MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS Correspondent Natalia Egovkina/. The White Sea washes shores of three Russian Arctic regions. President Vladimir Putin has ordered to include the White Sea into the Five Seas and Lake Baikal Program to create year-round seaside resorts. The regions will receive a powerful impetus for development, and businesses will favor from multi-fold grown numbers of tourists. We have discusses with experts what travelers expect as they decide to travel to the sea in the North, how that part of the country develops, and what problems are to be addressed.
The Tersk coast sea harbor and other projects
A new tourist center is due in the village of Umba in the Murmansk Region. A cruise ship will stop there for the first time during the upcoming season, and the region hopes to double tourism revenues over the next five years. The region's neighbors along the White Sea coast are equally optimistic.
"We expect that [by being part of the program, regions] will increase revenues due to the service economy, including accommodation, sightseeing programs and local crafts. The plan is that on the White Sea the Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Karelia Regions will have new facilities to accommodate at least 1,000 guests year-round, and businesses will create at least 1,500 jobs. Other aspects are the upgrade of berthing infrastructures, and new cruise routes, including along the Northern Sea Route (NSR)," the Ministry for Development of the Far East and Arctic said.
Private investments are attracted to finance the program, and the role of the state is in tax incentives, ensuring transport accessibility, road infrastructures, and personnel training. According to the ministry, more than 150 projects in tourism and recreation with a total investment of 48 billion rubles ($581 million) are underway in the Russian Federation's Arctic Zone, where more than 2,600 jobs are offered. In 2024, the number of visiting tourists was more than 1.2 million, and the growth in 2025 is expected at another 15-20% thanks to projects, implemented by the Arctic business residents.
Why go there
The White Sea washes shores of three Russian regions: Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and Karelia. Karelia's biggest attractions on the White Sea are the city of Kem and the village of Rabochiostrovsk, where the historical port is located. From that port begin trips to the Solovki Island. These locations are great for developing coastal infrastructures, yacht tourism and cruise routes.
"Another important attraction is Belomorsk with the Petroglyphs Museum (a UNESCO site). This territory is promising for fishing and ethnic tourism. Chupa and Keret, known for scenic harbors, would be suitable for diving, ecology tourism and glamping. Traditional Pomor settlements (Pomors, or coast dwellers), such as Sumsky Posad and the village of Virma - for cultural and ethnic routes," said Valery Shlyamin of the Petrozavodsk State University.
As for the Arkhangelsk Region, such locations are the Winter Coast and the Summer Coast of the White Sea. The Winter Coast stretches east from the Northern Dvina mouth to Cape Voronov and the White Sea Throat (strait). The Summer Coast is west of the Dvinskaya Bay towards the Onega Peninsula. There, on the Solovki Islands, Herman and Savvaty founded the famous monastery, and Nikon, a future patriarch and reformer, in gratitude for his rescue during a storm, founded a monastery on the small island of Kiy. In the old times, trade with Western European countries was conducted across the White Sea, and Arkhangelsk became Russia's first commercial port and the birthplace of wooden shipbuilding.
"Every year, the number of people who want to visit the White Sea is only growing. Tourists are offered fishing, in summer and in winter, water sports (windsurfing, yachting, rafting), tours to learn the Pomors traditions, to watch animals in natural habitat (belugas, seals and their cubs), as well as to relax on beaches in the summer," the Arkhangelsk Region's Tourist Information Center said.
In the Murmansk Region, the White Sea washes the region's southern shores and the Kola Peninsula. The Tersk municipal district with the villages of Umba and Varzuga, and the Kandalaksha Bay, one of the White Sea's four largest bays, are popular with tourists.
"The Tersk Coast and the White Sea are very promising for the Murmansk Region. Travelers coming to this region, more often want to see the Kola Peninsula's south. This is very typical for those who have already visited the region's north: Teriberka, the Sredny and Rybachy Peninsulas. Plus, the White Sea has incredible potential for whale watching," tourism expert Elena Lanova said.
Transport inaccessibility
The main problem the interviewed experts highlighted was the problematic transport accessibility. Existing roads need to be made wider, plus new good roads need to take tourists directly to attractions. Another aspect is to upgrade marinas and airports. For Karelia, the task would be to upgrade the R-21 Kola Highway and to install additional gas stations, to reconstruct the airport in Kem and have regular flights there.
"As for initial investments, we are speaking about 5 to 10 billion rubles ($60 to 120 million): for the road reconstruction, for building small hotels, berths and runways. The full-fledged development, including thermal complexes, logistics and an airport, is estimated at 30-50 billion rubles ($363 - 606 million). In case of big projects comparable with Sochi or Baikal, investments may reach 100 billion rubles ($1.2 billion)," analyst at the Petrozavodsk State University Mikhail Shabanov said.
A very important task for the Arkhangelsk Region is to repair and build port and berthing infrastructures, and also to complete without delays repairing the Arkhangelsk - Onega highway, where works started back in the fall of 2021, the Tourist Information Center said.
Right now, those who want to visit ancient Pomor settlements, have to go by sea, then take a long ride along dirt roads in a spacious off-road vehicle. "During the summer, a small aircraft serves the Yarenga - Lokshenga - Zolotsa route, landing in every seaside village. If we speak about more expensive routes for wealthier tourists, then the clients could be delivered by helicopter only," said Lyudmila Drachkova of the Northern Arctic Federal University (NAFU).
It's not only about roads
Another biggest problem the program will face is the critical shortage of accommodation facilities: glamping and hotel rooms, primarily of high class. The current tourist demand in Karelia is limited by poor infrastructures, said Shlyamin. Visitors there are independent travelers, fishermen, pilgrims, as well those who admire nature, ethnography and history. Experts believe developed infrastructures could boost the number of tourists three to five times within five or seven years.
The Kola Peninsula's Tersk lacks greatly developed infrastructures for travelers, including accommodation. "Every other year, pink salmon comes to the Kola Peninsula's southern shores, and fishermen book all hotels in Tersk, all hotels get sold out. At the same time, as for sea trips, we do not have sufficiently comfortable vessels. Everything is to fit fishermen, and their requirements are typically much lower than those from average tourists," Lanovaya said.
Presently, according to the Arkhangelsk Region's Tourist Center, businesses have been implementing a number of projects on the White Sea coast under the Tourism and Hospitality Industry National Project. A year-round tourist center with glamping and a cafe - Yandova Guba - and the Summer Coast family recreation park have been created on the Yagry Island. In the future, there will be a hotel complex with a restaurant, a workout and recreation complex and a visit center.
The Onega District will use modular hotels and guest houses to accommodate more guests, and will also offer water and active tourism programs.
The White Sea cruise and hiking
The Umba - Tersk Coast Sea Harbor Project on the Kola Peninsula includes plans to build a pier on the Bolshaya Pirya Bay to form Umba's new tourist center, which will become a point on the Pomor Ring cruise route and on the Way of the Pomors inter-regional corridor. Lost elements of Umba's urban identity will be restored: a pier, wooden sidewalks, and houses on the water.
"Cruise routes are relatively new for us," the Murmansk Region's Ministry of Arctic Development and Economy said. "For the White Sea cruise routes we plan to use the Nikolay Zharkov vessel of the Karelia project with a capacity of 183 passengers to serve the Arkhangelsk - the Solovki Islands - Umba route. A trial call to Umba is due in August, and starting from 2026, every year there will be six ship calls."
Cruises and event tourism, as well as premium vacations in unique natural locations, may act as growth drivers in Karelia's White Sea districts, Mikhail Shabanov said. "Certain territories are in protected natural areas, where it is important to observe a balance between tourism and nature protection. Given the short summer season, we need to focus rather on winter destinations: ice festivals, ski marathons, biathlon competitions. Simultaneously, we need to address the problem of personnel shortage in the tourism and service sectors," he added.
The Arkhangelsk Region's Summer Shore could offer interesting hiking trails to both school and adult groups, Lyudmila Drachkova continued. "Such minimalist routes have been gaining popularity, a la the 1960s, when independent tourism developed, sort of happy-go-lucky excitement of tourists carrying tents and backpacks. Here, we need truly good guides, and that's where problems arise. We need to have both local residents and local administration get interested and involved, so that they somehow worked for tourists," she stressed.
NAFU has developed a professional retraining program dubbed "Fundamentals of sightseeing and tourism in the Russian North" to train specialists to work with tourists, including along the White Sea coast, she added.
"In order to offer comfortable conditions for guests visiting the region, the tourism business must participate actively in creating new accommodation and catering facilities, in developing interesting travel programs for different clients," the Arkhangelsk Tourist Information Center said.