At the next meeting of the regional government, the results of the Murmansk Region's tourism sector in 2024 and plans for 2025 were discussed.
"I would like to note that the tourist flow to our region has been steadily growing since 2017. We saw a decrease only in covid 2020. In 2023, we hosted a record number of 670,000 guests. According to the results of 2024, we also expect an increase in the tourist flow, which will amount to more than 700 thousand guests. I would also like to note that 120,000 tourists visited the Kola Arctic during the New Year holidays. This is almost 30% more than in the same period a year ago," Oksana Demchenko, First Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Region, said in her opening remarks.
The TOP 5 most popular destinations are Murmansk, Khibiny, Teriberka, Lovozero, and Kandalaksha. Currently, 71 tour operators provide services to guests in the region.
Starting from March 1 of this year, a mandatory certification for guides will be in effect in the Murmansk Region. Currently, 118 people have this status and 70 more have applied for certification. Svetlana Panfilova, Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Region and Minister of Arctic Development and Economy of the Murmansk Region, reported in more detail on how the sphere of control over tourist infrastructure facilities is expanding this year after the adoption of the relevant federal law and other significant events in the field of tourism.
"I would like to note that there are support measures for the development of tourism in the Murmansk region. Thanks to them, new routes, places to accommodate guests, and jobs are being created. Last year, federal programs supported 13 projects, created 41 jobs and introduced 22 new locations. This year, a single federal subsidy will be available to the tourism business. In addition, the Government of the Murmansk Region, on the initiative of Governor Andrey Chibis, has introduced and is implementing its own regional support measures. In 2024, six projects received a subsidy for the development of cultural and educational tourism, and in 2025 we will provide a subsidy for the development of industrial tourism," Oksana Demchenko said.
The heads of the largest and most significant travel companies in the region also spoke at the government meeting. They presented the results of the projects, including those that have been implemented through support measures.
The Government of the Murmansk region, headed by Governor Andrey Chibis, when approving the updated strategic plan "To live in the North" for the next five years, fixed in the document measures to create high–quality infrastructure for the growing tourist flow. For example, the Shining Objects project will continue to work for hunters of the Northern Lights in the Murmansk Region. Business representatives who have received support from the national project "Tourism and the Hospitality Industry" and the strategic plan "To Live in the North" are installing Northern Lights road navigation and tourist signs at facilities, providing safe parking, cafe services and sanitary areas, as well as convenient places to observe the aurora.
The successful improvement of the tourist infrastructure was facilitated by the national project "Tourism and the Hospitality Industry", which supported entrepreneurial initiatives for the construction of modular non-capital accommodation facilities. In general, over the past five years, almost 1 billion rubles have been invested in infrastructure development by the state and private investors.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /