Arctic tourism is developing as a fashion trend, though it lacks the necessary infrastructure, especially on the regional level, the deputy head of the Russian tourism authority has said, according to Regnum.
“We see the growing fashion for exotic Arctic tourism in various forms, and the trend is growing. <…> Tourists are interested in authentic, ecology impressions, strong emotions and clear skies — this is what they expect from the Arctic. <…> This demand, this fashion, naturally, has pushed development of industries, and first of all the global cruise industry,” Sergei Korneyev, the deputy head of Rosturizm, told an Arctic congress.
“This is a very strong and highly mobile sector,” he added.
He pointed to high demand for Arctic cruises.
“We are not in weak positions here, as the international tourism is happy to access Russia’s northern regions — Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Franz Josef Land,” he said. “Those are expeditions and big sightseeing cruises.”
Last month, Russia announced the opening of a tourism center in the remote Franz Josef Land archipelago.
The center is located on Guker Island, one of the largest in the group of islands. On this site in 1929, Soviet explorers established the very first research station in the region. The facility was regularly visited by Arctic expeditions afterward. In 1937, an Arctic observatory headed by the famous explorer Ivan Papanin was opened on the site.
