I REGION I EUROPE ITHE
I REGION I EUROPE ITHE WHOLEWORLD WITHINRUSSIAIn September 2019, tourism ministers,public and private sector leaders and keydecision makers headed to St Petersburgand Moscow to meet for the 23rd Sessionof the World Tourism Organisation(UNWTO).This most important high-level event forglobal tourism came at a crucial time forthe sector. According to the latest TourismBarometer from the United Nationsspecialised agency for tourism – releasedon the eve of its General Assembly –international tourist arrivals for the first sixmonths of 2019 totalled 671 million, a 4%increase on the same period of 2018. At thesame time, guided by UNWTO, tourism hasemerged as a key pillar of the SustainableDevelopment Agenda, identified as apowerful driver of economic growth,job creation and the preservation andpromotion of cultural and natural heritage© 2019 КозинцевThree Volcanoes - Elizovsky District - RussiaADVERTORIALKrugozor Expo Travel is promotingnew routes in a number of Russianplaces. Among them, as populardestinations, Moscow, St. Petersburg,the Golden ring, but also new and nowpopular, Altai, Baikal, Siberia, Sochi,Murmansk.Krugozor is a destination management company(DMC) and professional conference organiser(PCO). Building on years of experience andextended knowledge of Russia, their strong teamprides itself in providing highly competitive serviceRussian DMC KrugozorExpo Travel promotesnew routes… and ideasthat focuses on people and their needs.Their team speaks English, German andFrench, and they serve markets such asthe USA, Canada, Australia, Germany,Austria, Portugal, Latin Americancountries and France.“Our main goal is for our guests to havethe best impressions from their trip toRussia. We stand behind the quality ofour services. Our clients' peace of mind,satisfaction with our services and joy oftravel always remain as our top priority”,explains Managing Director LubaKravchenko. “Our business is not what wedo, it is who we are. We believe that theworld is for sharing, and we look forwardto sharing with you the Russia we knowand love so much.”Russia is changing rapidly, yet remains faithful toits rich heritage. The splendour of the royal palacesand residences will help the visitor immerse himor herself in its past, while the modern vibe andtourism opportunities that have been developingthere – at the speed that Gagarin shot through thestratosphere – will surprise even the harshest ofcritics.“Krugozor” means “worldview”, or “range oninterests”. The company are passionate abouthelping its clients discover the world from differentperspectives and enhance the scope of theirinterests28 ITB BERLIN NEWS 01 • WEDNESDAY 4 TH MARCH 2020www.itb-berlin-news.com
I REGION I EUROPE II REGION I EUROPE IGiving a new perspectiveon travel in Russia© 2019 Volga Balt ToursWinter tour in Karelia and MurmanskRussian DMC Volga-Balt Tour is presenting an extraordinary range oftour ideas, including several – highly popular – Northern Lights toursplanned for winter 20/21.Volga-Balt Tour is a Moscow-based travelcompany, created by the people passionateabout travel and eager to connect peoplewith the grandeur of Russian culture andnature.They offer river cruises along uniqueitineraries aboard carefully selectedships, classical group tours to must-seedestinations, expedition trips on lesstravelledpaths as well as travel programmesin former USSR countries such as Belorus,Georgia and Uzbekistan.Volga-Balt Tour selects local partnerswith great responsibility to ensure thatall ingredients of one’s tour are “perfect”.Their vision: “to give our clients a wholenew perspective on travel in Russia andmaximise their chance to deeply connectwith the country of their destination”.Tours include: Silk Road, gastronomic tours,religious tours, historic tours, weekendsin St Petersburg, cruising on Baikal lake,and “active winter” breaks in Karelia, justto mention a few. Winter (January 2021)highlights include spectacular NorthernLights tours to Kizhi Island, Petrozavodskand Murmansk2020: the year of businesstourism for St PetersburgWith even more major international events and more than a millionbusiness tourists, Saint Petersburg is preparing to spend 2020 underthe banner of business tourism.“Currently, business tourism is among thepriority areas for the development of thetourism sector of St. Petersburg. At theend of 2019, there was a 26% increase inthe number of congress and exhibitionevents, compared to last year”, saidYevgeny Pankevich, the Chairman of theSaint Petersburg Committee for TourismDevelopment. “This year, we expect thenumber of business tourists and travellerswho come to St. Petersburg for variouscongresses and business events to grow by20%.”The activation of business tourism is theresult of an increase in the number of events,as well as a variety of Congress and exhibitionvenues. Today, there are 199 venues in St.Petersburg, including 110 congress hotels and10 convention and exhibition complexes© 2019 - NinaraAlexandrinsky theatre, St PetersburgITB BERLIN NEWS 01 • WEDNESDAY 4 TH MARCH 2020 29
