Address to the participants

Artur Nikolaevich Tchilingarov

Coordinator of the Project
«Saint-Petersburg — the Sea Capital of Russia»
Member of the Supreme Council' Bureau of the Party «United Russia»
First deputy chief of the faction «United Russia» in the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the 5th convocation

Dear Colleagues!

Nowadays one of the most promising branches of our economy is tourism. Russia owns a colossal natural, cultural and historic potential for development of various kinds of sea tourism for foreigners and inland water tourism. However the industry of hospitality in our country is still an underdeveloped branch. Moreover, the world economic crisis has its effects by cutting demand for the Russian tourist product. Competition on the part of international tourism forces Russian tourist-recreational complex to seek ways of adaptation to the new economic conditions.

One of the key issues which the leading political forces of the country faced under conditions of the financial crisis is estimation of the role of tourism in Russia’s economy: its share in investments, employment and income of the state budget. The system problem is that if the present low level of competitiveness of the Russian Federation in the world tourist market is retained, potential of the home segment will be insufficient for increasing of employment of the population, rising of living standards and stimulating of demand for the Russian tourist product.

Nowadays one of the most popular tourist trends in our country and abroad is sea and river, particularly cruise, tourism. For integrated development of these subindustries in Russia it’s necessary to establish an appropriate infrastructure. This depends not only on increasing of the number of affordable hotels, improving of excursion services, but also on development of the transport complex, including resources which will enable us to receive sea tourists properly. Under the current economic conditions our country will be able to attract tourists from other countries only by demonstrating readiness to support tourism for foreigners, which will be possible only under conditions of close collaboration of the state and all organizations of the tourist branch.

For the purpose of building a constructive dialogue between authority and business aimed at discussion and solving of critical issues confronted by the tourist branch under conditions of the world financial crisis, the party «United Russia» will hold the conference «Sea Tourism» within the framework of the project «Saint-Petersburg — the Sea Capital of Russia». The conference will be devoted to the problems of development of sea and river cruises, ferry communication and yacht and speedboat tourism in all regions of the country. The action will be aimed at popularization of sea and river tourism among Russian tourists, as well as stimulating of the demand of foreign tourists for the Russian tourist product, connected with the usage of water supply.

Experience of foreign countries shows that success of the development of tourism depends greatly on the way this branch is understood and supported on the state level. The conference «Saint-Petersburg — the Sea Capital of Russia. Sea Tourism», held by the party «United Russia» and supported by ministries of the same type and committees of the State Duma, involving all principal sea and river regions of the country, will become an authoritative platform for taking policy decisions in the sphere of development of sea and inland water tourism in Russia.

I invite you to take an active part in the conference «Saint-Petersburg — the Sea Capital of Russia. Sea Tourism» and make a personal contribution to the development of tourist branch and economy of the whole country!