Jane Chen / Shanghai Daily news

Shanghai travelers will likely kick-off their first tour to Russia on September 1, today's Oriental Morning Post reported.
Shanghai Spring International Travel Service, taking the lead among the 35 Shanghai travel firms qualified to organize trips to Russia, announced the new service yesterday, shortly after notification that Russia will be open to Chinese individual travelers from August 25. 
The price was not disclosed, however.
Spring International is well prepared for the new service, according to its Europe division manager, Mr Jiang.
"We sent a work group to Russia to inspect the local travel market soon after we heard about the open-up," Jiang said.
Before now, Russia was only open to Chinese business travelers,  the price being about 7,000 yuan (US$863) for a regular trip from May to September, the busy season, and 13,000 yuan for a luxury-standard service.
Jiang expected to see a boost in Russian business after the open-up to individual travelers, though he doesn't anticipate large discounting.
This view is echoed by Shanghai China Travel International Travel Service, another leading travel service here. An official with its outbound division, Zhao Dexiang, said "we are very confident about the new Russian routes."
"Russia is very attractive to older people, who grew up in a China whose society and culture was strongly influenced by the Russians," Zhao explained.
Clients over the age of 60 have made-up the main part of Spring International's Russian business since it launched the Russian service for business travelers four years ago, according to Jiang.