Experts expect a double digit increase in the tourist flow to Lake Baikal by 2030

By 2030, the tourist flow to Lake Baikal may double to 5.2 million people. The head of the ProGorod project office (VEB Group) told about such expert forecasts Ksenia Titova during the presentation of the projects of the Forum "Strong ideas for a new time" in Irkutsk. There Titova presented a tourist scheme of the Baikal macroterritory, the development of which was completed in December 2023. ProGorod informs about this on its website.

"The scheme represents a strategy for the development of the tourism industry in two regions – the Irkutsk Region and the Republic of Buryatia. Working actively with regional agencies and experts, we analyzed the tourist flow of the macro–territory, trying to fully assess the market - official accommodation facilities, as well as the so-called "gray market". According to our data, more than 2.5 million people come to the macro–territory annually, and we see a possible increase in this figure to 5.2 million by 2030 – that is, more than twice," Titova's words are quoted in the message.

The presented scheme includes more than 700 events, which are primarily aimed at the creation and reconstruction of transport, engineering and tourism infrastructure facilities. Among them is the overhaul of the Irkutsk – Bayandai –Kachug and Bayandai – Yelantsev – Khuzhir regional highways.

Among the proposals for the development of cruise tourism are the introduction of a network of regular and cruise routes in the waters of Lake Baikal, along the Angara and Selenga rivers, and the construction of port infrastructure in Baikalsk.

"As a result of the development of the tourism scheme, concepts were also formed for the creation of four priority projects — two for each region. The concepts involve the creation of a complex of hotels and other tourist facilities, as well as the modernization of transport and engineering networks," the message says.