ULAN-UDE, April 16. /TASS/. Business residents of the Buryatia Advanced-Development Territory implement four tourism projects on Lake Baikal's eastern and southern shores, Maria Badmatsyrenova of the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic told TASS.
"Four projects in tourism and recreation are being implemented in Buryatia under the local advance-development regime," she said. "In compliance with agreements with the corporation, businesses will invest 6.5 billion rubles ($79 million), where 400 million rubles ($4.9 million) have been invested already."
The companies will create 700 jobs, she added.
Tourism facilities near Lake Baikal
The Baikal Resorts Company has been upgrading the Goryachinsk Resort on the eastern shore, which has been working there for more than 200 years. Some 1.7 billion rubles ($21 million) will be invested in the project to upgrade the balneology hospital, rehabilitation buildings with recreational infrastructures, a swimming pool, a greenhouse and a conference hall.
Another project is the Bydrino tourism and recreation cluster in Buryatia's Kabansky District, on Lake Baikal's southern shore. Investments are about 3 billion rubles ($36 million). A 25-hectare land plot will accommodate guest houses, a spa center with a swimming pool, a visitor center, a restaurant with a terrace, seasonal playgrounds for children, workout facilities, as well as yacht infrastructures - berths, service stations. The complex will have 250 rooms to accommodate at least 500 tourists at a time.
The third project is Cape Kapitanov. By 2027, the investor will offer a circular route to popular recreation areas in the existing South Baikal Ecology Park along the Snezhnaya River. Investments under an agreement with the corporation will make 189 million rubles ($2.3 million), and more than 40 locals will be employed. Tourists will enjoy comfortable glampings and tent houses, equipped trails, and safe beaches.
Another project is the Uralchem Southern Baikal Tourism Cluster. The business resident will build in the village of Vydrino a hotel, a spa center and a pier. Tourists will be able to get there from Ulan-Ude and from neighboring Irkutsk.
An advanced-development territory is part of the Russian Federation's region, which has a special legal regime for businesses - tax benefits and administrative incentives. The Buryatia advanced-development territory was established in 2019, its business residents are 20 companies that are implementing projects worth more than 51.9 billion rubles ($630 million).
Tourism is a leading sector of Buryatia's economy. Main attractions are Lake Baikal, the Eastern Sayany, the Tunka Valley, natural protected areas and inaccessible locations in the region's north. Visitors prefer to visit the Ivolginsky Datsan, villages inhabited by Old Believers, as well as other events related to Buryatia's culture and traditions.