OREANDA-NEWS. March 28, 2011. The round table discussion on the subject of Educational Tourism and Aspects of South-Karelian Tourist Market Modernization took place in the Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia.

It was organized by the State Committee of the Republic of Karelia for Youth, Physical Training, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia, Ministry of Nature Management and Ecology of the Republic of Karelia, Institute of Linguistics, History and Literature of Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Science.

Representatives of the Ministry of Culture the Republic of Karelia, Karelian Regional Nature Conservancy organization SPOK, scientific and educational institutes, hotel enterprises, tourist organizations and mass media have also taken part in the discussion.

Riitta Eronen, representative of Savonlinna Department of Tourism of East Carelian University of Joensuu, Finland, has also taken part in work of the round table. Various topics were discussed there and projects focused on development of the South-Karelian market of tourist services and formation of a tourist claster in Ladoga lakeside were presented.

During the round table discussion there have been presented the following innovation projects of landscape tourism development: The Thousand-Year Sortavala (by O.Jarovaya), The Olonets Fortress (by I.Gurilova), A Toponymic Landscape (by I.Mullonen), Ancient Karelian Fortresses (by S.Kochkurkina). Lukomorie travel agency has presented its investment project of construction of a tourist complex for 140 persons in Pitkaranta region on the shore of Lake Ladoga. Lamberg country club has presented a plan of the tourist object expansion, Kilpola farm (Sortavala region) has presented a plan for development of rural tourism.

Participants of the round table discussion have offered to create a toponymic reserve in North Ladoga lakeside, have established a Consortium in the form of self-regulating organization in the sphere of tourism in order to implement the projects presented, prepare bids for the Karelia Cross-Border Cooperation Program and Development of Domestic and Inbound Tourism in the Russian Federation (2011-2016) federal target program.