OREANDA-NEWS. For the first time ever travel agencies from Finland and Karelia presented their corporate brand Karelia. Symbolical boundary pillars at the exhibition stand have readily illustrated the universal tourist region on either side of the state border. It comprises the border territories of Finland (North Karelia) and Russia (the Republic of Karelia). Common Internet address Visitkarelia.fi and Visitkarelia.ru is used to promote this brand. Works on creation and promotion of this tourist product are conducted within the scope of the Karelia European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument cross-border cooperation program (Karelia ENPI CBC).

At the presentation of the new brand Vice-Chairman of the Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Karelia for Tourism Andrei Volkov has told that "Cooperation for development of tourism is one more step towards elimination of barriers, as tourism has no borders."

This year the Republic of Karelia is presented at two stands, at the joint Russian-Finnish stand and among the four constituent territories of Russia at the federal stand of the Federal Tourism Agency. Travel agencies of Moscow, St.Petersburg, the Krasnodar Territory and Udmurtia have accommodated their proposals next to it.

Karelia is represented at the exhibition by the Information Tourist Centre, as well as such travel agencies as Intourist, Korela, Around.ru, Kizhi open-air museum, Karelika (Petrozavodsk), Druzhba (Olonets), Aegis and Kolams Karelia (Sortavala).

Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in Finland Valery Shlyamin welcomed the exhibition participants and mentioned that Karelia and Finland have gained positive experience of cross-border cooperation of long standing.