Tourism to SCO nations sees rapid expansion

An increasing number of Chinese tourists are visiting countries that are fellow members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization - with Russia the leading destination - yet the huge potential in tourism cooperation has yet to be fully tapped, industry observers said.

Yang Jingsong, a researcher at the China Tourism Academy, said he expects a promising future for tourism between China and other SCO members and that Russia will likely to continue to be a bright spot.

The eight full members of the SCO are China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.