by Pavel Martynov exclusively for VK
Vice Premier Olga Golodets will now supervise tourism development instead of Vladislav Surkov. Vice Premier and Plenipotentiary Presidential Envoy to the North Caucasian Federal District Alexander Khloponin will still be responsible for development of tourism. He will manage development and realization of state programs and federal purpose programs, realization of single state policy in developing resorts of the North Caucasus and complex development of the Kavkazskiye Mineralniye Vody. The latter has not become part of the North Caucasus Tourism Cluster. A special federal law on the Kavkazskiye Mineralniye Vody should be developed by July to determine its borders, administration, budget formation, urban planning, lands, tax benefits such as the ones at Skolkovo or any other economic zone. Arkhyz is currently the main project of the North Caucasian Federal District. Vnesheconombank and the Sinara Group of Dmitry Pumpyanski are its main investors. Its construction is carried out according to the Russia’s South federal program, co-financed by the budget of Karachay-Cherkessia.
Russia plans to build the largest skiing resort by 2020, becoming one of the world’s top 10 resorts. Over 3 billion rubles have been invested.
The idea of inviting large-scale business for socio-economic development of Russia’s south was announced at an investment forum in Sochi in 2006. Construction of hotels and skiing infrastructure started in May 2011.
Arkhyz joined the Russia’s South program in 2007. Three years were then spent on the process of land registration before construction could start. There were about 150 trials.
The project started development with formation of the Northern Caucasus Resorts State Corporation. It improved the financial-economic model and reduced risks for investors. But the main problem is transport for tourists. The International Airport of Mineralniye Vody is its closest air communication, located 200 km away from Arkhyz. It takes 3.5-4 hours to drive from the airport to Arkhyz.
Pumpyansky noted that high-speed railways from the airport to Karachayevka could help a lot to resolve the problem. It would be used as a standard European hub, so that tourists could visit both Bombay and Arkhyz that will become two largest resorts of the North Caucasus. Railways built for the Olympic Games in Sochi are a good example of such project. Infrastructure between Dombay and Arkhyz can be used to a certain extent. It may allow exploitation of high-speed electric trains Russia will produce.
Regarding passenger logistics, Pumpyansky proposes including development of road networks of the region in the project. It has great economic and social value for republics of the North Caucasus. It could be the Mineralniye Vody – Cherkessk – Adler Highway. The road would form a sort of the “golden tourism ring” in Russia’s south to connect the Black Sea coast with Olympic facilities and skiing resorts of the North Caucasus.
