, 8 January 2022 – From winter sports to wildlife reserves to world-class wineries – the Russia Pavilion on Saturday showcased some of its lesser-known tourism spots during a business forum on the Russian travel industry.
The forum, designed to introduce audiences to unusual but fascinating travel destinations in Russia, highlighted less prominent tourism spots including Altai, a protected biodiverse reserve; the Alma Valley, known for its world-class wineries; Chelyabinsk, a nature and wildlife paradise; and Sochi, the venue of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Andrey Terekhin, Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the UAE, said Russia is keen to attract tourists from the Middle East, especially corporate travellers, adding that with no visas required there was plenty of scope for boosting tourism for mutual benefit.
Boris Titov, owner and major shareholder of the Abrau-Durso Group of Companies, specialising in wine production, said Russia was emerging as a top producer of sparkling wines. The Alma Valley in particular has been put on the global winery list, because of its high-quality grape and rising popularity among tourists as a wine-tasting paradise. He said his company was investing heavily in building top-class wineries across Russia.
Olga Shebzukhova, chairperson of the Board of Directors of Alliance Marine Development, described how destinations around the Black Sea, including Sochi, were being developed as yachting hubs by building marinas. She said eight locations in Sochi alone had been identified for building marinas by her company, as the city can play host to watersports all-year-round.
Irina Rudyka, head of the ‘TopBlog’ project, explained how the initiative had brought together 40,000 participants to promote tourism through social networks. It included 20 bloggers, each with a following of more than 1 million, who encourage their followers to visit less-known places, including the geysers and volcanic regions.
The forum brought together travel experts and tourist region representatives to discuss prospects for inbound tourism, with a focus on visitors from the Middle East.
