The Head of Karelia: thanks to the national project “Tourism and Hospitality Industry” the guestroom stock has doubled in 5 years in the region
In 2023, the region reached its attendance record - 1 million 600 thousand tourists. During the annual report at the meeting of the Legislative Assembly on April 24, 2024, the Head of Karelia, Artur Parfenchikov, spoke about development and support of the tourism industry of the republic and set a new task - to increase the tourism share in the GRP of Karelia to 8%.
The tourism potential of Karelia is revealed more and more every year. In 2023, the number of the trips to the republic amounted to 1.6 million, exceeding the 2022 numbers by 8%.
– Taking into account the population of Karelia, it means that there are 3 tourists for every local resident. For comparison: in the Krasnodar region, a popular holiday destination, has 4 tourists, – noted the Head of the region.
Artur Parfenchikov emphasized that thanks to the national project “Tourism and Hospitality Industry” it is possible to effectively develop the tourism sector in Karelia.
– Since 2019, the number of accommodation facilities in the region has doubled. In any district, guests of the republic can comfortably stay in new modern hotels, glamping sites, and guest houses. The total number of rooms in the region increased by 10 percent last year alone. This year we plan to introduce more than 200 more rooms in modular hotels, – emphasized Artur Parfenchikov.
At the end of the year, the volume of fee-based services in the industry also increased by 12%. In addition, during the last two years, the contributions to the budget from tourism enterprises have increased significantly, by 65%.
The head of the region noted that 2023 was the year of appearance of new objects display in tourism. In May 2023, the ethno-park “Gora Sampo” was opened. It has a convenient ascent to the mountain of the same name in the Prionezhsky district and a comfortable observation deck. Besides, in May 2023, the camping site “Izumrudnyi Gorod” with the rope amusement park “Dolina Lo” was opened in Kostomuksha. In 2023, the project of Sortavala tourist center development was completed.
The Head of Karelia instructed the economic block of the Government to increase the share of tourism in the GRP to 8%.
