UPDATE 1-Russian tour operators stop selling tours to China over coronavirus - industry body

Russian tour operators have stopped selling tours to China due to the coronavirus outbreak there and are only bringing Russian tourists back, Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Association of Russian Tour Operators told Reuters on Monday.

The move followed recommendations from Russia's tourism watchdog, he said. "The tours are not being sold because there is a safety threat," he said."(Tour) sales stopped on Friday."

Russia, which has daily direct flights to several Chinese cities, has no confirmed cases of the new virus. Around 7,000 Russian tourists who bought package holidays are currently still in China, Gorin said. Around 6,000 of those are on Hainan island with the rest on the mainland, he said.