Murmansk Oblast plans to launch new attractions for Russian and foreign tourists in the near future, including in Pechenga, the border region with Norway, as announced by the governor of Murmansk Oblast Andrey Chibis.
It is noted that in the last two years the income of the Murmansk region from the tourist industry amounted to more $67 million. The number of tour operators is growing as well and currently, there are more than 50 of them.
“Before the pandemic, we had a very large flow of foreign tourists, primarily from Asia. Since the closure of the border, the tourism sector had to shift towards domestic tourism, which has resulted in new economic conditions […] We continue to develop the infrastructure to attract tourists, and expect new tourists to come when the borders are opened,” Chibis said.
He explained that the biggest site, which will be opened next spring is the recreation zone for tourists situated on Sredny and Rybachy peninsulas. The site will be a part of the main attractions including skiing, mountain tourism as well as industrial, cultural and cruise tourism. Investment in the project will amount to $380 million, creating 800 jobs.
In total, more than 350,000 people have visited the area in nine months this year, the same amount it gets in a normal year.
“The increase in the tourist traffic requires new infrastructure to be built. A new terminal at Murmansk airport will be built in 2023. A new panoramic restaurant at a height of more than 700 metres has been opened this year”, Chibis added.
Ru-Main, 24.12.2021
Source: Sputnik
