.
In response Hainan authorities have offered to help ensure the abandoned tourists get back to Russia; with translators, transportation, and some meals and hotel rooms being provided for free after the Russian agency left the services unpaid.
Provincial authorities have negotiated with Russian airlines to help provide chartered passage back home for the stranded tourists, with 600 having left on Sunday and the remainder leaving soon, said Chen Tiejun, deputy director with the Hainan provincial tourism development commission.
With local government looking to make the island a world-class tourism destination, Hainan has seen a boon of Russian travellers. With 124,900 trips to the province in 2013, Russia was the top source of foreign tourists to the island.
Source: Xinhua
