The 2024 Russian International Industrialist Forum opened on Tuesday at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre in St. Petersburg, Russia.
This year's forum has drawn participation from 470 companies across more than 30 countries and regions, including the host country, China, India, Türkiye, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Focusing on the theme of "High Automation", the forum showcases the latest industrial equipment, technologies, and accessories. Highlights include drones, unmanned boats, and automated industrial machinery that integrates advanced artificial intelligence technology, all of which have sparked significant interest and discussion among industry professionals.
The forum will continue through Thursday, and will also host an International Skilled Workers Championship during its run.
Russian Industrialist International Forum opens in St. Petersburg
Russian Industrialist International Forum opens in St. Petersburg
Domestic travel in China hit record highs both in 2025 and during the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli said on Saturday.
The minister made the statement in briefing news media on China's travel boom in the past year and this year's Spring Festival holiday running from Feb 15 to 23, at a press conference on people's livelihood on the sidelines of the fourth annual session of the 14th National People's Congress.
"This year's Spring Festival holiday saw a surge in China's culture and tourism market. During the nine-day holiday, the country recorded 596 million domestic tourist trips, with tourism spending surpassing 800 billion yuan (about 115.93 billion U.S. dollars), both setting new records," Sun said.
The travel surge during the Spring Festival holiday season was merely a snapshot, the minister said, adding that the past year witnessed thriving momentum across the culture and tourism sectors.
"Data show that the business revenue of enterprises above the designated size (those each with an annual revenue of 20 million yuan or more) in culture and related industries hit 15 trillion yuan in 2025, up 7.4 percent year on year, while their total profits reached 1.4 trillion yuan, up 6.5 percent year on year. In terms of tourism, domestic tourist trips by Chinese residents exceeded 6.5 billion, up more than 16 percent year on year, with tourism expenditure reaching 6.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.5 percent -- setting new records in both the volume and spending," Sun said.
The annual session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, opened on Thursday and is scheduled to run till March 12.
China's domestic travel hits record highs in 2025: official
