Arctic Tourism Week Programme in Norilsk Includes More Than 10 Business Events
The business programme of the Arctic Tourism Week Interregional Forum includes 12 business sessions and discussions on ways to create a tourism product in the Arctic, master planning, measures to support entrepreneurs in this regard, as well as other sustainable development themes for the travel industry in the regions of the Far North. The forum will be held on 9–13 April in Norilsk as part of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. The Forum is being organized by the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic and the Norilsk City Administration. The Roscongress Foundation manages the events of the chairmanship.
The key event of the business programme will be the plenary session, which will detail the main points of attraction for foreign tourists in the Russian Arctic, the principles of developing sustainable tourism in the northern latitudes, as well as the potential impact of the development of the hospitality industry on the regions of Russia’s Arctic zone.
The programme also includes the roundtable ‘Business in the Arctic: A Guide to Support Measures for Tourism Entrepreneurs’, during which experts will discuss the impact of preferential regimes in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation on investment activity in the Arctic, how to attract both large companies and start-up entrepreneurs to the tourism sector, as well as promising support measures in this regard. Business representatives that are residents of the Russian Arctic will take part in the roundtable.
In addition, experts will discuss the growing demand for tourism activities in the Arctic: viewing the northern lights, reindeer riding, and trekking through the untouched natural sites of the North. Representatives of the tourism industry will speak about how to open specific locations and entire regions to tourists and share best practices for promoting their products. The Forum participants will also look at ways to transform urban and rural infrastructure, create comfortable living conditions, and provide amenities, which are considered among the most important conditions to develop tourism.
During the business programme, industry experts will also discuss new trends in domestic tourism, such as organizing tours to industrial facilities and, in particular, the positive effect from such tours for companies and legal aspects in this regard, and also study the prospects for organizing cruises to the Arctic.
Representatives of all Russia’s Arctic regions, from the Murmansk Region to Chukotka, have confirmed they will take part in the business programme. Participants from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk, Khanty-Mansiysk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky will also attend the Forum in Norilsk. Among them will be representatives of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the regional and municipal authorities, as well as specialists from Russian companies that work in the hospitality industry, such as national and regional tour operators, restaurateurs and hoteliers, urban specialists, and specialized IT companies. Roughly 300 experts and more than 30 organizations will be involved in Arctic Tourism Week. The detailed programme of the Forum is available on the website: norilskforum.ru.
The exhibition ‘In the Centre of Taimyr’ will be held in the run-up to the Forum. Representatives of the Taimyr tourism sector will take part in the exhibition, including 16 tour operators and sightseeing tour agencies, and nine souvenir and gastronomic craftsmen, who will present their goods and services. The exhibition will run from 3 to 9 April, and roughly 5,000 people are expected to attend it. The exhibition is being organized by the Norilsk Development Agency with the support of the Norilsk City Administration, Norilsk Nickel, and the Arena-Norilsk Sports and Entertainment Complex. During the exhibition, free tours of the city and Norilsk enterprises, an interactive programme, and lecture sessions will be organized for local residents. More information is available on the website: taimyr-expo.ru.
The cycle of business and cultural events is dedicated to tourism, one of the top priority and significant focuses of development in accordance with the Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation until 2035. A broadcast of the Forum will be available on the official website of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council at the link: https://arctic-council-russia.ru/events/arkticheskiy-turizm/arkticheskaya-nedelya-turizma/
Russia is chairing the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. A cross-cutting priority of the chairmanship is to ensure responsible governance over the sustainable development of the Arctic. The comprehensive programme of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council aims to promote cooperation to improve the well-being and quality of life of the Arctic population, including the Indigenous peoples of the North, adapt the Arctic to the effects of climate change, conserve the biodiversity and unique ecosystems of the Arctic, ensure socioeconomic development, find solutions in matters concerning global energy and transport security, promote scientific cooperation in high latitudes, and strengthen Arctic cooperation.