It’s not just Sochi or the Caucasus anymore. Russians are beginning to spend their vacations in more-exotic locales

Last year, Russia had solid growth in internal tourism at a rate of 7-8 percent. According to data from the Economic Development and Trade Ministry, the country received $3 billion from foreign tourism.

In the opinion of Natalya Shengeliya, head of the ministry’s tourism department, in the current year, the volume of tourist services offered in Russia could increase by 10-13 percent. Marina Smirnova, marketing director at Hotel Consulting & Development Group, agrees and believes that if no political or economic crises occur in Russia, the growth trend in internal tourism with be sustained. "In Moscow alone, the number of foreign tourists could increase from 2.2 million in 2002 to 5 million in 2005. The volume of growth could significantly increase due to tourists from the near abroad and simplified registration procedures," she said.

According to Smirnova’s information, visitors to Russia are mainly from nearby countries such as Poland, Finland, China, etc. "Among more-distant countries, the visitors are primarily from Germany, the United States, France, Italy, Great Britain, China, Turkey, Israel, Spain and Japan," Smirnova said. "But the most-active travelers in Russia in 2002 were Russians themselves and citizens of the former Soviet Union (58.5 percent), then Europeans (22.5 percent) and, then, with a significant drop, Americans (5.3 percent)."

The most-popular routes

According to Alexandra Lanskaya, director of Patriashy Dom Tours, the main destinations for foreign tourists last year were Moscow, St. Petersburg and the traditional Golden Ring cities, as well as ecological and "extreme" tourist spots in Siberia, Baikal and Kamchatka. Representatives of other companies say that different areas are also developing, such as health and therapy tours and ethnological and business tourism.

Russia is quite a find for the enterprising tour operator. Our country has wide open spaces, an abundance of virgin natural surroundings, a rich history and cultural traditions. It is essential to remember that many things we take as a given astonish foreigners encountering them for the first time. The architecture on the islands of Valaam, Solovky and Kizhy and the cities of the Golden Ring and Novgorod stands out, for instance. Practically every place in Russia has a unique history. We have exceedingly rare handicrafts, and many cultural objects are concentrated in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Is it worth investing money?

The market for internal tourism is one of the most attractive investment niches for Russian entrepreneurs, and the field is wide and varied for capital investors. According to Alexander Dreshin, head of Katerina-Travel, which deals with internal tourism in the south by sending clients to hotels managed by UMACO, the possibilities afforded by tourism within Russia are limited only by the consumer’s imagination.

The Black Sea coast could become an important source of income from tourism within Russia, but, in order to attract tourists there, it will be necessary to construct dozens of modern hotels or, at least, bring existing hotels up to international standards. Lanskaya is confident that this approach has potential. "Build hotels and good roads," she said, "and there could be a flow of tourists from Poland, the Czech Republic and even Germany." In the opinion of Smirnova, three-star hotels are most in demand, but only those that have good food, are not far from the coast and can boast a high level of service. "You cannot forget about the ecological aspect, because it’s necessary to maintain the beaches and water in good condition," she said.

There is also not a little potential in this region for downhill skiing. Krasnaya Polyana is now one of the Russian president’s most favorite places for recreation; and infrastructure, transport and service are constantly being improved there. UMACO recently opened a unique complex, Katerina-Alpik, which already receives a flow of Russian and foreign tourists.

Other destinations – especially Siberia and the Far East, which, according to Lanskaya, are also interesting to foreigners – they need long-term investment from the federal government. The efforts of individual entrepreneurs and regional authorities are plainly insufficient.

Extreme tourism

Extreme and sports tourism is also popular in Russia. There are many areas with natural terrain suitable for downhill skiing: The Murmansk Region (the city of Kirovsk), Altaisky Krai with its untouched natural beauty, Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk, Teberda and Dombai) and downhill-skiing resorts in the North Caucasus. The stark beauty of the north – Chukotka and Kamchatka – also has its charms. This field of tourism is becoming ever-more-popular for those with means who are tired of banal beach tourism.

Tour Land is possibly the leader is this area of tourism. Its most-popular destination is the North Pole.

"In comparison to other forms of recreation the price is somewhat high: This year, an expedition to the North Pole on the ship Yamal cost $8,500, and, starting next year, we will have to raise the price a bit," said Valery Chumakov, general director of Tour Land. "But tours are nevertheless booked up a year in advance. Our clients are very affluent: Famous politicians, businessmen and not a few foreigners."

For arctic expeditions, a nuclear-powered ship is employed, and the company organizes its trips so to minimize the impact on the fragile natural world of the Arctic. Above all, attention is paid to the safety of the travelers.

Why are people drawn to the North Pole? What lures them to that stark landscape? Romance? To test themselves? What are they searching for in the land of freezing blizzards? "Those questions can only be answered by those who have been to the pole," said Artur Chilingarov, hero of the Soviet Union, deputy State Duma representative and president of the Association of Polar Explorers. In his words, participants in Tour Land expeditions – unlike those on other routes – receive not only the maximum of impressions, but undergo a re-evaluation of what is important to them and develop the best personal characteristics: Goodness and firmness of soul, manliness and humanity. The arctic world allows one to feel to the fullest rare impressions that are inaccessible anywhere else.