All-Russian Tourism Conference “Both to the village and the city. Agro- and ecotourism as tools for the development of territories” began its work in Sochi, at the resort “Rosa Khutor”
The Rosa Khutor Resort opened the All-Russian Tourism Conference “Both to the Village and the City. Agro- and ecotourism as tools for the development of territories”
For the first time, representatives of authorities, tourism business, agricultural producers and experts in the field of ecological, rural, nature tourism from more than 70 regions of the Russian Federation will discuss all aspects of the development of agricultural and ecotourism in the country. The conference was organized by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) with the support of the Rosa Khutor resort, the Norilsk Nickel company. Forum partners – ANO “Atmosfera”, ANO “ARPT”.
“Now in the country, only one agro-tourist route has received the status of National, about 300 farms accept tourists. Of the 4,000 tour operators in the registry, only about 200 offer tours to nature reserves and national parks. This is the result of problems in the dialogue between government and business. Therefore, the purpose of the conference is purely practical: to identify pain points, to propose solutions to specific problems. According to our estimates, agritourism and ecotourism can, under favorable conditions, increase the volume of tourist flow from 50% to 100% per year. We want to help this growth with our event,” said Maya Lomidze, Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.
“Both the village and the city” – the first fully practical business event on a federal scale, combining the topics of agro- and ecotourism and dedicated exclusively to the urgent organizational, financial and legal issues of organizing a tourism business in specially protected natural areas and agricultural facilities.
According to Dmitry Kolosov, director of sustainable development and environmental protection of the Rosa Khutor mountain resort: “We support the continuation of a professional discussion about nature and rural tourism, which is so important and necessary for the sustainable development of the national travel industry in Russia. We note the growth in the importance of this direction, and with enthusiasm we observe the deep involvement in the formation of its agenda of such a powerful association as the Association of Tour Operators. The wild natural environment and cultural landscapes of the countryside contain colossal recreational resources, and by working wisely, one can abundantly provide compatriots with vivid impressions, fresh strength and peace of mind. We just have to remember that despite their seeming inexhaustibility, these resources are fragile and vulnerable, and can be easily lost if there is no balance between economic success, social well-being and natural harmony. It is this balance that is the main criterion for success in this market segment.
On the first day of the event, a series of expert presentations will be held, the key of which are:
- Zhanna Kira, Director of the Russian Glamping Association, will highlight the topic of glamping as an important type of comfortable accommodation for tourists in protected areas; Evgenia Dunaeva, Deputy Director for Tourism of the Taganay National Park (Chelyabinsk region), will make a presentation on the best practices for the formation of a turnkey tourism product; in specially protected natural areas (PAs); Olga Shvakova, Deputy Director for Ecological Education and Educational Tourism of the Altai Biosphere Reserve, will talk about the special role and versatility of the guide-instructor in specially protected natural areas; Olga Gorelova, Chairman of the Board of the Arkhangelsk Regional Tourism Association, will share practical information with the conference participants on the specifics of obtaining additional funding from regional and federal budgets for agritourism facilities; Svetlana Baranova, owner of the tour operator “Continent” (Pskov region), will talk about the creation of a mass tourism product with the inclusion of agricultural facilities; Anna Tukmacheva, director of the Pilgrim company.
On the second day of the conference, a presentation of the solutions of interregional teams in the field of agro- and ecotourism will take place before the participants of the plenary session of the second day – representatives of federal and regional relevant ministries, the State Duma, industry associations, including:
- Dmitry Vakhrukov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation; Ksenia Shevelkina, Director of the Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federations; Maya Lomidze, Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators (ATOR), Co-Chairman of the Expert Council for the Definition of National Routes; Natalia Kostenko, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chairman of the Commission for Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure.
Following the results of the conference, its participants will formulate the main problems and describe the tools to solve the issues of complex legal statuses, access to additional financing, the introduction of tools for analyzing tourist flows and the development of popular tourism programs .