From 11 to 13 June, the country's main exhibition will host Russia's first tourism forum, Travel! VDNH visitors will learn about various ways people can vacation in the country, including gastronomical tours in the provinces as well as educational and medical tourism. The programme also includes presentations of new routes, services and meet-ups with travel bloggers. Attendance is free, but advanced registration is required.
The Travel! forum is will present the country's tourism potential, domestic branded routes and new vacation formats that have seen considerable growth over the past year. The forum will be held in Pavilion No. 55, in the open area in front of Pavilion No. 57 and on Square of Industry at VDNH. The event is being organised by The Roscongress Foundation, the Federal Tourism Agency and VDNH with support from the Russian Geographical Society.
It is no coincidence that the Travel! forum is being held at VDNH, seeing how our multiformat venue is ideal for hosting events in any format, on any topic and at any scale. VDNH has plenty of outdoor space, modern exhibition pavilions and well-equipped concert halls that offer a broad range of functionality and equipment types. The exhibition is also one of Russia's most popular tourist destinations, attracting more than 30 million visitors annually. 'There are seven thematic platforms: the Museum City, Park of Crafts, Knowledge Park, Landscape Park, EXPO, Park of the Future and Ostankino Park. These offer a wide range of recreational activities at any time of the year for business and private tourists', says Tatyana Anisimova, head of JSC VDNH's Department of Congress and Exhibition activities.
Visitors will learn about successful projects in auto tourism, caravanning, camping, glamping and eco-walks. The booth of the Russian Geographical Society will present photographs that were entries into the Most Beautiful Country competition. Visitors will also be able to watch a film in virtual reality called Russia: a Virtual Trip, which was filmed using immersive spherical video technology.
The forum also features a packed business programme with a variety of events on the relevant issues of the tourist industry. It will open on 11 June at 11:10 a.m. with a plenary session on developing domestic and international tourism aimed at discussing the future of tourism post-COVID-19. The session will be moderated by Maya Lomidze, Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) and Co-chair of the Federal Agency for Tourism's expert council for implementing the programme for promoting tourist routes for domestic and inbound tourism.
At 4:30 p.m., the small hall of Pavilion No. 55 will host a session on New Areas of Gastronomical Tourism. Discussion participants will include Leonid Gelibterman, chair of the gastronomic tourism committee of the Russian Union of Travel Industry; Mikhail Shirvindt, TV presenter, writer, restaurateur and blogger; Sartoria Lamberti, chef and restaurateur; William Lamberti of Uilliam's, Ugolek; Ivan and Sergey Berezutskie, chefs and restaurateurs of Twins Group; Vlad Piskunov, author of culinary books and the brand chef of the Matryoshka restaurant; and Alexander Gubsky, hospitality industry expert. The session will feature discussions about how a specific tourist destination can become a gastronomical tourist destination, how gastronomical tourism is changing as a result of COVID-19, as well as the challenges and opportunities the pandemic has posed for Russia.
At the same time, the auditorium will host an expert discussion on how Russia's provinces can best pitch themselves to prospective audiences and how film tourism is a unique communication tool. The discussion will focus on motion pictures as a way to boost the tourism potential of various territories, since movies can be a great tool to present new routes, while showing nature and local cultures in the various regions of Russia.
On 12 June, participants of the business programme can check out various camping sites and learn why mini-cruises along waterways are growing more and more popular. On 13 June, the forum will feature a presentation on how to plan your own road trip, which online services can help choose a good route and what the secret is to professional travel photography.
The Travel! forum will follow Rospodtrebnadzor guidelines. Visitors are required to observe social distancing and wear face masks and gloves.
Location: Pavilion No. 55, the open area in front of Pavilion No. 57, Square of Industry.
Date and Times: 11–13 June from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
PRICE: free admission. Visitors must register on the event's website.