A series of national standards (GOSTs) "Arctic tourism" is launched by Rostourism and Rosstandart. According to the Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism), they were approved for the first time and have no analogues in the world. The standards will improve travel safety and the quality of tourist services in the Arctic zone of Russia. The standards will come into effect on June 30, 2022.
The standards take into account the complex climatic and natural features of the Arctic and the risks arising from them. They contain detailed recommendations for organizing excursion programs and tourist routes in the Arctic, as well as requirements for the qualifications of personnel working with tourists, for tourist infrastructure, transport, equipment, for how communication should be built during the trip, including with rescuers and local residents.
Also, a navigation system for tourists in the Arctic is being brought to a single standard. In particular, it is prescribed how information signs should look like, as well as signs warning tourists about danger, difficulties on the way, about the proximity of evacuation places. Requirements for restrictive signs are introduced as well.
Rostourism hopes that the Russian experience will be useful for colleagues from other countries. According to the head of the Federal Tourism Agency, Zarina Doguzova, we must not forget that this is a region with its own cultural and historical characteristics, with a harsh and changeable climate. “In addition, this is a territory of wild nature, there are many protected areas. We took all this, all the nuances into account when creating national standards for Arctic tourism. They create uniform and understandable rules for business, and safe and comfortable travel conditions for tourists,” she explained.
According to Rostourism, the standards of the Arctic Tourism series were developed by the Federal Agency for Tourism, ANO RC Polar Initiative, FSI Arctic Rescue Training and Research Center Vytegra of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, Sanatorium Vyatichi LLC, Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation within the framework of the activities of the technical committee No. 401 "Tourism and related services".
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