Putin: We must make the tourism industry competitive in Russia

The tourist industry in Russia should be a catalyst for the socio-economic development of various territories of the country and open new opportunities for rural communities, the northern territories of Siberia and the Far East, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a State Council meeting.

"It is very important to make tourism in Russia a comfortable, interesting and profitable industry. It should bring significant budget revenues, as well stimulate the creation of new jobs. It is a catalyst for the social and economic growth of the territories of Russia. It would open up new possibilities for single-industry towns and rural settlements, the Northern and Arctic regions of Russia, Siberia, the Far East. Certainly, it is very important for Crimea," Putin noted at the meeting of the State Council.

In the President’s opinion, a significant step towards the development of the industry should become a unified register of tour operators in the management of public organizations.

"It is necessary to ensure the reliability and transparency of travel agents, as well liberate the market from one-day companies and scams. The introduction of a single register for travel agents is on the agenda, as one of the public organizations of tour operators could deal with it. The creation of such a register will provide control and transparency of the entire production cycle: from the production of tourism products to their realization,’’ the President said, adding that such a measure will also establish the highest professional and corporate standards in the tourism industry, as well as strengthening the responsibility of agents to final consumers.

The Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Maya Lomidze, told Vestnik Kavkaza that the President's proposal for a unified registry of travel agencies isn’t a new idea. "About a year ago, or a bit later – in the autumn of 2014, when it was amending the law due to the fact that protection of our consumers wasn’t provided in full measure. The idea of ​​creating a registry of travel agencies was proposed by the Association of Tour Operators. We assumed that some federal agency like Rostourism, or any other structure which performs additional functions in the field of tourism, should be responsible for the register,’’ she noted.

Professor of the Department of Management and service branch of the Institute of Management (IOM) RANHiGS, Galina Dekhtyar, drew attention to the fact that at the present period of time there is the Russian Union of Travel Industry Associations of Tour Operators in Russia. This organization is capable of fulfilling the President’s task regarding the register of travel agencies However, she also named a number of issues tied to the creation of such a register.

Commenting on Putin's proposal for a single register of travel agencies, the President of the Association of Domestic Tourism of Russia, Vladimir Sharov, noted that the implementation of this measure supports democratization processes in the tourism industry.