OREANDA-NEWS. December 27, 2010. Ministry of Economic Development of Karelia has held a regular meeting of the Council of heads of tourist companies of the republic. The session considered preliminary results of the tourist season of 2010 obtained from monitoring of tourist activity at the key places of interest of the region.

As participants of the session have pointed out, in 2010 it was possible to stop recession of the basic quantitative indicators of tourism development in Karelia. Kizhi open-air museum has received 167,733 visitors, that is 6,117 people more than in 2009. This year 131,000 tourists have visited objects of cultural and natural heritage of Valaam archipelago, that is 10,000 people more than in 2009. Insignificant decrease in tourist traffic in comparison with 2009 was observed in Kivach reserve – from 79,000 to 75,000 people. On the Kem – Solovki passenger line tour operators of Karelia have served 45,000 people. When a new carrier appeared, tourist traffic to Solovki through the town of Belomorsk has grown, in 2010 on the route from Belomorsk to Solovki is has been transported 6,000 people.

The volume of unappropriated investments involved in tourism infrastructure also remained at the level of 2009 – about 450 million roubles. None of 43 investment projects implemented this year in the sphere of tourism was curtailed.

A separate issue considered at the session of the Council was the plan of participation of tour agencies of the republic in exhibition and trade fair activities of 2011. Representatives of tourist companies were interested to participate in international tourist exhibitions of MATKA (Helsinki, January 21-24), ITB (Berlin, March 9-13), Intourmarket (Moscow, March 12-15), MITT (Moscow, March 16-19), MITF (Moscow, May 12-14), Vacation (Moscow, September 21-24). The Ministry of Economic Development included exhibitions in the list of exhibition and trade fair activities for 2011 supported by the Government of Karelia. Government support to information and advertising promotion of tourist potential of the republic will favour the growth of incoming tourist traffic and will increase in the contribution of tourism in the economy of Karelia.

Tourist companies at the session have also been informed on the decision of administration of Sortavala metropolitan region to hold the IInd International Fishing Festival in Sortavala on August 12-14, 2011. In order to support development of specialized tourism the Ministry of Economic Development of the RK plans to create a steering committee of the republic to prepare and conduct the festival.