Ethno tourism is on the rise in Tyumen, while city tourism is suffering a downfall
Representatives of local travel industry held a round
table meeting in
During this year alone the government has spent almost
9.5 billion roubles (298 million USD) on developing the tour industry. Already
new roads and parking spaces are being built, museums and theatres are being
open and new territories for resorts are being reserved. There are already some
visible results. For instance, in the south part of the region the tourist flow
grew by 40% in the last 2 years, bringing about 400 million roubles (12.5
million USD) into the budget.
According to Natalia Karmanova, head of the
Tyumenzarubezhtour, the latest trend is visiting ethnic villages with Tatars,
Komi, Khanty, Mansi and other peoples who managed to preserve their traditional
culture. One of the most popular attractions with tourists is the town of
At the same time participants of the round table noted
the downfall of city tourism. People living in
City tourism as a whole was said to be in a drastic
state. Creating a historical tourist zone in the city center could be a
solution. A 19th century place with pubs, craftsmen shops, carriages and what
not. But these are just dreams, say the participants of the round table,
because such a project would mean shutting off the city center for traffic. The
meeting also raised questions about hospitality, city cleanliness and the
infrastructure being in good condition. Without all that regional tourism will
not develop properly.
Head of the Nikolay Drobunin Tourism Company feels
that foreign tourist mostly enjoy the old, historic parts of
On the other hand, Galina Storozhko, Head of the
Tourism Department in the Department of Investment Policy and State Support of
Enterprising of Tyumen Region, said that the region’s tourism is developing
well. The tourist flow increased by 10% in the first half of 2012 (compared to
last year’s numbers) and the local budget received an extra 40 million roubles
(1.2 million USD) in taxes. During the last four years 13 new hotels were
opened, and now the room count of