Russia has huge potential for the development of internal tourism, and therefore a need to use all of the new opportunities, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said, speaking at a recent meeting in Sochi, at which the situation in the industry was discussed.
Among the participants of the event were also Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, Minister of Culture Vladimir Medina and the head of its subordinate Rostourism Oleg Safonov, Minister of Transport Maxim Sokolov, Federal Minister for the North Caucasus Lev Kuznetsov, the presidential envoy in the Southern Federal District Vladimir Ustinov, the head of Krasnodar Territory Veniamin Kondratyev as well as the heads of relevant ministries and representatives of the regional tourism industry.
Medvedev noted that, according to the Ministry of Culture, domestic tourist arrivals amounted to about 50 million people. "It's almost a third of our country. There is a growing interest from foreign tourists in Russia. Last year was a record. More than 20 million tourists visited us from abroad. The potential for the development of tourism in our country is huge. And we must take advantage of all the new opportunities," RIA Novosti quoted Medvedev.
In this regard, the Prime Minister pointed to the need for Russia to adopt its own plan of import substitution in the tourism industry.
"The development of the tourism industry, the conditions that are often used by our citizens, it is not just the rate of post-industrial society, and in fact one of the indicators of quality of life in the country. And we are obliged to create conditions for the development of the industry," Medvedev said.
He said that those who are going on vacation primarily need affordable tickets, security in the places of leisure and accommodation, the opportunity to check all the information on the route through the Internet, and these needs must be considered.
According to Dmitry Medvedev, one of the most important areas of work in this area is information. "There are successful developments, including the uniform federal register of tour operators, which accounts for more than four thousand companies. This is an important resource for consumers who want to be sure of the reliability of tour operators," the prime minister said.
He also recalled the launch of the national portal for Russian travel. "12 thousand facilities are listed there. Of course, this is a small part of our heritage and the work of its filling should be continued," Medvedev said.
The Prime Minister assured that the tour operators involved in the development of domestic routes in Russia and new types of tourism will be provided with state support. "There is a proposal to give subsidies to those who intend to focus on domestic routes. This will require the development of regulations. I will give appropriate instructions at the end of today's meeting," he promised.
