Tourism in North Caucasus discussed at St. Petersburg Economic Forum

The company "Resorts of the North Caucasus" is holding a panel discussion at

the St.Petersburg International Economic Forum about professional education

for the tourism cluster in Southern Russia. This was announced by the head

of the company, Ahmed Bilalov, at a meeting in the Russian Public Chamber.

A press release received by VK says that the experts who participated in

the round table "Mountain Cluster in the Northern Caucasus and the local

community: Is a partnership for sustainable development possible?" noted

that the project is unprecedented in scope. The areas included in the

project are very different in terms of resources and the level of

modernization, which should be considered when developing the concept of

training.

Olga Glezer, a researcher at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of

Sciences, noted that although the North Caucasus is a labor-surplus region,

 there is still a shortage of people with good professional

training.Therefore, the creation of training institutions is the main task

of the cluster at this stage. This training should include a psychological

aspect. "Hospitality and tourist services are not not just

different but opposite concepts: in the first case, you are the master, in

the second you are the staff. And  it is psychologically very difficult for

"highlanders" to see themselves as mere support staff," Glaser said.

She also pointed out that these training centers should be created close to

the place of residence of potential students and workers, because otherwise

there is a risk that people who go to get education elsewhere will not

want to return.

Ahmed Bilalov added that young people are often reluctant to migrate and

are eager to take jobs  in their home region if they are created, giving as an

example the construction of the Sochi Olympic sites, where more than

half of those employed come from the North Caucasus.

The chairman of  Russian Congress of Caucasian Peoples, Aliy Totorkulov,

agreed with this. According to him, the local people are not afraid and eager

to learn. "If it is possible to earn money while living at home, all

Caucasians will learn," he assured.