Tourism Zones in Russia

According to an estimation by the Russian Ministry for Economic Development and Trade, the Russian tourism industry currently accounts for merely 1.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), or roughly five per cent including the respective segments from the supply industry. In contrast, the tourism industry’s share in the GDP in European countries is between 5 and 16 per cent, respectively. According to the news agency Novosti, the Russian government plans on increasing the current number of circa three million tourists to nine million by 2016. The tourism industry including the supply industry would then account for ten per cent of the Russian GDP. With the particular help of special support programmes for so-called business promotion areas, the government wants to get seven regions in shape in order to attract more tourists. The focus of attention: Buryatia, the Altay Republic, the Irkutsk and Kaliningrad regions (formerly known by its German name Koenigsberg), as well as the regions Altay, Krasnodar and Stavropol. With funds from the national budget, an infrastructure geared to tourism needs is to be created in these regions. Over 1.5 billion USD have already been allocated to the project, which should result in the construction of modern tourist complexes. (eap)