The first Russian tourism forum Travel! continues at VDNH. On the second day of the event, the programme comprised panel discussions on river cruises, the legal nuances of tourism and independent road trips. Some expert discussions continued on with the discussions raised during the session on Tourism and Hospitality Industry: New Investment and Technology Opportunities session, held at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum 2021.
Participants in the session entitled Water Recreation for All: Why Cruises Are Growing in Popularity? noted the increased popularity of river cruises during long vacations, in addition to short river tours around cities. The session featured a discussion on the opportunities for cruise tours in Russia. Experts noted that one advantage to this kind of vacation is the opportunity to combine recreation on the water with sightseeing, but without having to wait in traffic. It also noted the positive effect water has on relieving stress. Additionally, discussion participants considered the prospects for developing river cruises by 2030.
'Every city has got something to see. Our country's truly unique. Have you ever heard of Ulan-Ude? It's a city smack dab in the middle of Buryatia with a real Buddhist island on large grounds. It's a unique place, but few people have heard of it. The river cruise I went on this year was a true journey of discovery for me: we've got this idea that a vacation has to mean the ocean or going to the beach, so everybody tries to go to the water. But rivers are actually a lot more interesting places, and they're far more picturesque. I highly recommended everyone to go on river cruises!' noted Vladimir Sukhov, the founder of the project #AllThisRussia, director, producer and founder of ER-Production, and an expert with the Netology educational platform.
An open dialogue on the legal nuances of tourism was devoted to safe travel and how tourists can ensure they're legally protected. Experts talked about the key mistakes travellers tend to make when planning their journeys and offered practical recommendations for how to organise a safe vacation, including for tourists travelling independently. Discussion participants stressed that today, Russia offers a broad range of services to find everything you need for your vacation.
'The legal component is an important aspect of tourism, but, unfortunately, the level of legal literacy of both tourists and tourism experts is not always that great, which leads to all sorts of risks and challenges. It's good that we had a dedicated discussion on how tourists can protect themselves and the legal nuances of the industry. We discussed the legal problems tourists encountered most often, how to solve them, but most importantly, how to avoid them in the first place', stated Victoria Rashina, a tourism legal expert, explorer and winner of the Masters of Hospitality competition as part of the presidential platform Russia, Country of Opportunities.
There was also a presentation on camping and outdoor recreation in the street tent area. Campground representatives presented their projects and talked about the opportunities that this tour format offers independent travellers. Camping is growing in popularity in Russia, with new comfortable campsites opening all over the country.
'Regional governments and tourism centres in Russia's regions should be open to dialogue with real practitioners, bloggers and tourism companies, and actively cooperate with them. I am confident that the development of road trip tourism will depend on how these opportunities are presented, and how we, as bloggers, tell people about them', noted Bogdan Bulychev, a professional traveller and explorer.
The forum's programme also featured a viewing of the full-length documentary Atlantis of the Russian North, dedicated to the cultural problems of the Russian North.
The first Russian tourism forum Travel! was organised by The Roscongress Foundation in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Tourism (Russia Travel) and VDNH. The forum is also supported by the Russian Geographical Society.
Participation is free. Advanced registration is required via the official website: restravelforum.com.