In the Republic of Komi, the First Tourist Congress of the North-West of Russia "Silver Necklace of Russia" brought together leading industry experts from different parts of the country. The Murmansk region is represented at the forum by the chairman of the regional Committee for Tourism Alexander Eliseev and the chairman of the Murmansk branch of the Union of Journalists of Russia Svetlana Soldatova.
One of the main topics raised at the plenary session is the promotion of the interregional tourism project "Silver Necklace of Russia". It consists of a complex of routes that connect historical cities, regional centers, large settlements of the Northwestern Federal District, where unique historical and cultural monuments, natural objects, including those included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, are preserved.
The discussion, which was held by the Deputy Presidential Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District Lyubov Maksevaeva, focused on the issue of increasing the information attractiveness and increasing the tourist flow. As it was said at the meeting, 2020 was a breakthrough year for domestic tourism.
"The entire tourist cluster of Russia suffered losses in the year of the pandemic. In the Northwest, the situation is different. It is now necessary to develop domestic tourism, as people during the pandemic, when the borders were closed, began to learn about their country. There are all the opportunities for the development of the tourist business in the North-West," said Lyubov Sovershaeva.
Among the problems of domestic tourism are weak interregional cooperation, lack of structural projects of the "Silver Necklace", low level of consumer awareness about tourist products, insufficient investment attractiveness and the lack of a unified marketing policy.
"I liked the idea of sea routes from St. Petersburg to Murmansk. And also what prospects for the development of tourism are opened by the organization of railway cruises to the capital of the Arctic region. The invited experts of the Silver Necklace of Russia have a vision of the project, the expertise carried out and specific proposals for the development of such routes," Alexander Eliseev said.
A special role in this work is given to journalists. Therefore, the professional journalistic community was involved in the work as an expert group. As part of the congress program, a number of events were held, which were attended by members of the North-West Media Association.
"All regions are different, so the offers on the tourist market of the territories are very different. In order to talk about the Silver Necklace of Russia project, journalists need to understand the exceptional characteristics of this brand. Perhaps it will be three main features: excellent cuisine, unique places and special comfort for travelers, including for people with disabilities, " - said Svetlana Soldatova.
On the first day of the Congress, the events were held on the basis of the Finno-Ugric Ethno-Cultural Park in the village of Yb. Today in Syktyvkar, the participants discussed the current trends of the industry, arts and crafts, gastronomy, and eco-tourism.
For your reference:
"Silver Necklace of Russia" unites 11 subjects of the Northwestern Federal District of Russia. Speakers at the sessions of the First Tourism Congress are the heads of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of the country, the Roskultcenter, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects, and others.
/ Committee for Tourism of the Murmansk Region /