Andrey Ershov
The Year of Arctic Tourism - an ambitious project of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) and the Polar Travel Club - has started in Russia.
According to Maya Lomidze, Director of ATOR, The Year of Arctic Tourism project includes the association’s plans to give information about the tourism products related to visiting the Arctic regions and also about the peculiarities of developing and promoting them. All these efforts are expected to increase the tourist flow to the Arctic area, the potential of which is far from exhausted despite an almost 20 percent annual increase.
The year before last, the number of travelers - in absolute figures - staying at the accommodation facilities in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation amounted to about 1.2 million people. The tourist destinations most popular with travelers are the Republic of Karelia, the Murmansk and the Arkhangelsk regions.
“A flight from Moscow to Murmansk or Arkhangelsk takes less than two hours, while the travel budget can be different. In the Arctic zone, tourists can find a travel itinerary to suit their interests and expectations, including the stunning UNESCO heritage sites, glaciers, specially protected natural areas, national reserves, the culture of northern small-numbered indigenous peoples, attractions of cities in the Arctic, and industrial tourism,” said Maria Badmatsyrenova, Deputy Director of the Investment Department of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation.
At the same time, experts in tourism industry note that today, the demand for various tours to the Arctic at an affordable price significantly exceeds supply. Most often, such tours are not budget ones. For example, the unique and popular cruises to the Arctic area and the North Pole offered by the Polar Travel Club cost from several hundred thousand to 3 million rubles per person.
In future, the issue can be resolved by creating a full-fledged Arctic cruise fleet and prolongating the program of preferences for tourism projects in 9 Arctic regions, that include the Nenets, the Chukotka, and the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Districts (Okrugs), the Republic of Komi, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in addition to the Murmansk Region, the Republic of Karelia, and the Arkhangelsk Region.
In addition to natural travel anchors, the industrial tourism has been among the priority areas of developing the tourism in the Arctic zone in recent years. In particular, a number of interesting industrial excursions to mines has been launched in the city of Norilsk, the Krasnoyarsk Territory. A historical and industrial excursion to the quarry of the Zapolyarny (Transpolar) mine, a visit to the underground training area of the Angidrit (Anhydrite) mine and mining equipment simulators are among the most popular tourism offers.
In Norilsk and in a number of other locations, tourists have the opportunity now to explore the amazing attractions and views of the Arctic region virtually first, using VR glasses.
