China's southern province of Hainan plans to open nonstop flight routes to Russian cities of New Siberia, Vladivostok and Habarovsk by the end of the year as the scenic island is attracting an increasing number of Russian tourists.

The first flight from New Siberia to Sanya, a coastal city of Hainan, will be launched in early November, according to the tourism authorities of Sanya.

The other new routes - one from Vladivostok to Sanya and the other from Habarovsk to Sanya or Haikou, capital of Hainan - will start trial operation ahead of the New Year's Day.

Flights from Russia to Hainan have been increasing sharply in the past few years. In 2005, there were only two chartered flights from Moscow to Sanya operated by Russia's Transaero Airlines. The airliner opened aviation from St Petersburg to Sanya in 2006, in which year the two routes saw a total of 98 flights.

In the first seven months this year, the number of flights from the two Russian cities to Sanya increased to 106.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2007)