The International Arctic Forum, which brought together leading experts in the field of Arctic tourism, hosted the session "The Delightful North: Prospects for tourism beyond the Arctic Circle", where the main trends in the development of tourism in the Arctic were discussed.
The session was opened by Dmitry Vakhrukov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, who noted the importance of strengthening government support measures aimed at adapting infrastructure and services to the unique climatic conditions of the Far North. The Minister stressed that despite the existing level of support, which covers a wide range of projects, from large tourist complexes to small initiatives, special approaches are needed for the Arctic.
"The annual steady growth of interest in tourism in the Arctic is about 8-9% per year in terms of the flow to the regions of the Russian Arctic. One of the growth points is the Murmansk Region, which has grown by about 20% over the past year. I would like to note separately that the key task for the whole country is the development of tourism infrastructure," said Dmitry Vakhrukov
Svetlana Panfilova, Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Region and Minister of Arctic Development and Economy of the Murmansk Region, presented the tourism potential of the region. During her speech, she shared the successes and achievements of the Murmansk region in the field of tourism, emphasizing the importance of this industry for the economic growth of the region. So, for 5 years, the tourist flow to the Murmansk region amounted to about 2.5 million people, and the volume of paid services for the same period amounted to 19.6 billion rubles. The projected estimate of the tourist flow to the Murmansk region in 2024 is more than 700 thousand people.
"The Murmansk Region retains its position as a leader in the number of tourists in the Arctic. Due to the increasing tourist flow, our task is to maintain and create new infrastructure both for the guests who come to the region and for our residents. The total volume of investments in this area from the region and private investors over 5 years has amounted to about 1 billion rubles. Together with our partners, we continue to develop modern infrastructure, including through the national project "Tourism and the Hospitality Industry", as well as the strategic plan "Live in the North!" initiated by Governor Andrey Chibis. I would like to note that over the past 5 years, 135 projects worth 400 million rubles have been supported, which has allowed us to create high–quality infrastructure at a rapid pace," Svetlana Panfilova said.
In her speech, the head of the Ministry of Arctic Development and Economy stressed that the region has great opportunities to attract tourists from all over the world. She noted that the most popular tourist destinations are whale hunting, the Northern Lights, Arctic cuisine, fishing and nature tourism in the village of Teriberka, ice-floating, ethnic tourism on the Tersk coast and Lovozerye, military-patriotic and industrial in the Pechenga district, cultural and educational tourism in the capital of the Arctic, a cruise to the North polyus, ski and snowmobile tourism in winter and active tourism in summer in Khibiny and much more.
Svetlana Panfilova identified cruise routes among the new directions of development. For example, VODOHOD LLC plans to use the built vessel Nikolai Zharkov of the Karelia project with a capacity of 183 passengers in the waters of the White Sea, which will follow the route Arkhangelsk – Solovetsky Islands – Umba. A trial cruise in the White Sea is planned this summer.
Speaking at the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk, Rishat Bagautdinov, General Director of Vodohod LLC, focused on the significant potential for the development of cruise tourism in the Arctic. According to him, the destination has unique natural resources and cultural heritage, which are of great interest to domestic and foreign tourists.
In conclusion, Svetlana Panfilova outlined the growth points for the Murmansk Region in the tourism sector, including increased accommodation, the implementation of projects to create year–round amusement parks, as well as the development of berthing infrastructure.
Andrey Grachev, Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs at MMC Norilsk Nickel, noted the support of Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, in the field of tourism.
"All our projects here in the tourism sector are supported by the governor and his team. And such joint work has absolutely objective indicators. In fact, we are currently witnessing an explosive growth in domestic tourism. I would single out three factors in the development of Arctic tourism – the unique nature, the distinctive culture of indigenous peoples, and, of course, the absolutely extraordinary Northern cuisine. And from this point of view, it is absolutely natural that Arctic tourism is gaining popularity now," said Andrey Grachev.
The Forum, which brought together experts from all over the world, became a platform for exchanging experiences and discussing new opportunities and projects for the sustainable development of tourism.
"This year we are considering the introduction of mobile glamping based on all-terrain vehicles "Burlak", which accommodates five people. The pilot was launched in Kamchatka, and we plan to integrate the next one in the Murmansk Region," said Bogdan Bulychev, a traveler, author of the Pro Travel channel, and moderator of the discussion.
/ Committee on Tourism of the Murmansk region /