Russian National Parks and Reserves Doubled Visits in Five Years

The press service of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources reported that visitation to Russian national parks and reserves continues to grow. Over the past five years, annual tourist flow has doubled.

In 2019, the number of visitors to federally significant protected natural areas (PNAs) was 6.7 million people, and this year - 11.8 million. The most visited was the Kislovodsk National Park, which has received 3.6 million visitors since the beginning of the year. In second place is the Sochi National Park, which was visited by two million people, and in third place is the Curonian Spit, which was visited by 886 thousand guests. The report notes that over the past five years, the nature conservation network has been replenished with 23 new PNAs.

As a result, the area of protected territories has increased by 5.56 million hectares. By winter, it is planned to create another protected area. Thanks to federal funding, infrastructure is being created in national parks that makes tourists' recreation interesting and safe. This year, 15 visitor centers and 13 environmental education centers were built with these funds, over 65 various facilities were created, including crossings, guest houses, and camping sites, and river and lake banks were improved. In addition, more than 70 ecological trails and tourist routes have been equipped.

Currently, 614 ecological trails with a total length of 3151 kilometers and 896 tourist routes - 46148 kilometers operate in federally significant PNAs. Tourists have access to a wide variety of routes - hiking, cycling, horseback riding, water, skiing, or combined. And in 2023, an underwater eco-trail opened in Primorye in the Far Eastern Marine Reserve. It introduces scuba diving enthusiasts to the sights of the Rimsky-Korsakov Islands.