TASS, April 25. In the first quarter of the current year, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region welcomed by 11.9% more visitors than a year earlier, the region’s tourism authority told TASS.
"According to results of the monitoring, conducted by the Yamalo-Nenets Region’s Department of Youth Policies and Tourism, over the first quarter of 2022 the region welcomed 36,638 guests, which is by 11.9% more than we registered a year earlier," the department said.
The first quarter’s level is higher than recent years’ levels and higher than the level forecasted for 2022. The region said earlier, it expected 187,000 visitors in 2022, in case there are no major restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic. This would mean a 10% growth year-on-year.
Ready for growth
According to the region’s authorities, the further growth of visitors depends on many factors. First of all, limitations may be caused by COVID-19 spread. At the same time, the region may attract more tourists, since many foreign directions have been blocked. The existing infrastructures in the region are capable of serving a higher level of visitors. "Yamal has 127 hotels at all municipal districts. Since normally about 20-25% of our rooms are taken, we have a big ‘reserve’ of rooms to accommodate those who want to see our region. In Salekhard, the annual level of booked accommodation is more than 60%, and the busiest season is in the year end - up to 98%," the tourism authority said.
The regional authorities see the tourism sector must face a few tasks: to improve the tourism product quality in order to involve underused infrastructures and to cut the infrastructure’s dependence on the season-based demand. Additionally, there is an issue of pricing Arctic tours, since presently they differ greatly from tours to warm beaches. "The expenses of the ‘receiving side’ are higher - they are not just hotel costs, but also fuel and special means of transport to get to distanced locations, as well as equipment, and high insurance costs. Such trips are not standard routes, they are unusual and equally unforgettable," the tourism department said.
Every year, Yamal organizes a competition between tourism facilities to create new infrastructures and to improve existing facilities. The competition’s fund is 7 million rubles ($92,000). In mid-April, the region announced incentives of up to 250,000 rubles ($3,300), which a tourism company may receive to reimburse for its promotion campaigns. Thus, the regional operators will sell their services and offers to agents across the country. Besides, for the second year, the local operators participate in the federal cash-back program, where tourists may receive a 20% refund.
"The region has a unique tourism potential: including the nature of the Polar Urals, the culture of the North’s indigenous peoples, and great conditions for sports activities. A flight from Moscow or St. Petersburg to Salekhard is shorter than three hours. The region offers a wide network of subsidized routes: in 2022, it includes 38 destinations: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tyumen, Yekaterinburg, southern regions and many others. Those are direct flights served by Yamal Airlines," the tourism department added.
Tourism cluster
In late 2021, the Yamal government announced a tender for a concession agreement on a tourist complex near the Mount Rai-Iz on the terms of a public-private partnership. The complex will have ski slopes with lifts, accommodation facilities of different classes, catering and leisure facilities. The Polar Urals climate is great for long ski seasons from October to June, when other resorts are closed. "Two companies with extensive experience in creating tourist infrastructures in Russia have filed applications. As soon as the economic situation stabilizes, the work will continue fully. The tourism cluster creation provides additional budget revenues, jobs and will diversify the local economy," the regional governor’s press service told TASS in response to a question about how the project will continue in the current global situation.
According to the press service, the creation of ski infrastructures does not draw the focus from the ethnographic direction, which is most popular in the district, to the sports one. "At the Polar Urals cluster, tourists will enjoy a wide range of services - visiting unique natural sites, getting acquainted with the culture of indigenous peoples, skiing, snowmobiling in winter, rafting a mountain river in summer, and many more," the press service added.
The demand for the ethnographic direction is seen clearly at the popular Reindeer Herder's Day festivals, which began in the region in March and will continue until the end of April. "In Salekhard, the event featured 46,000 people. This proves the ethnographic tourism direction still attracts the largest numbers of guests," the region’s tourism department said.