Taleb Rifai Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization. Taleb Rifai: Russia's heritage arouses admiration and interest

Governor Georgy Poltavchenko met today in Smolny with General Secretary World tourism organization United Nations (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai. Vice Governor Oleg Markov and Chairman of the Tourism Committee Andrey Mushkarev took part in the conversation.

The previous meeting between Georgy Poltavchenko and Taleb Rifai took place in June within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The Governor noted that during this time St. Petersburg has made great strides in strengthening its image. Our city has received a number of prestigious international awards, including the award, which is considered the "Oscar" of tourism - "World Travel Awards". The holding of an international cultural forum, which was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and ministers of culture from 20 countries, also contributed to drawing attention to the northern capital.

Georgy Poltavchenko said that every year the flow of tourists to our city is growing. If in 2015 6.5 million tourists visited St. Petersburg, this year the flow is expected to increase to 6.9 million people, of which 3.1 million are Foreign tourists. Taleb Rifai said that according to the forecasts of the World Tourism Organization, these figures may be even higher - 7 million tourists, of which 3.5 million are foreign.

Georgy Poltavchenko stressed that a special visa-free regime for 72 hours gave momentum to the development of sea tourism. Government Petersburg appealed to the Russian Foreign Ministry with a proposal to intensify work on the issue of visa-free stay for a period of 72 hours for guests arriving to us by air. Petersburg also counts on a more active use of the city's opportunities for the development of congress and business tourism.

Taleb Rifai supported Georgy Poltavchenko's proposal to hold a St. Petersburg international events within the framework of the World Tourism Association. He noted that for recent times Petersburg has achieved great success in the development of tourism, was recognized as the best destination in Europe and the world. He also stressed that the city has done a lot to improve air and maritime traffic, as well as the development of the road network, meaning the opening of the Western High-Speed ​​Diameter. However, he noted that additional features will open a 72-hour visa-free regime for guests arriving by air, as well as organizing direct flights from major cities Asia, expanding the geography of flights to other regions of the world. Taleb Rifai said that St. Petersburg is no less beautiful in winter than in summer, and called for more active development of tourism during the “white days”, especially congress and business tourism.

Georgy Poltavchenko said that the city is actively working on the development of tourism infrastructure. The hotel network is expanding, it is planned to create hotels on the water. On the recommendation of Taleb Rifai, a mobile IT application for tourists has already been created in St. Petersburg.

Taleb Rifai called for more active use of opportunities World Organization tourism. He invited Georgy Poltavchenko to visit the headquarters of the organization, which is located in Madrid.

Following the meeting, Georgy Poltavchenko and Taleb Rifai signed a Memorandum of Understanding between St. Petersburg and the World Tourism Organization.

Last week, the TASS North-West Press Center hosted a press conference dedicated to the official visit of UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai to St. Petersburg.

An agreement on the visit of one of the world's most influential experts in the field of tourism was reached at the St. Economic Forum. UNWTO Secretary General (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai took part in a panel session on the topic "The role of the tourism industry in the modern economy", organized by the Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg. At this Forum, a meeting was held between the Governor of St. Petersburg G.S. Poltavchenko and Mr. T. Rifai, within the framework of which the UNWTO Secretary General received an invitation in December 2016 to visit

St. Petersburg on an official visit.

This meeting with journalists from St. Petersburg was attended by general secretary World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Tourism Development Committee Andrey Mushkarev, Chief of Protocol UNWTO Zhanna Yakovleva, CEO St. Petersburg State budget institution"City Tourist Information Bureau" Evgeny Pankevich.

Andrei Mushkarev informed the audience about the meeting with the governor of the city G.S. Poltavchenko, which has just ended.

At this meeting, for the first time in the Russian Federation, one of the regions, St. Petersburg, signed a memorandum of understanding with the WTO.

Not only the signing is important here, but also the points that are in the document, which speak of concrete joint steps. Mr. Rifai was already in St. Petersburg during the SEF in June this year . Much of what was then discussed with the governor has already begun to be implemented. Moreover, at today's meeting, several important points and steps to be taken in the coming months.

“We will start joint active work to promote St. Petersburg in the international arena. And for this we will use the huge resource that the WTO has, not only in terms of promotion, but also in terms of international statistics, knowledge on how to develop tourism in the city based on existing international experience. Therefore, the working meeting turned out to be very productive, and an important document for the city was signed. First step on long road for the development of St. Petersburg as the tourist capital of Russia was made”, - noted A. Mushkarev

Taleb Rifai also elaborated on this meeting and its outcomes:

“Today I really had a wonderful meeting with the governor of St. Petersburg,

where the WTO signed a direct agreement with the city. But it is remarkable for its nature and content. Over the past 4 years, I have met with 84 presidents and prime ministers. But far from always, these people represented political leaders like the governor, who really believes in tourism as a very important force, who is ready to use the political will, this resource, for the benefit of the city. Therefore, today's meeting was very special. In less than 15-20 minutes we were able to discuss many aspects of this agreement. Tourism is becoming one of the most effective types human activity around the world. In terms of its economic efficiency, it is in third place after the chemical and fuel industries. It contributes about 10% to world GDP, and its total volume in the world is 5.3 trillion. dollars

In our experience, if there is no political will from the highest political authorities in a country, region or city, nothing will work. But, if there is political will, then the ability of this sector to develop the socio-economic environment of this community in the right direction is huge, and everything else is just trifles. And today I felt it very clearly in my conversation with the governor.

I also congratulated the governor on the award to the city of two World Travel Awards, which St. Petersburg has recently received.

St. Petersburg is a magical brand. When you hear "St. Petersburg", magical images are created in your head. Many destinations in the world are still trying to build a brand. You already have such a brand, and it is a powerful brand!

The problem is that a simple message needs to be conveyed to the whole world: “Welcome to St. Petersburg!”. But this is not just a statement. It is necessary to make it easy to come here, and, in addition, when coming here, people should find themselves in a friendly environment. Undoubtedly, your city is one of, and perhaps the most attractive tourist destination in the world, and everyone should be informed about this.”

Of the 7 million tourists who come to St. Petersburg annually, 3.5 million are foreign tourists, but, according to Taleb Rifai, St. Petersburg deserves 10 times more.

“And these are not only numbers, but also the benefits for the city that these tourists will bring: new jobs, economic development, a more active life, pride in it. And I am absolutely sure that if I come here again in six months or a year, it will be a completely different reality!” Taleb Rafai summed up.

Evgeny Pankevich, General Director of St. Petersburg City Tourist Information Bureau, presented a new product for a more comfortable stay of tourists in the city - the Visit Petersburg application with the possibility of augmented reality. This presentation was prefaced by Andrey Mushkarev, Chairman of the Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg, stressing that this product is one of the first steps that the city is taking on the recommendation of the WTO. “Users can watch a video, listen to audio information about the object, and also choose a route to it. Now the application is available in the AppleStore worldwide, and at the airport in St. Petersburg it can be downloaded for free in English and Russian, versions in 10 languages ​​will be released by April.” It is worth noting that the application was developed within two months, and the UNWTO Secretary General himself was the author of the idea of ​​creating such a product. During the last visit, Mr. Rifai expressed regret that in northern capital there is no mobile guide around the city in the public domain, so it was decided to create one,” he added.

Taleb Rifai answered journalists' questions.

At the request of journalists to name five features of St. Petersburg that can attract tourists, Mr. Rafai answered (We present, in our opinion, the most important of them):

“There is an opportunity to receive more guests here. This is my third visit to St. Petersburg, each time I have stayed in different hotels and I am very impressed with the quality of services. This is a world-class quality, and there is a willingness to receive a variety of guests - from businessmen to students. And the last feature is the Petersburgers themselves. I speak absolutely honestly and objectively: in St. Petersburg - the most kind people who smile. There is a sense of hospitality that is not found everywhere. There are two tourism schools in the world: they are Northern and Western Europe and Latin America and developing countries. In Europe they are very correct in everything, but there is no friendliness, no informal smiles. In another “school” there are no standards, but while you are having lunch, they will dance in front of you, sing, talk about your family, husband and children. St. Petersburg has both. There is a clear level of correctness and a personal attitude that makes you feel comfortable.”

He also answered the question about the minuses of the destination St. Petersburg:

“You have a powerful brand, but it is not connected with the ability to properly experience this brand. For example, I like the brand of Northern or south poles, but if I can't get there, or the costs are inadequate, then the whole strength of the brand will remain a dream. This is the main problem for St. Petersburg. What needs to be done to make coming here as easy as snapping your fingers,” says Taleb Rifai.

The second problem, according to Taleb Rifai, is seasonality. It is impossible to receive tourists only in summer, more efforts are needed so that guests come in winter as well: “I told the governor: I visited you in June and December, and this is wonderful. But seasonality is a disadvantage, and it must be combated.”

WTO Secretary General also answered the questionProhotel.ru.

Mr. Rifai, you said in your speech that St. Petersburg can and should increase the number of tourists who come here. But this requires hotels.

What do you think, what are the growth limits of the hotel sector in St. Petersburg?

Taleb Rifai: Here, first of all, we need to remember about sustainable and reliable development. Height in and of itself is not your enemy or limiter. There are no growth restrictions. What matters is how you manage that growth. I say this because I am sure that at some point St. Petersburg may face the same situation that is currently being discussed in Barcelona, ​​Venice, and Amsterdam. In this situation, there are people who say: “That's it, enough tourists for us!”. But this is a defeatist mood. Every person has the right to come to St. Petersburg. I would not put any limits on the number of tourists. But this flow must be managed in such a way that all these people do not end up in the same place at the same time.

There are special managerial skills and techniques that allow this to be guaranteed. In other words, you need to create points for attracting tourists around the city center, which will attract the interest and attention of tourists when there are too many of them. This will not only reduce the pressure on the center, but will also allow all the benefits of tourism to be extended to other areas, rather than concentrated only in the center. You can also use the technique of allocating certain time periods for visits.

Therefore, I would not recommend that you think about downloading based on maximum number tourists. Petersburg today is at such a stage of development that it is already ready to receive more tourists than it actually comes here now.

I thank you for this question, because in the fairly near future these numbers will grow and become redundant. Therefore, now we need to think about how to cope with these figures. We discussed this yesterday with Andrey Mushkarev in connection with the plan to increase the number of cruises coming to St. Petersburg. This means that for a short time 3-4 thousand people will come to the city at the same place at the same time. It is necessary to ensure that these 3-4 thousand people are quickly distributed geographically so that, on the one hand, they do not negative impact on the environment, on the situation, and on the other hand, to more people in the city could take advantage of the benefits that tourism brings.

Now we are discussing this with the mayor of Barcelona, ​​with the mayor of Venice. In the last two months I have met three times with each of them, and we can discuss this issue with you as well. The main thing - do not be afraid of numbers!

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is specialized agency United Nations and a leading public international tourism organization with membership in 163 countries and territories and over 480 private sector affiliates, educational institutions, tourism associations and regional public authorities responsible for tourism issues.

On March 20, the Russian International Academy of Tourism was visited by a distinguished guest - the Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai, in the figurative expression of the rector of the Academy, Professor I.V. Zorina, tourist number 1 in the world. The meeting was attended by the chairman of the Central Council for Tourism and Leisure (holding) V.G. Pugiev, Head of the European Department of the UNWTO Isabel Garanya, Deputy Head of the Administration of the Khimki District A. Khomutov, First Vice-Rector of the RMAT E.N. Trofimov, other RMAT leaders, faculty, guests and, of course, students.

Opening the meeting Igor Vladimirovich Zorin reported that the head of this leading international organization in the field of tourism, he kindly responded to the invitation of the students of the Academy to come to visit them, which they addressed to him in March 2011.

Taleb Rifai expressed deep pleasure from visiting the Academy and meeting with students - tomorrow's leaders of the tourism industry, which he had been waiting for a whole year. According to him, UNWTO and Russian Federation have a long history of relationships, and it is important for everyone to know what place tourism occupies today in modern life. Per last year 980 million citizens of the Earth crossed the border of their country and became outbound tourists. Financially, they spent over $1 trillion. dollars. But domestic tourism was estimated at 4 billion travelers. Tourism contributed more than 5% to world GDP. Every 12th workplace in the world was created by tourism. Someone considers tourism to be not a very serious matter, mainly related to relaxation, pleasure and fun, but be that as it may, tourism today is the third most important sector of the world economy.

Over the past half century, tourism has undergone dramatic changes. In the 1950s 25 million people went on international trips, now it is 40 times more. At that time, people spent about 1 billion dollars on international tourism, now it is 500 times more. At that time, 75% of people had never traveled more than 100 km from their home in their lives. Then the center of tourism was Europe, tourists traveled to Europe or from it. Now the geography of tourism is rapidly expanding, covering the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Asian countries take on 25% of the world tourist flow. And no one will dispute the fact that tourism is technologically and informationally changing the world around us.

But today tourism is also facing a number of challenges. The first is economic, connected with the crisis in the economy, primarily in Europe, which receives half of all tourists. Unemployment is growing, people travel less often, in Spain, for example, it has reached 22%. The unstable financial situation causes fluctuations in exchange rates, ticket prices and hotel rooms, which complicates tourist exchanges. The second challenge is a political one, given the events that are unpleasant from the point of view of tourism that are taking place in the Middle East and North Africa. The third challenge is ecological. Tourism still has a lot of claims about the negative impact on the environment (a lot of greenhouse gases are emitted by aircraft serving tourists). And this also needs to be taken into account.

Other shifts relate to technology, structure and parameters of the tourist flow. In our time, the development of communication is such that it is possible to book hotel rooms and transport without getting up from the couch, which greatly shortens the path between those who offer services and consume them. Tourism is getting younger, an increasing number of young people travel around the world, but at the same time, interest in tourism is also increasing from the older generation. The tourist has become more educated, cultured and more demanding on the quality of service.

T. Rifai answered a number of questions. Speaking of Russian potential in tourism, he called it huge, especially when viewed as a link between Europe and Asia. Russian operators must convince foreign tourists to come not only to Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also to other interesting cities and regions. But this propaganda work is carried out by those Russians who travel abroad. Meeting with the population of other countries, they convince him to go and see their country.

Answering a question about the role of young people in promoting and developing tourism, the UNWTO Secretary-General said that, according to their calculations, by 2020 the number of young tourists traveling abroad should exceed 330 million people a year. The young, by the way, spend more money, than the older generation, get to points where people of middle or old age will not get, they are more sociable. In a word, RMAT students are waiting for interesting job and wonderful profession.

A 2nd year student E. Efremova asked T. Rifai to tell about how he came to tourism. The guest admitted that he came to tourism late, he worked at a higher school, taught as a professor of architecture and urban design. Then he went into politics, and one day the prime minister invited him to his office and, by chance, offered to take up a new business for him - tourism. Taleb Rifai agreed, and from that moment tourism became the meaning of his life.

A 2nd year student Y. Savina asked to name the best European school in the field of tourism. Tourism, the guest explained, is a horizontal sector. Someone is more engaged in the business part of tourism, marketing, someone focuses on hospitality and service. But there are two indicators of quality in tourism - this is the shown flexibility and the use of innovation.

Student M. Malyaeva asked to name the purpose of the distinguished guest's visit to Russia. Well, of course, said T. Rifai, these are meetings with the Minister and the head of the Federal Tourism Agency, this is a seminar on organizing interaction between governmental and non-governmental organizations, this is an important meeting with Deputy Prime Minister V. Surkov and, of course, the main thing is visiting the RMAT and communicating with the student audience .

Students M. Atayeva, E. Hovhannisyan and A. Spetsano (Italy) shared their impressions about studying at the Academy.

Head of the European Department of the UNWTO Isabelle Garagna said that her department is part of Taleb Rifai's "team" and is engaged in the development of tourism in the area from Lisbon to Vladivostok. This region is showing momentum. If in the world tourism over the past year grew by 4%, then in the European region by 6%. With approximately 500 million tourists now visiting Europe every year, the Department intends to keep the bar high by conducting research to find out why people go there, or why they don't. This kind of information is useful for all European countries. These studies will be carried out with the support of RMAT, on which, it is expected, an appropriate agreement will be reached.

In conclusion, I.V. Zorin noted that tourism today is not only an economy, but, above all, human relations. Now RMAT tourists had the honor to communicate with the world's main tourist, but we must not forget that the number one Russian tourist is also on the presidium of the meeting. This is Viktor Georgievich Pugiev, who heads the Central Council for Tourism and Leisure (holding) and was the founder of the Academy. At one time, TSTE served 1 million tourists and vacationers daily, and 330 thousand people worked in its structures. Today the Academy is a unique non-state educational institution where students pay for their own education, in fact, invest in their future. The Academy has been working with UNWTO for 20 years, during which it has passed several accreditations. Experience in creating a network of professional knowledge should be implemented in Russia. RMAT and UNWTO will continue to cooperate, and within its framework, RMAT intends to create a UNWTO Chair in its structure and invites T. Rifai to head it.

I.V.Zorin presented the high guest with a diploma and a gown of the Honorary Professor of the RMAT, and on behalf of the Governor of the Moscow Region B. Gromov - a state regional award - the Order "Thank you". I. Garagna was also awarded a high award - the Order of "Peace and Development" by UNESCO-RMAT.

RMAT-Inform

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Program "Business Moscow", TV Center, aired from 03/22/2012

Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai gave an exclusive interview to TASS, during which he spoke about tourism forecasts for this year and about what affects the global tourism industry. He also shared his opinion on how foreigners see Russia and how to use the potential of the Russian Federation in this direction.

What number of foreign tourists can we talk about at the end of the year, what is your forecast? How many international travelers did UNWTO record last year?

With a 4% increase in the number of international tourists, 2015 was the sixth consecutive year of above-average growth in the tourism sector.

The number of travelers traveling to other countries is approaching 1.2 billion.

In 2016, according to our estimates, the demand for foreign travel will grow by 3.5-4.5%.

In the next few years, this figure will continue to grow by an average of 4%, reaching 1.8 billion international tourists in 2030.

These figures reflect the good health of the sector, which slowed down only on three occasions: the September 11, 2001 attacks (in the USA. - Approx. TASS), the avian flu of 2003 and the worldwide economic crisis in 2009.

- Can you name the amount of income from world tourism in 2015 and what income is projected in 2016?

International tourism revenue rose 4.4% in real terms, adjusted for currency fluctuations and inflation. This figure reached $1.26 billion in 2015. Similar growth is expected in 2016.

It is important to emphasize that international tourism represents 30% of service exports. The share of tourism in total exports of goods and services increased from 6% to 7% in 2015, the fourth year in a row that the growth of international tourism exceeded the growth of world trade in goods. During this period, it grew from 2% to 3% per year, according to the World Trade Organization.

Tourism is gradually taking on an increasingly important role when it comes to export diversification, both in transition and developed countries.

- Can we say that the international economic crisis has not affected the global tourism market?

Even in times of crisis, the tourism sector has shown great resilience. We have determined that in some places where there is a crisis, the number of travelers may decrease, but only in the short term. Soon, interest in this direction increases again.

- What place will Russia take, according to your forecasts, in the ranking of popular tourist destinations in 2016?

According to our 2015 data, the Russian Federation ranked tenth in the ranking of the most visited countries in the world.

The number of international tourists rose from 29.8 million in 2014 to 31.3 million in 2015, an increase of about 5%, above the international average.

We will release data for 2016 shortly, but we can expect the number of travelers arriving in the country to continue to rise.

Have the terrorist attacks in Europe (including in Nice, Brussels, Munich) affected the tourist flows in these regions? What tendencies in this direction are fixed by UNWTO?

As I mentioned before, the routes where such tragic events took place are recovering their tourism sector in the medium and long term. Indeed, one could notice a slight decrease in the number of arrivals at first, but this phenomenon is short-lived. The European continent is the most visited region in the world and this trend will continue in the coming years.

Have you been on the jury of the competition to select the official tourist image of Russia, the winner of which will be announced in December? What, in your opinion, should a Russian brand be?

The Russian Federation is so rich and diverse that it is very difficult to define a brand. However, there are good examples to look at and inspire, such as Spain, which considers different markets when designing a brand and takes into account very different characteristics: gastronomy, culture, traditions or way of life. I think that Russia can work in this direction, given the huge variety of what it has to offer.

You often travel to Russia to participate in various events dedicated to the tourism industry. What are the main problems of Russian tourism? How to fix them?

I think that it is not so much about problems, but about the potential of Russia, which it has not fully disclosed.

For example, proposals that would be guaranteed success include the most remote regions of the Russian Federation, tours on lakes.

In addition, the culinary and cultural traditions of Russia are so rich that they need to develop adapted tourism products and make them closer to the country's visitors.

Even 10-15 years ago, foreign tourists perceived Russia as a fairly closed destination. Have you managed to get rid of this stereotype, what do you think?

I don't know how each individual traveler perceives Russia and therefore cannot speak for them, but it has always been obvious to me that Russia is a destination that everyone would like to visit at least once in a lifetime.

Its history, culture and wealth in general is something so universal that every person knows something about this country that most destinations don't.

- What picture appears before the tourist when it comes to rest in Russia?

Again, I can't speak to the perception of tourists visiting Russia, but the country's heritage is universally admired and big interest by travelers who decide to visit the Russian Federation.

Both urban tourism and the richness of the countryside of other regions, which are less popular among tourists, are of great interest.

Interviewed Ekaterina Vorobieva

One of the most influential people in the field of world tourism is the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in exclusive interview told Lente.ru about the shortest roads between continents, bad associations, delicious anti-globalism and what prolongs life.

Lenta.ru: Mr. Rifai, how would you answer the main question related to your profession: why do you need to travel at all?

Rifay: It seems to me that travel is the shortest and, I would add, endlessly fascinating path leading from one culture to another. In fact, we all need to follow this path, because it connects peoples, countries and even entire continents. And for me personally, one of the fundamental human rights is concluded in the journey - the right to be happy, developing, self-improving and making discoveries. Perhaps that is why today more than a billion people travel around the world every year.

On the other hand, tourism is big business. The annual turnover of the global travel industry is one and a half trillion dollars. This is not only money, but also infrastructure, communications, and most importantly, hundreds of thousands of jobs.

What do you think is the best way to start acquaintance with the country?

From communication. Main value any place - the people who live there. Monuments of history and culture, various sights, natural beauties, of course, are important and add attractiveness to any trip. But without people, they are dead and unable to awaken to life.

Communicating with local residents, you get a unique opportunity to get in touch with traditions, with a different culture, to get to its very roots. It seems to me that any traveler should walk side by side with the locals at least a small part of the roads that are important to them.

It is easiest to penetrate into the essence of another culture, to learn something secret about the world unknown to us through National dishes and drinks. I'm not talking about the fact that at the table we become closer to each other. The significance and, if you like, the ancient sacredness of the common breaking of bread is as strong today as it was thousands of years ago.

AT new country, in a new city, by all means go to the restaurants and cafes that the locals like. AT modern world social, sexual, household boundaries are erased. And that's not always good. Men and women wear the same suits, do the same hairstyles, drive the same cars, use the same mobile phones. Everyone is like everyone else. National food is the little that allows individuals and even entire nations to maintain their own uniqueness.

What else? Music, rituals, holidays. Watch people get married as they celebrate New Year how birthdays are celebrated is a sure key to understanding the essence of a different culture.

What do you personally see as your task as Secretary General of the UNWTO?

I aspire to engage in global promotion different cultures, different communities. I really want to see as many people as possible in the world for whom tourism is not associated exclusively with lying on the beach or rampant drinking. After all, travel is better than any other type of activity, it broadens your horizons, makes your personal picture of the world more complex and multidimensional - in the end, it develops and strengthens tolerance. Actually, in this - in the development of communication between people and nations, and communication based on mutual respect - I see the main purpose of the World Tourism Organization.

Also, among the priority tasks, I would single out a set of issues related to facilitating the movement of people around the world. We are doing our best to simplify the visa regime, as well as to strengthen security on various routes. Without free movement, there can be no successful world tourism.

In what corners the globe UNWTO Secretary General has not had time to visit yet?

I have visited a huge number of countries. Maybe a hundred or more. Both at work and just like that. But some places on the planet are just about to be discovered. In the near future - a big trip to the countries of South Africa: Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia.

Not so long ago you visited Altai, but you have repeatedly visited our country before. How do you assess the tourism potential of Russia?

In my opinion, this potential is huge. Not least thanks to the richest culture and the powerful tradition of hospitality, which is completely indestructible in Russians. Today Russia ranks ninth among the most visited countries in the world. And the number of tourists over the past fifteen years has grown from 10 to 30 million people. Judge for yourself if this is a good result.

What, in your opinion, should Russia do today to develop inbound tourism?

A combination of factors comes into play here. Among the most important, I would note the creation of an appropriate infrastructure, work to improve the image of the country and the elimination of unnecessary obstacles in organizing travel (facilitating the visa regime and speeding up the customs control procedure). I must say that Russia is actively and, it seems to me, successfully working to solve these problems. Visit Russia offices around the world are a vivid confirmation of this. Another worthy example is the Russian Gastronomy Week, which recently took place in Madrid with the active support of the UNWTO. After all, even the most impenetrable boundaries break easily at the table.

What is the best age to travel?

For travel, every age is the best. Because at any age you will surely discover something important for yourself - something that interests you right here and now. But I sincerely wish everyone to start traveling as early as possible, then there is a chance to see incomparably more. In this sense, the world has changed a lot in the last thirty years. For example, I first went abroad when I was twenty. And my daughter has been traveling on her own since she was eleven!

On the other hand, today life expectancy has increased significantly. Older people have good pensions and decent savings. Yes, and modern medicine works wonders. Therefore, those who earlier, due to their advanced age, did not even think about going somewhere, today they willingly do it. Look at tourists from Europe, Japan or North America: some are well over eighty, but they are cheerful, active and inquisitive - to the envy of the young. They eagerly seek new experiences, experience new emotions. And this novelty also prolongs life.