The demand of Russian tourists for the winter resorts of Italy, France, Austria and Switzerland dropped by 30% over the New Year's holidays. As the deputy head of Rostourism, Nikolay Korolev, stated, "in Russia, of course, there is great potential for the development of winter tourism. While some regions of the South, the North Caucasus, the Urals, Siberia, Volga and the Far Eastern federal districts are today already the largest ski resorts, others have great prospects for the development of this sport. A healthy lifestyle and a growing demand for winter holidays allows to predict the further intensive development of ski tourism, including other forms of winter tourism. The potential increase in a number of tourists who are fond of winter activities, in our view, is estimated at about 2.5 million people annually."
According to Korolev, the passion for skiing and snowboarding of Russian tourists promotes ski resorts, creates an appropriate tourist infrastructure. And the most prominent points of attraction are the resorts of Russia located in the Caucasus and the Urals. The new routes and ski centers that are being established on the outskirts, in central Russia, Altai, Baikal. There is the reconstruction of the oldest ski resorts, construction of new hotels, the level of service is increasing.
The Russian federal program of development of internal tourism in Russia in 2011-2018 is being implemented. "In the framework of the federal target program, today we also support and implement projects in the Russian Federation related to ski tourism. In particular, in the Altai Territory there is the creation of the Belokurikha tourist-recreational cluster. I do not want to cite the figures, how much money has been spent, but in particular the total value is about 7.7 billion rubles. The federal budget alone provides 1.8 billion rubles of them. The Four Seasons Health Sports Complex Manzherok is in the Altai Republic. The next project, also known, is in the Republic of Adygea, the creation of the tourist-recreational cluster ‘Lago-Naki Gates’," Korolev said.
In the Murmansk region the creation of the tourist-recreational cluster ‘Khibiny’. In the Penza region there is the tourism and recreation cluster ‘Galitsinsky’. Also in the Penza region there is the tourism and recreational cluster ‘Crystal’. In the Perm region there is ‘Great Perm’. The creation of ‘Kama Beach’, the tourism and recreation cluster, in the Udmurt Republic. In the Chuvash Republic there is ‘Chuvashia - Heart of the Volga'. In North Ossetia (Alania) there is the tourism-recreational complex ‘Tagauri’. In the Orenburg region - North Ossetia (Alania) there is the tourism-recreational cluster ‘Valley’. In Karachay-Cherkessia there is 'Honey Waterfalls'.
"I believe that good conditions are currently being created for the development of winter tourism in Russia. And especially in winter these types of tourism can be promising types of tourism, including those to replace the traditional areas that are linked to other forms of recreation, such as beach holidays," Korolev thinks.
