The meeting was attended by Governor of the Leningrad Region Alexander Drozdenko, Chair of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Tourist Infrastructure Development Sangadzhi Tarbaev, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Vakhrukov, State Secretary – Deputy Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Pavel Volkov, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Olga Petrova, President of the OPORA Russia national public organisation of small and medium-sized businesses Alexander Kalinin, representatives of interested federal and regional executive bodies, business and the expert community.
Opening the meeting, Igor Levitin noted that the President had set a number of key objectives to create the best conditions for boosting domestic tourism. It is important to build new hospitality facilities at attractive tourist destinations to the highest world standards.
It is important to focus on building a network of tourist trails that will be popular domestic tourism attractions, and to introduce special legal regulations that can ensure the development of comfortable infrastructure in these locations.
According to Chair of the State Council Commission on Tourism, Physical Fitness and Sport Oleg Kozhemyako, making amendments to the relevant legislation will ensure steady development of tourism in Russia, upgrade the level of tourist services, minimise the negative impact on nature and the environment, and create conditions for developing environmental education, research and recreation activities run by small and medium-sized businesses.
Dmitry Vakhrukov presented a report on practical implementation of specific measures under the Presidential instructions issued following a State Council Presidium meeting on the development of tourism in Russia, held on September 6, 2022.
The meeting participants discussed, in particular, taxation in the tourism and hospitality sector, children’s tourism management, introducing a resort fee and supporting charter programmes to boost the demand for domestic travel.
The proposals made by the meeting participants and reviewed by the Commission will form the basis for initiatives on improving legislation and will be submitted for implementation by federal and regional executive bodies in charge of developing and implementing the state tourism policy.