MOSCOW, December 10 (Itar-Tass) —— The construction of facilities of the North Caucasus tourism cluster in Dagestan will serve as a catalyst of the republic’s social and economic development, Anatoly Karibov, the head of Dagestan’s Agency for Tourism, told the conference “Investment Potential of the Republic of Dagestan. Projects. Sites. Mechanisms of Support” held at Itar-Tass. The tourism cluster “is a catalyst of the republic’s social and economic development, promotes the growth of employment and the development of related branches of the economy, of the infrastructure and communications,” Karibov said.
He believes close effective cooperation has been established between the republic’s leadership and the North Caucasus Resorts joint-stock company. Karibov noted that joint systemic work to draw Russian and foreign investment is now in progress. “The effort to adjust territorial planning, formalize land and property relations, take the stock of the land resources and draw up the list of planned infrastructural facilities was also started on the sites of the Caspian coastal cluster,” Karibov said.
He said a target program for the development of the tourism and recreation complex for 2013-2017 had been drawn up in Dagestan. It also envisages the development of municipal entities not included in the tourism cluster. “Large-scale facilities of the tourism cluster are linked with the development of the tourism infrastructure in other municipal entities of the republic. This will make it possible to increase considerably the contribution of the tourism industry into the region’s economy,” he stressed.
The head of Dagestan’s tourist agency urged the participants in the conference to help draw attention of investors to the project for the tourism cluster.
Alexander Danilovsky, the director of the strategic development department of the North Caucasus Resorts company, who presented the project at the conference, also dwelt on measures to attract investors’ attention to the project. He said unique privileges are given to business in the framework of special economic zones on the territories where resorts are planned. “These privileges include lower tax on profits, exemption from the tax on property for ten years, from the tax on land for five years and lower insurance tax. The Russian government guarantees the return of up to 70 percent of the total volume of the borrowed capital in case of force majeure circumstances,” he said.
Regarding measures of support for small and medium enterprises, the representative of the North Caucasus Resorts company said that the company gives particular attention to involving local business people in the implementation of the project. For instance, low interest credits are envisaged for small and medium enterprises. “Representatives of local businesses will only have to invest 10 -20 percent of the cost of some or other tourist facility. The rest of the sum can be supplied by a financial organization at low interest for a long term.
He also said businesses not directly involved in the development of resort facilities would gain from the development of tourism as the demand for goods and services the local population can offer will increase as the tourist flow grows
A large-scale project for the construction of world class ski resorts is implemented in south Russia under the management of the North Caucasus Resorts company - in Lagonaki (Krasnodar territory, Adygeia), Arkhyz (Karachayevo-Cherkessia), Elbrus-Bezengi (Kabardino-Balkaria), Mamison (North Ossetia), Matlas (Dagestan), Tsori and Armkhi (Ingushetia), as well as beach resorts on the Caspian coast in Dagestan.