On 13 December, as part of the business program of the St. Petersburg International Tourism Forum “Travel Hub. Come. Winter”, the “St. Petersburg” session of the SCO Tourism Forum will take place. This session opens a series of events that will be held throughout 2025–2026, during the Chairmanship of the Kyrgyz Republic in the SCO, for tourism industry professionals, destination management organizations, and state tourism authorities.
The session is being prepared by the St. Petersburg Convention and Exhibition Bureau and the Association for International Cooperation in Tourism “World Without Borders”.
The International Forum of SCO Member and Partner States “Tourism Unites the Silk Road Countries. Dialogue of Professionals” is beginning its third season. It was initiated in 2023 by the Russian side to accelerate the reintegration of the tourism industry after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and has confirmed its importance for the markets of the participating countries. The Forum has been included, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, in the unified calendar agreed upon by the SCO member states.
The Forum’s sessions were held in December 2023 and December 2024 and, together with working events associated with the Forum, significantly contributed to strengthening the unified tourism space of the “Silk Road”.
In 2025, the SCO geography expanded to 27 countries with the accession of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic as a partner state. In the previous year, 2024, Belarus became a member state of the SCO.
In accordance with its cooperation strategy, the SCO is actively strengthening the SCO–ASEAN format, and as a result the overall geography of friendly countries for joint work now includes 37 states, further supported by the independent Russia–ASEAN partnership format.
This political, economic, and humanitarian cooperation framework is currently unique for the Russian tourism industry: it is the largest in terms of number of countries and the most attractive in terms of inbound and outbound tourism markets represented within it.
At the current “St. Petersburg” Session, during the allotted ninety minutes, participants will hear and discuss a wide range of issues, with many more to be announced for further discussion and joint work at upcoming events.
The key result of joint work with colleagues and permanent co-organizers of the Forum — the China Association of Tourism (CATS) — during China’s Chairmanship of the SCO in 2024–2025, is the prepared Framework Cooperation Agreement. Colleagues from tourism associations, businesses, and authorized state organizations are now invited to join it for the purposes of joint project activities.
CATS, for its part, plans to continue holding international conferences and meetings in 2026, building on the experience of the first such conference held in October 2025, where the completion of the Framework Agreement’s text was officially announced.
An important topic of the Session will be the dialogue between Russian and Chinese industry leaders — the company Fun&Sun and the CITS holding (China International Travel Service, part of the CTS Group, participating online). The discussion will focus on how major businesses, together with regional authorities and local service providers, could expand the geography of mutual travel, extend high seasons, and increase tourist flows and economic results.
The Session will also continue the topic of effective networking and participation in international events, particularly how to choose the right events given the wide variety of opportunities available.
The Session program includes a welcoming address from the newest member of the SCO family — the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, as well as a special and important ceremony: the presentation to St. Petersburg of the official insignia confirming the city’s accession to the Alliance of Silk Road Cities, a project implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China.
The Session program is understandably focused on cooperation with China. This is due to the fact that China held the previous Chairmanship of the SCO, and that China is the most important inbound tourism market for St. Petersburg, and also because visa-free travel rules for Chinese citizens came into effect on 1 December.
The limited time of the Session does not allow participation from colleagues from more than four countries, but upcoming events are expected to complement and continue our joint work.
The next session is planned at the mountain resort Rosa Khutor (Russia) in spring 2026. Events organized by the Kyrgyz Republic, the current SCO Chair, will also follow.
Follow our updates!
The session is being prepared by the St. Petersburg Convention and Exhibition Bureau and the Association for International Cooperation in Tourism “World Without Borders”.
The International Forum of SCO Member and Partner States “Tourism Unites the Silk Road Countries. Dialogue of Professionals” is beginning its third season. It was initiated in 2023 by the Russian side to accelerate the reintegration of the tourism industry after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and has confirmed its importance for the markets of the participating countries. The Forum has been included, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, in the unified calendar agreed upon by the SCO member states.
The Forum’s sessions were held in December 2023 and December 2024 and, together with working events associated with the Forum, significantly contributed to strengthening the unified tourism space of the “Silk Road”.
In 2025, the SCO geography expanded to 27 countries with the accession of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic as a partner state. In the previous year, 2024, Belarus became a member state of the SCO.
In accordance with its cooperation strategy, the SCO is actively strengthening the SCO–ASEAN format, and as a result the overall geography of friendly countries for joint work now includes 37 states, further supported by the independent Russia–ASEAN partnership format.
This political, economic, and humanitarian cooperation framework is currently unique for the Russian tourism industry: it is the largest in terms of number of countries and the most attractive in terms of inbound and outbound tourism markets represented within it.
At the current “St. Petersburg” Session, during the allotted ninety minutes, participants will hear and discuss a wide range of issues, with many more to be announced for further discussion and joint work at upcoming events.
The key result of joint work with colleagues and permanent co-organizers of the Forum — the China Association of Tourism (CATS) — during China’s Chairmanship of the SCO in 2024–2025, is the prepared Framework Cooperation Agreement. Colleagues from tourism associations, businesses, and authorized state organizations are now invited to join it for the purposes of joint project activities.
CATS, for its part, plans to continue holding international conferences and meetings in 2026, building on the experience of the first such conference held in October 2025, where the completion of the Framework Agreement’s text was officially announced.
An important topic of the Session will be the dialogue between Russian and Chinese industry leaders — the company Fun&Sun and the CITS holding (China International Travel Service, part of the CTS Group, participating online). The discussion will focus on how major businesses, together with regional authorities and local service providers, could expand the geography of mutual travel, extend high seasons, and increase tourist flows and economic results.
The Session will also continue the topic of effective networking and participation in international events, particularly how to choose the right events given the wide variety of opportunities available.
The Session program includes a welcoming address from the newest member of the SCO family — the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, as well as a special and important ceremony: the presentation to St. Petersburg of the official insignia confirming the city’s accession to the Alliance of Silk Road Cities, a project implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China.
The Session program is understandably focused on cooperation with China. This is due to the fact that China held the previous Chairmanship of the SCO, and that China is the most important inbound tourism market for St. Petersburg, and also because visa-free travel rules for Chinese citizens came into effect on 1 December.
The limited time of the Session does not allow participation from colleagues from more than four countries, but upcoming events are expected to complement and continue our joint work.
The next session is planned at the mountain resort Rosa Khutor (Russia) in spring 2026. Events organized by the Kyrgyz Republic, the current SCO Chair, will also follow.
Follow our updates!