Fifa World Cup 2018: Chinese fans fly the red flag high – thanks to close relations with Russia
Chinese passport holders granted 14-day visa-free travel by World Cup hosts, who claim 100,000 mainland fans are expected to visit during tournament
Every morning, without fail, the lobby of Moscow’s Hotel Cosmos buzzes with Chinese chatter.
Completed just before the 1980 Olympic Games, Russia’s largest hotel exudes the aura of the bygone Soviet era that is far removed from the more opulent aspects of modern Russian life.
It is here – and at many of the Russian capital’s down-at-heel hotels – that most the Chinese tourists visiting Moscow are accommodated as part of their all-inclusive package tours.
Tour operators hoist their banners in the air as the carousel of checking in and out begins to turn.
Some mill around wearing the Fan ID cards issued to those who have travelled from abroad to Russia for the World Cup; many others do not. The tourist route from China to Russia is well-worn with or without a global sporting event.
