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THE SEVASTOPOL PUBLICATION A legendary city “NATIONAL with rich history TOURIST PRIMORYE ROUTES OF RUSSIA” A sea of impressions ISSUE 1 3 2019 SAKHALIN lBifreight At the ends of dTrraeaveml st,oStth. ePectietrysobfurg the Earth 26 SIGHTS OF THE RUNSOSRIATNH

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General Director, Editor ANTON SEMENOV Advertising Director NELLY KLYAGINA Editor-in-Chief ALEXANDER KRESTNIKOV Advertising Manager SERGEY GRIGORYEV Director for Distribution SERGEI SOLOVYOV Managing Editor DMITRY FILIPCHENKO Proofreader GALINA KRIKUNOVA Deputy Chief Editor OLEG ZLOBIN Assistant DENIS KUZNETSOV Art Director ARNOLD PEPLOV Translation APRIORI LTD Prepress NADEZHDA ROMASHKINA THE On the Cover PUBLICATION Foreigners who insist that “NATIONAL Russians rarely smile have never TOURIST been to Russia. If you say “hello” to someone in the remote ROUTES OF Russian countryside you will RUSSIA” see that Russians are an open, curious and humorous people. PARTNERS AND DISTRIBUTION LOCATIONS You’ll meet people like Tatiana Goleva, a Sochi resident, whose Austria Deshmukh Marg, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Washington DC 20008, picture is on the cover of our Russisches Kultur Institutin Mumbai – 400 026. Malaysia USA magazine. Tatiana is 19 years Wien Maharashtra Mexico Turkey old: she is studying to become Brahmsplatz 8, 1040 Wien Indonesia Embajada de la Federacion Rossotrudnıçestvo’nun a landscape designer and she Österreich Russian Center for Science de Rusia Türkye Cumhuryeti is passionate about fitness, Argentina and Culture Av.José Vasconcelos 204, Temsilciliği cooking and music. Casa de Rusia Jl. Diponegoro, Menteng, Col.Hipodromo Condesa, Yıldızevler mahallezi, Çankaya Photo: Alexander Dmitriev Av. Rivadavia 4266 Buenos Jakarta Pusat 10310 Del. Cauhtémoc, C.P. konakları, Blok F, 17/17 Aires, CF, Argentina Jordan 06140, Mexico D.F. Finland Address of the editorial office: Belgium The Russian Centre of U.A.E Venäjän tiede- ja 127006, Moscow, Tverskaya Street, Centre Culturel et Science and Culture Abu Dhabi, P.O. box 8211, kulttuurikeskus (VTKK) 18/1, Office 820. 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Dugue de Avila 185, kultury v Praze “INTOURIST-THOMAS COOK” INTER- Hungary Cairoli, 6 - 00186 Roma 6C, 1050-082 Lisboa 160 00 Praha 6 - Bubenec NATIONAL TOUR OPERATOR and other OroszKulturálisKözpont Canada Republic of Korea Na Zatorce 16 major tour operators, as well as Visit Hungary1062, Budapest, The Embassy of the Russian Embassy of the Russian Chile Russia offices, Russian embassies and Andrassy út 120 Federation in Canada, 285 Federation in Korea, 34-16 Centro de Ciencia y Cultura cultural centres, and missions of The Germany Charlotte Street, Ottawa Chong-dong, Chung-gu, de Rusia Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Russisches Haus der ON, K1N 8L5 Seoul, 100-120, Republic Ejercito Libertador 57, Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Wissenschaft und Kultur Cyprus of Korea Santiago Centre, Santiago Living Abroad, and International Humani- 101117, Berlin, Russian Centre of Science Slovakia de Chile tarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnich- Friedrichstraße 176-179 and Culture Ruské centrum vedy Switzerland estvo) abroad, as well as at major foreign Greece Alasias 16, Nicosia 1301, a kultúry v Bratislave Die Vertretung der travel exhibitions where Russia is repre- Οδ.Τζαβέλλα 7, Χαλάνδρι, P.O. 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Zip Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia Russian Centre for Science International Economic Forum, and at the Israel code: 100007 United States of America and Culture Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. 38 Geula St., Tel Aviv, Israel Luxembourg Mission of Sri Lanka, Colombo-7, The magazine is also available in airport 63304 Centre culturel .S.Pouchkine Rossotrudnichestvo in the Independence Avenue 10 VIP lounges and at hotels. India 32, rue Goethe / 5, United States of America South Africa © Otdykh Media Ltd., 2019. The Russian Centre of rue C.M.Spoo, L-2546, Consulate general of Russia South Africa, Pretoria; 316 Science and Culture Luxembourg in New York, Brooks Street, Menlo Park 24, Ferozeshah Road, New Malaysia 9 East 91 Street, N.Y. 10128, Japan Delhi 110 001 Russian Center for Science USA Japan, Minatoku, Tokyo, The Russian Centre of and Culture, Russian Center for Science 106-0041, Azabu-Dai 2-1-1 Science and Culture 205, Lorong Ampang 2, Off and Culture, Embassy of the Russian 31-A, Dr. Gopalrao Jalan Ampang, 1825 Рhelps Place, N.W. Federation in Japan 2 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

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EDITOR’S Note In Russian, the words for “year” and “summer” are the same “Our country is not just very large can stray from your bride on your wed- in its territory, but also very beautiful. ding day, they say, but never stray from Its beauty is not only in the riches of your summer trip! its nature; most of all, its beauty is in its people. ey are our main treasure. Believe me, the best place to spend Our people are very open-hearted, your summer vacation is Russia. In especially in the regions. Very radiant this issue, you’ll discover many des- people...” ese are the words of some- tinations that take you beyond the one who knows Russia and its residents standard tours of the two Russian very well: Vladimir Putin. capitals. e further you go from Red Square, the more interesting the We all know that when we travel, we places and the people you will meet... don’t just remember things like rivers It couldn’t be any other way in a coun- and mountains, museums and statues. try that spreads across half the globe. Most of all we remember the people we You’ll be certain to have interesting meet, the way they talk, light a bon re travels and meet unique people in or pour wine, how they laugh or sing Russia. and play the guitar. eir thoughts also stay with you forever: they may not be And the remote areas of Russia are all that original, you may have heard or especially good in the summer. In read them somewhere before, but only Russian, the word for “year” is syn- a er a chance encounter do you sud- onymous with the word for “summer.” denly realize their wisdom. You are as many years old as you’ve spent summers on earth. If you’ve ever Russia is vast, with her “many for- smelled a haystack in a Siberian vil- ests, elds and rivers”, as a well-known lage, if you’ve shed from a wooden Russian song says. But foreign visi- rowboat and cooked sh chowder on tors for some reason are reluctant to the re instead of ordering some sh go beyond St. Petersburg, Moscow delicacy in Cafe Pushkin on Tverskaya and the Golden Ring. So they don’t in Moscow, you’ve spent your summer get to encounter the many beautiful the right way. It means you have visited and open-hearted people of Russia’s Russia for real. boundless regions. Alexander Krestnikov, Editor-in-Chief Summer is in full swing. Don’t miss this most essential time of year. You 4 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

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Contents ISSUE 1 3 / 2019 St. Petersburg Murmansk 18 28 18 SBtr.igPhettelirfseboufrg More than eight million 52guests visit the city every year to see its unique Karelia cultural and historic heritage, and enjoy theatre 105Ufa and musical events. 24 StotaRresgAiownasrded 44 BEnuirgymataiatic 38 52 Our magazine has What’s so remarkable about conducted new research into this remote region in the inbound tourism, the relative Russian Far East? Where did tourism appeal of Russia’s President Putin and Prime regions, and their popularity Minister Medvedev stay when with foreign tourists. they visited, and what did the local chefs cook for them? AImsperaesosfions Mystical North The name Primorsky Krai roughly translates as The Republic of Karelia, “seaside territory”, and the the land of the lakes, such sea dominates everything as Ladoga and Onega, and here. It is the main resource hundreds of small ones. of the region, attracting 56 Medieval charm legions of tourists. In Pskov, you can see the walls 42 KAmamaczhinagtka of mighty ancient fortresses that withstood siege by the Indescribable emotions, greatest armies of Europe. impressions that will stay 60 Ionf RthuessBiiarthplace with you all your life — these are the words of tourists That’s what the locals — who from all corners of the world are proud of their history who have visited Kamchatka and guard it carefully — call at least once. Veliky Novgorod. 6 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

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Contents ISSUE 1 3 / 2019 62 A Legendary City 80 Land of the Its rich history and amazing Nightingale natural surroundings make Kursk natives have been 10 Pskov Sevastopol an attractive known throughout the destination for travellers. centuries as hospitable 74 Cards, mountains, with a number of culinary and casino specialities. We present you a new culinary tour. Can you combine downhill 98 BAortrdWeristhout skiing and casino gaming? 84 Literary tour 102 Sochi has been offering just 106 Novosibirsk Region is such an opportunity for the It’s an opportunity no the business and cultural last two years, and it has writer or book lover can centre of Siberia. afford to miss, the chance There’s always something become very popular. to visit places where some to do for locals and visitors alike, with a huge number of the greatest figures of of festivals and celebra- tions. Russian culture and science Dseirnvneedr! is 29Sakhalin 86 once lived and worked. Almost 200 ethnicities live RBleegsisoend Bryansk in Russia, and the number of ethnic dishes is many In Bryansk Region, great times greater. Some are well-known, others much efforts are committed less so. to the promotion of the ECavleenntdsar of famous local brands, Every year, hundreds of festivals and special events Dyatkovsky Crystal and take place all around Russia. If you missed them Karachayevo Toys. this year, make sure to plan a trip for 2020. 88 OBapsehnkHireiaart of The Republic of Bashkor- tostan is a land of thick forests and endless steppes, steep hills and deep lakes, where people harvest honey and drink kumis — mare’s milk. 98Novosibirsk 75 Sochi 8 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

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Pskov Krasnodar IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ANCIENT HEROES PSKOV JOINS UNESCO The Golden Ring of the Bosporan Kingdom, a new tourist route, has The historical and architectural become increasingly popular in monuments of Pskov have been Russia. It follows the archaeologi- included in UNESCO’s list of World cal sites of ancient cities: the route Heritage Sites. This decision was includes more than 30 objects of adopted at the 43rd session of the cultural and historical heritage, UNESCO World Heritage Commit- archaeological and historical sites, tee in Baku. The final list includes as well as modern tourist sites 10 of the most ancient churches of related to antiquity in 10 cities in the Pskov school of architecture: the the Krasnodar region, the Republic Cathedral of St. John the Forerunner of Crimea, the Rostov region and at St. John’s Monastery, the Holy the city of Sevastopol. Transfiguration Cathedral at Holy PHOTOS: MAX SILANTJEV / PINTEREST.COM / Transfiguration-Mirozhsky Monas- Kostroma ANCIENT MOLLUSCS REDIAKOVSKY.RU / UNTAMEDROSE.COM / VLADIMIR ANOSOV tery, the Cathedral of Nativity of the Theotokos at the Snetogorsky In the Sudislavsky district of Kostroma Region, Monastery, the Church of the Arch- scientists have discovered marine fauna fossils of angel Michael with its bell tower, the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, dating the Church of the Holy Protection back about 80 million years BCE. Among them are from Proloma and many others. ammonite molluscs (genus Polyptychites), bivalve molluscs, brachiopods, belemnites and the bones of marine vertebrates. All the molluscs have been T he experienced explorer sent for detailed studies, after which they will find a and archaeologist Nikolai Spizhevoi has tried out the place in Kostroma’s museums. role of Robinson Crusoe: he lived for several days among the bears on ROBINSON an uninhabited island, Chakmut, AMONG THE in the Amur Estuary on the shores of the Khabarovsk Region. e land BEARS belongs to a Moscow entrepreneur Khabarovsk who is going to develop ecotourism and “Robinson Crusoe Tourism” here — o ering the opportunity to live on an uninhabited island and try the role of Robinson Crusoe. e rst to try it was 72-year-old Nikolai Spizhevoi, living in a tent for almost a week, next to bears who came to feast on seals. It turned out that the island’s huge cli is connected to the mainland by a shallow rocky beach. When the tide is low, it is possible to get to the island almost without getting wet, something that the bears take advantage of. Nikolai kept scaring o the bears with recrackers, so they didn’t approach him. e extreme element notwithstanding, this “Robinson Crusoe” remained very pleased with his adventure: the local landscape is almost indistinguishable from the famous Shantar Islands, he said. 10 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

Regions NEWS Popular electronic visa Kaliningrad THE INTRODUCTION OF FREE E-VISAS FROM JULY 1 WAS AN IMPORTANT EVENT FOR THE KALININGRAD REGION. Tourists from 53 countries can now obtain a visa to Russia without leaving their homes: all they have to do is to fill out an e-form at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs site: evisa.kdmid.ru. To obtain this visa, no invitation or hotel reservation confirmation, or any other document confirming the trip’s purpose, is required. The processing period of the e-visa is no more than four days. This visa is valid for 30 days and allows the visitor to stay in the Kalinin- grad region for no more than eight days from the moment of entry. Tourists have been able to obtain e-visas for the Far East since 2017. july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 11

NEWS Regions PHOTOS: ENERGOTOUR.COM / RADISSON ROYAL / SANAYIDEPOSU.COM / ZEN.YANDEX.RU SUBSIDIES FOR TOURISTS A pilot project for subsidizing travel companies that ensure an influx of foreign tourists to Russia from Germany, Israel, the United States, Japan, Korea, India, Great Bri- tain, Spain, Italy and France will be launched this autumn. The payments will partially reimburse the expenses that Russian organizations spend on receiving foreign guests. In 2019, about $9 million was allocated for the programme. Yalta RECREATION FOR THE RICH Experts from the online booking service Avia- sales have highlighted the most expensive Russian hotels this summer. The Crimean Breeze residence, located 30 kilometers from Yalta, was ranked at number one: a night in its four-room villa will cost $5,150, including breakfast, free Wi-Fi, a coffee- maker and a view of the sea and the park. Another resort, Mriya Resort & Spa, came in second: to stay in a two-story villa there, with a terrace and pri- vate heated pool, tourists pay $3,970 per day. The Rodina Grand Hotel & SPA in Sochi ranked third, with a junior suite with garden view costing $2,900 per night. Magnitogorsk STEEL ROUTE Interested in seeing a gigantic cauldron with molten metal rotate just a few feet away from you? Or keen to watch the control panel of a rolling mill machine, which looks just like a space- ship’s control panel? You can now take a tour of the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, where several themed itineraries have been developed. One is “Taming the Fire”, a tour of the blast furnace, the largest in Russia, and its heavy-duty hot mill. Visitors have to go through introductory safety training, use individual protective gear, and follow simple but compulsory rules. Tours cost from $11 per person. 12 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

River cabriolets Moscow THIS SUMMER SEASON, 10 NEW BRIGHTLY COLOURED RIVER BOATS OF THE RADISSON ROYAL FLEET HAVE APPEARED ON THE MOSKVA RIVER. The main characteristic of these new “cabriolets”, with their convertible telescopic roofs, is their regular routes with stops at the major sightseeing points of the historic center. There are daily departures from two terminals, “Hotel Ukraina” and “Gorky Park”. The river buses make eight stops, with the interval between departures 30 minutes. Each boat offers an audio guide in six languages, and food and drinks are available. Tickets are sold on board. Adult tickets cost $9.50, children’s $6. july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 13

NEWS Regions 14 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

Regions NEWS PHOTO: VISUALRIAN Ttohme ruodad Crimea A NEW ROAD IS BEING BUILT TO LAKE CHOKRAK NEAR KERCH. A unique reservoir with med- icinal properties on the Kerch Peninsula, which vacationers visit for its healing mud. It is considered beneficial for mus- culoskeletal, nervous-system and gynaecological disorders, as well as for other diseases. Many tourists take a mud solu- tion away with them to repeat the procedure at home. For a swim, the nearby Azov Sea is ideal, and soon there will be a new road there. july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 15

NEWS Regions WALKING OVER Sochi THE ABYSS Ski resorts in Sochi are becoming more and more popular in the summer season as their owners think up new forms of enter- tainment for tourists. For example, the Rosa Khutor resort now offers rodelbahn, or summer sledding, Alpine swings and a wooden suspension bridge at a height of 2,320 meters. PHOTOS: BASHINFORM.RU / KLEVERRESORT.RU / REZUME.INFO / VOBOX.RU Zavidovo A NEW PORT ON THE VOLGA An unprecedented passenger transfer hub for Russia is being created at the Zavidovo resort in the Tver Region, connecting waterways with the train and road system. A new port will be built to dock cruise ships at the confluence of the Shosha and Volga rivers. The average travel time from Leningrad sta- tion to Zavidovo is currently about an hour by the Lastochka electric train, and it will now take the same time to travel by car from Moscow on the newly opened highway. Altai FIVE-STAR ALTAI Sabantuy with Seagal The founder of the inter- national company 2GIS, Bashkiria THE TRADITIONAL ANNUAL BASHKIR which develops maps HOLIDAY WAS CELEBRATED IN THE ABZELILOVSKY and guide services, has DISTRICT OF THE BASHKOTORSTAN REPUBLIC. opened a five-star hotel in the Altai Republic, with In the ethnic village, set up in the open air, there was the chance a total investment of to meet local residents, drink kumis (mare’s milk) and eat honey. $4.7 million, which it is The most spectacular events were the horse races and a kuresh, a planned will be recouped traditional wrestling match. The VIP guest of the festival was the over eight years. Кlever well-known Hollywood actor Steven Seagal, who was invited onto Resort & Spa will be the the wrestling mat by Radyi Khabirov, acting head of the Republic. third hotel of this level They didn’t get to wrestle, but the head of the region did show in the region. The new Seagal the basic rules of combat. 160-room hotel was created at the Solne- chnaya Dolina resort, including reconstruc- tion of the existing facility and creation of 12 new buildings. 16 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

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EVENTS St. Petersburg The brig “Rossiya” at “Scarlet Sails”. This unique ship brings together the traditions of shipbuilding with the latest tech- nological innova- tions. 18 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

St. Petersburg EVENTS BSTR.IGPHETTELIRFSEBOUFRG IT’S LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT WITH ST. PETERSBURG — THIS IS THE CITY OF DAYDREAMING, A PLACE THAT STIMULATES THE CREATIVITY! AS THE MARQUIS DE CUSTINE, THE FRENCH TRAVELLER AND WRITER, WROTE IN AMAZEMENT: “ST. PETERSBURG OVERWHELMS YOUR MIND MORE THAN YOUR EYE!” THE CITY OF PETER THE GREAT HAS ALWAYS ATTRACTED VISITORS FOR ITS GRANDEUR, HISTORY AND VIBRANT, EVENTFUL LIFE. THOSE WHO COME HERE WILL NEVER FEEL BORED. TEXT: NIKITA BELOV july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 19

EVENTS St. Petersburg Performance show at the river carnival and the “Alexandriy- skaya Carousel” festival. The festival this year is dedi- cated to the year of theatre. T he city is famous not Tourist Police New Holland only for its rich cul- is an island in tural life, museums e city’s tourist police, estab- St. Petersburg and theatres, but also lished ahead of the World Cup being renovated for large colourful 2018, continues to operate as a into an enter- festivals and parades. It regu- regular law enforcement unit. tainment and larly hosts major sporting and cultural hub. business events. According to Yevgeny Pan- kevich, the head of St. Peters- SStta. Prtetferorsmburg burg’s Tourism Development Committee, the City Tourism St. Petersburg is widely and Information Bureau was thought of as the best city to involved in recruiting and train- start getting to know Russia. ing the unit’s o cers: they are a well-trained and professional Answering the question, team, who speak English and are “Which Russian city do you always available to help travellers. recommend travellers to visit e tourist police patrol Palace rst in Russia?”, 56 percent of Square, Vosstaniya Square, St. respondents on Aviasales, the Isaac’s Square, and the Church popular booking website, voted of the Saviour on Spilled Blood for St. Petersburg. Only 32 from 11:00 to 21:30, and can give percent recommended foreign directions or provide help to visitors to start with Moscow, travellers in any emergency. While Kazan ranked third with 7 percent of votes, and Ask Me Sochi came h with just 5 percent. AskMeSPb is another tourist assistance service. AskMeSPb personnel wear a distinctive 20 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

uniform that can immediately only feature lms, while the St. Peters- be spotted on the street. ey shorts programme includes burg unveils carry bags with booklets and documentaries, experimental Bank Bridge city maps, which they hand after renova- out to tourists free of charge. tion, the first Using Segway scooters to works and feature lms on an in its 190-year move around the city, the equal basis. history. team patrols the Admiralty A three-day preview in July and Central Districts. e premiered Russian and inter- The Football service cooperates with the national lms, held discussions Park dedicated tourist police and can show with directors, and presented to the forth- visitors to a police station if video art and lectures by teach- coming Euro needed. ers at top international lm 2020 opens on schools, as well as a round-table Zayachy Island by the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress. FINsiellamwndHDeoblluatnsdon Dear friends, We are delighted to welcome you e “New Holland: Cultural to St. Petersburg! Urbanization” project is In 2019, the city is honoured to launching an International be hosting the 23rd UN General Festival of Debut Films on New Assembly of the World Tourism Holland Island, which will run Organization (UNWTO). is is a for the rst time in 2020. historic event for our country and its Northern capital. We value the atten- e festival’s mission is to tion of world tourism professionals support original and authen- towards our city, and are therefore tic talents and projects and preparing to host the event at the introduce new names to world highest level. cinema. e international Tourism is one of the top priorities competition will include short in the socio-economic development and full-length features, the of the city. More than eight million full-length category including guests visit St. Petersburg every year to see its unique cultural and historic heritage, and enjoy theatre and musi- cal events. Every year the city receives one of the prestigious World Travel Awards. In the St. Petersburg region, the development of business tourism, congress tourism, and exhibition activities is a high priority: such elds o er considerable economic potential. e number of major international business events held in the city is growing annually. e “Ambassador of St. Petersburg” pro- gramme has been a success. e government of St. Petersburg pays serious attention to promoting the city’s tourism potential both in Russia and abroad. We are develop- ing business and event tourism and creating an infrastructure that will open new opportunities for visitors to become acquainted with our city. Our plans include expanding yacht- ing and nautical tourism, as well as culinary, medical and other elds of tourism. We wish the magazine’s readers bright impressions of St. Petersburg. Yevgeny Pankevich, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 21

EVENTS St. Petersburg In 2019, the city is honoured to be hosting the 23rd UN General the Sea Village, explore dif- Assembly of the World Tourism Organization. This is a historic ferent classes of yachts, and enroll in the St. Petersburg event for our country and its Northern capital. yachting school. ey could also try windsur ng and ship discussion of challenges facing held on the beach at the Peter The “Poltava” out on a captain’s galley,  but Russian debut lms. and Paul Fortress in mid-June. sailing ship at the most popular events were “Baltic Yacht the presentations by veteran “aSNcaerwleRt eScaoilrsd” Sets For three days, the loca- Week”. navigators and the workshops tion on the Neva hosted St. Petersburg for kids. About 15,000 people e “Scarlet Sails” festival, events where guests could is one of the visited Sea Village during the held in St. Petersburg on the meet well-known sailors, try best locations event. night of June 23/24, brought their hand at shipbuilding for yachting together 1.4 million people — classes, learn to tie knots in tourism. Simultaneously, St. Peters- 200,000 more than in 2018. burg hosted the h stage of the Russian National Sailing “Scarlet Sails” is a public League’s regatta with 20 top- event that marks the end of rated teams. the school year, and is held annually in late June. e spec- Another spectacular event tacular show has long a tourist featured some of Russia’s top highlight of St. Petersburg, windsurfers, who made a great widely popular with European show at the beach. visitors. It begins with a staged theatre show on Palace Square Russian and foreign and continues with concerts musicians appeared in the and reworks on the Neva and evening’s concert perfor- the Peter and Paul Fortress. Its mance, which was opened by climax is the appearance of a the Chest cover band and Yoel tall ship sporting spectacular Gonzalez’s PHILORITMICA scarlet sails, accompanied by sextet from Cuba. Maxim Leonidov was the concert’s reworks and special musical headliner, and the show had accompaniment. a grand nale in the form of the “Sails Ballet” show, which BYaaclthitcing on the had sailboats waltzing on the water in neon lights to More than 100,000 people took Vivaldi, followed by the clos- part in “Baltic Yachting Week”, ing festival reworks. TLR 22 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

PHOTOS: GPIC.PW / FISHKI.NET / KFIS.SPB.RU / NIKOLAI VINOKUROV, PHOTOBANK LORI / SPB.TN View over the Peter and Paul Fortress and the spire of the Admi- ralty, the main shipyard in the Russian Empire, now the head- quarters of the Russian Navy. july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 23

PHOTOS: ABIRVALG.NET / ACTIVE LONG LIFE.RU / BUSY.ORG / FOTOKTO.RU / HENDEL. SPECIAL PROJECT Ratings LIVEJOURNAL.COM / PETER MARIS / MURMANSK.BEZFORMATA.RU / VISUALRIAN / TLR ARCHIVES REGIONSSTARS AWARDED TO TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA MAGAZINE AND THE RATING CENTRE FOR INFORMATION COMMUNICATIONS HAVE CONDUCTED NEW RESEARCH INTO INBOUND TOURISM, THE RELATIVE TOURISM APPEAL OF RUSSIA’S REGIONS, AND THEIR POPULARITY WITH FOREIGN TOURISTS. REGIONS 24 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

Red Square in Ratings SPECIAL PROJECT Moscow is Russia’s For a number of years now the number of foreign most visited and popular attrac- Ftourists coming to Russia has been steadily increas- ing. According to the World Tourism Organization tion. Apart from (UNWTO), Russia ranks as #16 in the world and #9 the Kremlin, it in Europe by number of foreign tourists (24.3 million foreign tourists visited in 2017). e next, 23rd General is home to Saint Assembly of the World Tourist Organization will be Basil’s Cathe- held in St. Petersburg from 9-13 September 2019, and dral, the Lenin 156 countries will be represented. Mausoleum, In the near future the Russian Ministry of Eco- and numerous nomic Development in cooperation with the Federal museums. Agency for Tourism (Rosturizm) will be issuing the new Strategy for Tourism Development in the Rus- sian Federation up to the year 2035. According to the developers’ plan, by 2035 there will be a twofold increase in the number of domestic tourist trips for each resident of the Russian Federation (currently 0.4 trips per resident). At the same time, by 2035 tourism’s share in the country’s GDP will grow from the current 3.8 % to 6 %. Export of tourism services will grow to 28.6 billion US dollars (compared to 8.9 billion in 2017.) According to the UNWTO report, by 2035 Russia will join the top ten world tourist destinations. e Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Ros- stat) maintains records of foreign tourists by region, exclusively based on the number of stays at collective accommodation facilities, such as hotels. Preliminary records indicate that the number of foreign nation- als who stayed in collective accommodation facilities in Russia in 2018, irrespective of the purpose and ➜ Football fans heading to the game between Russia and Saudi Arabia at the 2018 World Cup. july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 25

Sculptures on the roofs of old build- ings in St. Peters- burg attract both photographers and ordinary tourists. A boat trip along St. Petersburg’s canals. length of stay, was 10.2 million; while in 2017 the 2019 NatioNal RatiNg FoR iNbouNd number was slightly above 8 million. touRiSm ere is also information from the Border Ser- Group 1: Five Stars vice of the FSB regarding the number of foreign Moscow is the undisputed favorite with foreign tour- nationals entering Russia, according to which, 4.19 ists. St. Petersburg, Russia’s northern capital, is the million foreign visitors came to Russia in 2018 as second most popular destination. It is no surprise that tourists. e largest numbers came from the follow- ing countries: China (1,256,515 people), Germany Group 1: FIVE STARS (451,467), the Republic of Korea (324,308), the USA (227,656), Israel (163,664), Italy (126,875), Great Place Region (Russian Total Britain (125,710), France (116,513), Spain (85,314), Federation) Points and Japan (61,222). 1 2 Moscow 25.5 e following criteria were used to determine a 3 St. Petersburg 25.2 region’s place in the rankings in terms of inbound 4 Primorsky Territory 24.8 tourism: 5 Moscow Region 24 6 Krasnodar Territory 23.5 • The total number of foreign tourists who stayed 7 Kaliningrad Region 23.4 in collective accommodation facilities according to 8 Nizhny Novgorod Region 23.3 the Russian Federal State Statistics Service records 9 The Republic of Tatarstan 22.5 for 2018. 10 Novgorod Region 22.4 11 Sverdlovsk Region 21.8 • The yearly number of foreign tourists per 1,000 12 Leningrad Region 21.2 permanent residents of the region. 13 The Republic of Crimea 21.1 14 Yaroslavl Region 20.7 • The increase or decrease in the number of for- 15 Pskov Region 20.6 eign tourists compared to the previous calendar 16 Rostov Region 20.5 year. 17 Volgograd Region 20.4 18 The Republic of Karelia 20.3 A table was prepared for each of the criteria with a 19 Murmansk Region 20.2 corresponding ranking from 1st to 85th place. First 20 Novosibirsk Region 19.7 place in each ranking was awarded 8.5 points. For Voronezh Region 18.8 each subsequent place, 0.1 points were deducted. en, the three preliminary tables were combined, and the frontrunners and outsiders of the 2019 National Rating for Inbound Tourism were identi- ed according to the total sum of the points they had received. e regions were separated into groups that were given informal names, chosen to re ect the accepted worldwide classi cation of hotels and services: “ ve- star”, “four-star”, and “three-star”. 26 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

Ratings SPECIAL PROJECT Primorye is listed in third place: for a number of years now it has experienced a signi cant rise in the number of foreign tourists, especially from its Asian neighbors. Primorye showed better results than Moscow Region, which is listed in fourth place, both in the number of foreign tourists per 1,000 residents and the increase in the total number of foreign tourists. It is the only region of the Russian Far East that made it into the “ ve-star” category. Krasnodar Territory, listed in 5th place, is one of the nine regions of the top 20 that hosted games of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. e increase in the number of tourists compared with the previous year allowed them to take leading positions in the ranking. us, Sverdlovsk Region, where the capital city Ekaterinburg hosted World Cup matches, was the only one of the Ural Federal Okrug regions to make it into the top Vladivostok is group. However, it would be wrong to explain these the centre of regions’ high ranking solely by their participation in cruise travel the 2018 World Cup. Ekaterinburg, for example, is the in Russia’s Far most important commercial center in the Ural Region. East. Krasnodar Territory o ers sea, beaches and health Pavlovsky resorts that are all very popular with tourists from the Posad shawls neighboring CIS countries. from the Moscow Region e fact that Murmansk Region made it into the Top are famous 20 is explained by its geography: most of its territory ➜ around the globe. VERBATIM Inal Bay in Tuapse on the SERGEY LAVROV, Black Sea coast, 130 km from Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Krasnodar, is Russian Federation: home to about “Russia is incredibly rich in culture, history, a hundred and natural beauty. There are 29 UNESCO recreation World Heritage Sites in our country, 26 centres. resorts and federal resort regions, and more than 140,000 tourist attractions, with 150 of them rated as of special significance. Last year, the FIFA World Cup proved to be an extraordinary event — it would be no exaggeration to call it a true pinnacle of people’s diplomacy. Millions of foreign guest came to our country and saw modern Russia and its open, friendly and hospitable people with their own eyes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes a significant contribution to overall efforts to developing the tourist industry. We have visa- free entry agreements with many countries, and we are planning to add more nations to this group. As we continue to develop our electronic visa system in this country, we will consider the possi- bility of simplifying the visa requirements for foreign nationals who arrive to Moscow and the Moscow Region via international airports. Our colleagues in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region are also interested in such a system.” july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 27

Group 2: FOUR STARS Place Region (Russian Total Snow Village in Federation) Points the Murmansk 21 Region is a true 22 Samara Region 18.7 work of art. 23 Stavropol Territory 18.1 Sculptors make 24 Kaluga Region 17.9 all the works 25 Perm Territory 16.6 out of large 26 Sakhalin Region 16.5 blocks of snow. 27 Astrakhan Region 16.4 Elaborate 28 Lipetsk Region 16.3 stained-glass 29 Tula Region 16.1 windows in 30 Irkutsk Region 15.9 Kaliningrad 31 Vladimir Region 15.8 Cathedral, 32 Smolensk Region 15.7 which houses 33 The Republic of Mordovia 15.1 Russia’s largest 34 Belgorod Region 14.8 organ complex 35 Khabarovsk Territory 14.7 and the Imma- 36 Chelyabinsk Region 14.6 nuel Kant 37 The Republic of Bashkortostan 14.3 Museum. 38 Tyumen Region 14.1 39 The Republic of Buryatia 14 40 Kamchatka Territory 13.8 41 The Komi Republic 13.5 42 Altai Territory 12.5 43 Magadan Region 11.8 44 Amur Region 11.7 45 Krasnoyarsk Territory 11.3 46 Kursk Region 11.2 47 The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) 11.1 48 The Republic of Udmurtia 11 49 Ryazan Region 10.7 50 Tver Region 10.6 51 Orenburg Region 10.5 52 The Jewish Autonomous Region 10.3 53 Tomsk Region 10.2 54 Ulyanovsk Region 9.9 55 Omsk Region 9.8 56 Oryol Region 9.5 57 Vologda Region 9.2 58 The Republic of Khakassia 8.7 Zabaikalsky Territory 8.6 59 Yamalo-Nenets 8.5 60 Autonomous Okrug 61 8.4 62 Bryansk Region 8.3 63 Ivanovo Region 8.2 64 Kemerovo Region 8.1 65 Saratov Region 8 The Republic of Chechnya 7.6 66 The Republic of Chuvashia 7.5 67 Khanty-Mansi 68 Autonomous Okrug – Yugra 7.1 69 6.5 The Kabardino-Balkar Republic 6.4 Kirov Region Archangelsk Region 28 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

Ratings SPECIAL PROJECT VERBATIM Fishing on Sakhalin is an KONSTANTIN SHESTAKOV, amazing experi- ence. Director, Primorye Department of A helicopter Tourism (Vladivostok): picks up tourists “Every year more and more tourists come to in Tomtor village Vladivostok and Primorye. In 2018, inbound in eastern tourism broke all historical records and exceeded Yakutia. Here 4.5 million people, a number that included 651,000 at the so-called foreigners. This in itself is a ten-year record; over the past year the “Cold Pole”, the number of foreign visitors increased by 25 %. Indeed, this pattern average annual remains strong: in the first quarter of this year we have seen an over temperat ure 25 % increase in the number of foreign tourists, which reflects a is 16 degrees 34 % increase in tourism from Korea and an 82 % increase in tourism below zero. from Japan. It is quite easy to visit Primorye, due to the electronic The charm and visa processing mechanisms and a large — and increasing annually - beauty of Tuva’s number of incoming flights. girls attracts Weekend tours are very popular: couples from Asian countries come travellers from to us to visit a European city. Gastronomic tourism is also in high all over the demand, and the Primorye gambling zone is making progress as well.” world. Group 3: ree Stars e third group in this ranking is comprised of regions that to date cannot claim signi cant achieve- ments in inbound tourism. at said, there are destinations on this list that are practically designed for tourism: the Altai Republic, with its mountains and amazing natural beauty, the Kostroma Region, part of the Golden Ring of Russia, the city of Sev- astopol on the Black Sea, Dagestan, located on the Caspian Sea coast, Tyva and Adygea, both ideal loca- tions for eco-tourism, and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, perfect for mountain skiing. Each and every one of these “three-star” regions deserves a descrip- tion of hundreds or even thousands of beautiful words. All that remains is to create high-quality holi- day experiences. TLR Group 3: THREE STARS lies north of the Arctic Circle, and tourists from Place Region (Russian Total all over the world come here to see the famous Federation) Points Northern Lights. 70 71 The Altai Republic 6.3 Novosibirsk Region, which took 19th place 72 Kostroma Region 6.2 in our ranking, is the only one of the Siberian 73 Kurgan Region 5.8 Federal Districts to make it into the Top 20. 74 Penza Region 5.5 Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia, is a major com- 75 Sevastopol 5.3 mercial and cultural center, as well as the site of 76 The Mari El Republic 5.2 one of Russia’s largest airports, with passenger 77 The Republic of Tyva 5.1 tra c of about six million people a year. 78 The Republic of Kalmykia 4.9 79 Chukotka Autonomous Okrug 4.8 Group 2: Four Stars Nenets Autonomous Okrug 4.1 e “four-star” category, the second and larg- 80 The Karachay-Cherkess 3.9 est group in our ranking, includes regions from 81 Republic all Federal Districts of Russia. roughout the 82 3.1 year, these 49 regions hosted more than a million 83 The Republic of Ingushetia 3 foreign tourists, with an average of about 22 thou- The Republic of Adygea 2.6 sand people per region. 84 Tambov Region 2.2 85 The Republic of North Ossetia – Alania 1.7 The Republic of Dagestan july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 29

DIRECTIONS Sakhalin Region Zhdanko Mountain Range: a setting suitable for filming a sequel to the Lord of the Rings. 30 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

Sakhalin Region DIRECTIONS Тext: ELIZAVETA FEDORCHENKO AoTf TtHhEe EENaDrSth IN THE SAKHALIN REGION, THE CULTURES OF WEST AND EAST, RUSSIA, JAPAN AND KOREA COME TOGETHER. SOUTHERN SAKHALIN WAS A PART OF THE JAPANESE EMPIRE FOR 40 YEARS, AND A LARGE DIASPORA OF SAKHALIN KOREANS STILL LIVES IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE ISLAND, CAREFULLY PRESERVING ITS CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS. THIS EASTERN HERITAGE CAN BE TRACED IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE TOWNS, IN CULINARY TRADITIONS AND IN EVERYDAY LIFE. july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 31

Fishing is always ELEVEN an adventure on REASONS TO Sakhalin Island. VISIT SAKHALIN 1ISLAND EXOTICA 6SEAFOOD DELICACIES There are 16 ski trails Sakhalin is the only region of Russia Red caviar (“five-minute caviar”), with a total length of that consists entirely of islands. There crab, shrimp, oysters, sea urchin, 25 kilometers at Gornyi are 59 islands in the region, includ- various red fish, smelts and much ing Sakhalin, Moneron, Ush Island, Kamen more will delight any foodie! Vozdukh resort. Opasnosti, Tuleniy, and the Kuril Islands. The famous 2ORIENTAL FLAVOR Sakhalin crabs. The Southern part of Sakhalin was part of Japan from 1905 to 1945. Japanese heritage can still be seen in the architecture, culture and people’s daily lives. 3REGIONAL ETHNOGRAPHY MUSEUM This Sakhalin museum is consid- ered one of the most interesting in Russia both for its exhibitions and its architecture. It is housed in the building of the Karafuto Prefecture, built in 1937 during Japanese imperial rule. 4ASTONISHING NATURE The Sakhalin Region has a great number of amazing places: some easy to access and others that are completely isolated from civilization. 5EXCELLENT FISHING You can enjoy both river and sea fishing in Sakhalin. More than that, you can learn about crab and sea urchin fishing, and give ice fishing a try. During the winter season, fisher- men prefer to go out to sea for wolffish and saffron cod. In early summer, the catch is white-spotted char and masu salmon. In July, humpback salmon, and in the north of the island, in the bays and the sea close to river estuaries, you can catch and release endangered taimen. The fishing season continues until mid-November. 32 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

Sakhalin Region DIRECTIONS Iturup is the biggest island in the Kurils. 7DIVERSE CUISINE Uni (sea urchin For historic reasons, Japanese and roe) and caviar. Korean cuisine are very popular Impeccable in Sakhalin. Restaurants serving taste. Japanese and Korean food can be found on practically every corner. You can’t A gorgeous view of the moun- leave Sakhalin without tasting pyanse, tains opens up from the top of traditional bibimbab or hemultan, as well Gornyi Vozdukh resort. as Korean salads made with fern and burdock, and the freshest sashimi and Regional Ethnog- sushi. raphy Museum. 8CINEMA FOR EVERYONE Each year in late August and early September, the International Krai Sveta Film Festival takes place in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The festival draws film fans and industry professionals from

all over the world. The screenings are Aniva Lighthouse free, and professionals offer master personifies the classes and workshops during the whole island: space, festival. beauty and mystery. 9THE MYSTERIOUS KURILS This region offers what millions of people dream about: to visit the islands of inspiration and wonderful nature. 10GORNYI VOZDUKH RESORT The largest ski resort in the Russian Far East, Gornyi Vozdukh, is located in the very center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Here there are 16 ski trails 25 kilometers long, gondola and chair lifts, two chair and T-bar lifts, and four world- class ski zones. The middle and upper areas of the Gornyi Vozdukh resort are excellent observation points, from which you can see the region’s capital spread out before you. 11ANIVA LIGHTHOUSE While on a boat trip along the west coast of Tonino Aniva Pen- insula, you can see and visit this historical monument and miracle of engineering. It was built in 1939, on the small Sivuchya Cliff, near the rocky, hard- to-reach Aniva Cape. It was extremely difficult to build the lighthouse here because all the materials had to be brought in by boat under rough sea conditions. The project’s designer was a Japanese engineer, Miura Sinobu, a graduate of the technical college in Kanagava. The tower is 31 meters high, and the light is at 40 meters above sea level. The tower had nine floors. The basement housed a diesel engine and accumulator room. A kitchen and a storeroom occupied the first floor and an extension to the main building; on the second floor were a radio cabin, the watchman’s living quarters and an operator’s room. The tower’s third, fourth and fifth floors had rooms with enough living space for 12 people. In the central part of the tower was a tube encasing a pen- dulum — 270 kg weight — which was wound every three hours to make the optical system move. The range of the lighthouse was 17.5 miles. In the 1990s, the lighthouse was powered by an autonomous isotope generator. Today, it works on a simple accumula- tor charged by solar batteries. TLR 34 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK / SAKHALIN TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER Sakhalin Region DIRECTIONS july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 35

DIRECTIONS Sakhalin Region GASTRONOMIC Oysters don’t ABUNDANCE have to be French. Scallops are best SAKHALIN CUISINE IS UNIQUE. IT COMBINES ELE- eaten raw or MENTS OF RUSSIAN, KOREAN, JAPANESE AND EVEN with soy sauce. MANCHURIAN-CHINESE CUISINE. THE LOCALS The unusual MOSTLY EAT SEA FOOD, VARIOUS FISH, WILD combination HERBS, AND TRADITIONAL JAPANESE AND KOREAN will impress any DISHES. HEMULTAN (SPICY SEAFOOD SOUP) AND foodie. PYANSE (STEAMED BUNS WITH CABBAGE OR MEAT You can buy FILLING) ARE STAPLE FOOD IN SAKHALIN, JUST LIKE tubukimchi and BORSCHT OR PIROZHKI ARE ELSEWHERE IN RUSSIA. chaltok in grocery stores. In Sakhalin, traditional Russian dishes are replaced When chum by Korean cuisine. e culinary traditions came salmon and to Sakhalin in the 20th century, when Korean humpback salmon settlers arrived on the island during the Japanese are in season, the mobilization. locals make five- minute caviar. People love to cook Korean dishes here, and they Fresh, washed roe do it well, in restaurants and homes alike. And yet, is doused in strong Sakhalin cuisine di ers from the dishes served in brine (tuzluk) and Korea. Sakhalin Korean food is considered to be stirred for five the real food of peasants, that has maintained its minutes. authenticity due to the way the island acts as a kind of The Asian style of reserve. service is to have numerous dishes It is fairly simple to cook such dishes because you on the table can nd many ingredients in the sea and right under simultaneously. your feet: orlyak fern, wild leek, burdock, seaweed, and grapes. In addition, there is a great variety of seafood, meat, and rice (which is the staple). e main di erence between Sakhalin and Korean cuisine is panchan. ese are snacks that are served as side dishes. e Sakhalin panchan is unique, and such snacks and salads can be found nowhere else in 36 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

the world. For instance, you can nd the following at the Sakhalin market and stores: snails and cucumbers in spicy sauce, khe made with pollock, roasted fern with sesame oil and fried onion dressing, sweet sea- weed, dried spicy pollock, sprouted soy (mash-mash), burdock salad, dried spicy anchovy, combu maki ( sh wrapped in sweet seaweed leaves), and many other salads and side dishes. In specialized departments, there are homemade tubu (the same as tofu), chaltok (so balls made of rice our with red bean lling), yellow marinated radish, takuan, and various Korean sauces and dressings, such as soy pastes, kochudyan and samdyan. You can also nd a lot of produce from Japan and Korea at supermarkets and street markets. Among them are all sorts of sweets: candy, cookies, ice cream and dozens of sauces, tasty instant noodles of great quality, and other snacks and drinks. At sh markets, you can buy caviar, red and white sh, octopus, calamari, whole crabs, whelk, shrimp and dried smelt. You must buy and try bilberry syrup, as well — you won’t forget its tangy, bright avor and smell. is, of course, doesn’t mean that people don’t like the usual Russian and European dishes on Sakha- lin. But even traditional recipes have a local island zest. For instance, one of the restaurants in Yuzhno- Sakhalinsk o ers black pelmeni with Kamchatka crab lling or pelmeni lled with pork and kimchi. Another Sakhalin establishment serves pizza called Kimchizhar, with pork and kimchi toppings instead of traditional Italian pepperoni. TLR The culinary traditions of Korea came to Sakhalin in the 20th century, when Korean settlers arrived on the island during the Japanese mobilization. july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 37

SEA HOLIDAYS Primorye PHOTOS: P VL.RU / TVIL.RU / DANIIL FILINOV / YURI SMITHYUK 38 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

You can catch a wave without going out of town in Vladivostok. From May to October, the Swell surf camp and surf school are open on Russky Island on Akhlestyshev Peninsula. Vladivostok annually hosts Dragon boat racing in a competition that welcomes all comers. At the school, you learn Vladivostok is the capital the basics of kayaking safely, and discover how Tof SUP surfing in Russia. to ride through the surf. When the weather warms During the Bridges up, you can take an organ- of Vladivostok boat ized SUP surfing excursion. tour, you can see Tourism & Leisure in Russia o ers two cable-stayed you seven options for interesting and bridges: the Golden unforgettable vacations on the shore of Bridge across the the Sea of Japan. You can try out lots Golden Horn Bay and of exciting activities in Vladivostok, the Russian Bridge including paddling on a dragon boat, across the Eastern catching the waves on a sur oard or Bosphorus Strait. SUP, canoeing or kayaking, or taking a sea cruise. TEXT: EVGENY KONOVALOV, Boat trips EVGENY ARTEMCHUK Two cable-stayed bridges, the Golden A SEA OF Bridge over the Golden Horn Bay and IMPRESS the Russian Bridge over the Eastern Bosphorus, are the main landmarks and THE NAME “PRIMORSKY KRAI” ROUGHLY sights of Vladivostok. On the “Vladi- TRANSLATES AS THE “SEASIDE TER- vostok Bridges” boat trip, you will see RITORY”, AND THE SEA DOMINATES them from the sea in all their glory, learn EVERYTHING HERE. the history of their construction and admire unique panoramic views of the capital of Primorye, accompanied by the crash of waves and the cry of seagulls. Comfortable boats depart from Pier 36 on Korabelnaya Naberezhnaya ➜ july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 39

SEA HOLIDAYS Primorye every hour from 12:00 to 18:00. e that welcomes not only teams of pro- trip lasts for one hour. fessional athletes, but also crews of schoolchildren, students, military per- In the summer months, there are sonnel and company employees. also two-hour trips available entitled “Sea Panorama” and “Sea Sunset”. But if you just want to paddle on a dragon boat, you don’t have to SUP trips pick a crew and wait for the next competition. e club Eastern Drag- Vladivostok can be called the SUP- ons arranges dragon boat trips at capital of Russia without exaggeration. weekends. It couldn’t be easier: you gather by the shore, go through a e SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board) has short brie ng, join one of the crews become an indispensable part of sea- in a boat and o you paddle. e side holidays. And, even if you don’t route is determined by the prevailing have your own board, you can easily winds. Today, there are three routes join the ranks of SUP-surfers. With the from Sanatornaya Station - to Lotos oneset of summer weather, organized Lake (Okeanskaya Station), Skrebt- SUP trips are o ered in Vladivostok, sov Island (Kovrizhka) and De-Friz and anyone who wants to can take Peninsula. e trips take 3 to 4 hours part, regardless of age or physical t- depending on the route. ness. Kids from 9 years old can paddle a board by themselves. Younger kids Surfing can share a board with a parent or instructor. You can catch a wave without going out of town in Vladivostok. From e most popular routes are to: the May to October, the Swell surf camp Basargin Lighthouse (starting from and surf school are open on Russky Patrokl Bay), the Primorsky Aquarium Island on Akhlestyshev Peninsula. (starting from Paris Bay), Truda Bay, Helena Island (starting from the is is the only school of sur ng in Canal), Tobizin Peninsula (starting from Karpinsky Bay) and Shkot Island Unique Enteroctopus (starting from New Dzhigit Bay). e dofleini lives in the route is chosen depending on the waters of Primorye. direction and strength of the wind. bRooawtisng on dragon Racing on dragon class boat is a very popular sport in Asia. And dragon boats have also gained recognition and became popular in Primorye as well. Vladivostok annually hosts dragon boat racing in a competition The main kayaking spots are the coasts of Russky Island, from the rocky capes of Tobizin, and Shkot Island to the serene Novik Bay. Тoday, cliff diving is an official sport. 40 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

Primorye SEA HOLIDAYS You can catch a wave year-round on Russky Island. the capital of Primorye that has its One of the most Cliff diving stationary base within the city limits.  popular SUP surfing is fashionable term means jumping At the school, you learn the basics of routes is to head into the sea from rocks of di erent safe sur ng and discover how to ride out of Patrokl Bay heights, the favorite and familiar fun through the surf, catch waves, jump and proceed toward of many seaside boys. Today, cli up on your board, riding along a wave, the Basargin Light- diving is o cially recognized as a and make simple turns. sport, and there are even cli diving house. world championships. You can come to the camp at any time to relax, sunbathe, chat, sing sea and rich wildlife: sea urchins, e jumping spot is chosen based songs with a guitar or just lie in a star sh, sea anemones, and a vari- on several parameters: the height and hammock under the stars. You are ety of crabs, birds and sh. On the steepness of the cli , and the depth also welcome to stay with your own nearby islands, there are colonies of and size of the bay. e Sun Keepers tent (or rent one on-site), or live com- spotted seals. In spring and autumn, have travelled all around the coast fortably in a yurt or large tent. e whales come to Peter the Great Bay, to make up a list of the TOP-10 cli camp has showers, WCs, kitchen, and you can even see them within diving spots in Primorye: Edelstein laundry facilities and electricity. the city limits. A kayak allows you Cape (Vladivostok), Tobizin Cape to move along the very edge of the (Russky Island), Malenkiy Penin- Kayaking water, sliding by so quietly you won’t sula (Popov Island), Vikenta Island frighten even the most cautious (Reyneke Island), Red Cli s (Rikord e waters around Vladivostok are inhabitants. Island), Alekseev Bay (Gamov Pen- great for sea kayaking. You will nd insula), Stenin Cape (Trinity Bay), rugged coastline, calm and warm e main kayaking spots are the Polosatik Cape (Podjapolskoye), Silin coasts of Russky Island, from the Cape (Valentin) and Tasovaya Bay rocky capes of Tobizin, and Shkot (Preobrazheniye). Island to the serene Novik Bay. You can spend a weekend not far from Snorkeling Vladivostok on the islands Popov and Reyneke as well. Resorts in the You don’t have to take diving courses Khasansky District also o er kayak- and buy expensive equipment to see ing tours. the underwater world of the Sea of Japan with your own eyes. If you are clever about it, snorkeling will give you plenty of vivid impressions. Remember, if you are swimming without a wetsuit, the comfortable temperature for snorkeling should be at least 20°C. But you should not swim for more than thirty minutes even in warm water. Otherwise you can get hypothermia. at’s why a wetsuit, even the simplest 2-3 millimeters thick “shorty” (with short sleeves and trouser-legs) will signi cantly increase your possibilities. e bays of Russky Island, as well as anywhere along the “wild” coast of southern Primorye, are ideal for snor- keling. Opt for places away from river estuaries and large sandy beaches to enjoy swimming in clear waters. TLR tour.primorsky.ru july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 41

JOURNEYS Kamchatka Tolbachik consists of two stratovolca- Text: Boris Gorbunov noes, one of which Kurile Lake. is active. Yiandcovrueerdntiburlee More than 40 geysers and An amazing place, indescribable emotions, stunningly beautiful nature, impressions that numerous thermal will stay with you all your life — these are the springs are concen- words of tourists from all corners of the world trated in the Valley who have visited Kamchatka at least once. of Geysers. L ocated in the very far east of Avachinsky Russia, this region may seem volcano is one of inaccessible to many, but reach- the most visited ing the peninsula is not as hard as it landmarks. can seem at rst glance. It is only a few hours by air travel from major Russian cities, and it’s a port-of-call included 42 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

in dozens of sea cruises. And once well-fed and happy with life. Dog sledding is they’ve reached Kamchatka, tour- You can see dozens of these Kamchatka’s key ists are in for a truly incredible pigeon-toed animals at once entertainment. adventure! while they “ sh” in the lake; Kamchatka they pay no attention whatso- PHOTO: KAMCHATKA TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER Volcanoes ever to people. Sled dog ere are 30 active and 300 dor- kennels mant volcanoes in Kamchatka. Each of them has its own unique e Beringia, a traditional qualities and character. To ascend Kamchatka dog sled race, the volcanoes, you will need to jump-started dog sledding as a come in summer. e most visited sport on the peninsula. It takes by tourists are the Avachinsky, place annually and is the main Mutnovsky and Gorely volcanoes, event of the winter season. and even novice hikers are able to climb them. In the winter, you can ere are several dog sled ken- reach the foothills of the volcanoes nels located in the vicinity by snowmobile. of the region’s capital. Kam- The Valley of chatka’s sled dogs — huskies, Geysers laikas, samoyeds and mala- mutes — greet kennel visitors e unique Valley of Geysers is with loud barking and friendly one of Kamchatka’s world-famous “embraces”. At the kennels, you attractions. You can only reach can ride a dog sled as a passen- it by helicopter, and the ight ger or try your hand at driving. one-way takes no more than two Thermal hours. More than 40 geysers and springs numerous thermal springs are Near Petropavlovsk-Kamchat- concentrated in this unique place. sky, there are dozens of hot Tourists who have visited the thermal pools whose waters Valley of the Geysers say that you have unique healing properties. can hear the earth breathing here. Kurile Lake e Paratunka resort region You can meet the best-known has spa and health resorts that inhabitants of Kamchatka’s animal cater to any taste. Most pools kingdom — bears — by taking here are outdoors and open a helicopter trip to Kurile Lake. 24/7. It’s a special delight to Moreover, these predators pose no swim in hot curative waters threat at all to man here. e lake in winter, when everything is the world’s largest spawning site around you is covered in banks for salmon, so the bears are always of snow, with a cloud of steam rising above the pool. TLR visitkamchatka.ru GETTING THERE Every cottage at the Kamchatka How to get there Nachalnik Kamchatki and gastro bar, Butcher Forest Lodge Kamchatka has regular (not rated), Petropavlovsk meat and wine restaurant, has a separate flight connections with Rus- (3-star), Geyser (3-star), or Da Vinci restaurant — thermal swim- sia’s major cities — Moscow, Komandor (not rated), and you won’t regret it! ming pool. Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, Severnye Priklyucheniya Khabarovsk, and Yuzhno- (Northern Adventures) Park What to buy The Severnye Sakhalinsk in the Far East, Hotel. You can buy traditional Priklyucheniya and many others. In the Kamchatka souvenirs and (Northern Adven- summer, seasonal flights to What to eat arts and crafts items in tures) Park Hotel the U.S. (Anchorage, Alaska) Many tourists visit this the ethnic souvenir shops, are also available. region for Far-Eastern cui- such as Shaman, Nulevaya sine, with its seafood, fish Versta, Medveditsa and Where to stay and red caviar. Come visit Kamchatskaya Faktoriya. Excellent service and Kamchatka Local Kitchen You can also buy tradi- friendly staff await you restaurant, Kalelyn ethnic tional Kamchatka clothes in at the peninsula’s hotels: food cafe, Pastrami wine Kamcha-Shop. offers cottages and an open-air swim- ming pool. july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 43

TRAVEL The Republic of Buryatia IN THE PRESIDENT’S FOOTSTEPS 44 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

The Republic of Buryatia TRAVEL LAST WINTER I VISITED ONE OF THE MOST ENIGMATIC AND UNUSUAL AREAS IN RUSSIA: THE REPUBLIC OF BURYATIA. WHAT’S SO REMARKABLE ABOUT THIS REMOTE REGION IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST BEYOND LAKE BAIKAL? WHY TRAVEL THERE? WHERE DID PRESIDENT PUTIN AND PRIME MINISTER MEDVEDEV STAY WHEN THEY VISITED, AND WHAT DID THE LOCAL CHEFS COOK FOR THEM? WE HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS. TEXT: ARTYOM SVETLOV President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin visits Ivolginsky Datsan in the village of Verkhnyaya Ivolga. july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 45

TRAVEL The Republic of Buryatia vision of Buryatia’s future. More than 1.5 million tour- The magnificent ists come to Buryatia every year. Naturally, the main National Opera It was early December. Ulan-Ude, Buryatia’s attraction is Lake Baikal. ere is a lot of interest in and Ballet Theatre capital city, welcomed our team, which included it, especially among Chinese investors. However, the of Buryatia, the representatives of the TUI tourist agency and local government would rather work with our own architectural face journalists, with an invigorating 27°C below zero Russian investors. of Ulan-Ude. (-16.6°F). Buryatia’s endless steppes get no last- In October 2019 Ulan-Ude will be hosting the AIBA The Memorial ing snow cover thanks to the incessant, biting winds, Women’s World Boxing Championships. Last year House and Museum so we felt the freezing air in our bones. We put on all women boxers from Buryatia took two gold and two of the scholar and the warm clothes we had with us, including thermal silver medals at the Russian Women’s Boxing Cham- spiritual leader underwear, scarves and fur hats. We needed all the pionships; and now it appears they will have to prove Agvan Dorzhiev help we could get. that they are the best in the world. is located in Architecturally, Buryatia’s capital looks a lot like the grounds of In Buryatia’s Capital many other Siberian cities. Its main square is the site the Atsagatsky of the world’s largest sculptural head of Vladimir Datsan, 50 km from e purpose of our trip was not only educational, it Lenin, which weighs 42 tons and stands almost eight Ulan-Ude. was also commercial. e major international tour meters high! e giant head looks a little scary, but The outstanding operator TUI Group Russia and the CIS, had decided the locals have long grown accustomed to him and educator and to expand its operations to this region of Siberia and hold all the city’s main celebrations on the square. We Buddhist Lama begun developing package tours. Since nothing like soon got used to him, too, taking sel es with the great once lived in this this had been previously available on the market, revolutionary. log house. TUI’s plans were of particular importance for the ➜ At the Memorial region. We met with Alexey Tsydenov, the o cial House and Museum head of the Republic, who was happy to share his of the Semeiskie Old Believers. Architecturally, Buryatia’s capital looks a lot like many other Siberian cities. Its main square is the site of the world’s largest sculptural head of Vladimir Lenin, which weighs 42 tons and stands almost eight meters high! 46 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019

The Republic of Buryatia TRAVEL july 2019 / TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA 47

TRAVEL The Republic of Buryatia Ivolginsky Datsan, located 36 km away from Ulan-Ude, is the main centre of Buddhist studies in Russia, one of the so-called “power places” of Eastern Siberia. In 2002 the incorrupt body of Hambo Lama Itigilov was transferred to Ivol- ginsky Datsan. The Lama’s body, which was retrieved from the grave 75 years a er his passing, did not show any signs of decay. Another “monument” to Soviet rule is the spec- mood — otherwise, you run the risk of spoiling other tacular Buryat National Opera and Ballet eatre, people’s karma. which was established in 1939. e building, which is famous for the enormous fresco adorning its audito- e monastery also houses a Buddhist university rium ceiling, is an example of the so-called “Stalinist (with 100 students currently studying there), a hotel Empire style” in architecture and is considered a cul- that is open in the summer, a museum of Buddhist art, tural heritage site. We were given a guided tour of the and a visitor center. theatre and even allowed to go backstage and attend a rehearsal. I was drawn to the souvenirs sold at stalls inside the monastery. ere was a great selection, from slip- A visit to the Lamas pers and belts made from camel hair in Buryatia and neighbouring Mongolia to incense and portraits of the Ivolginsky Datsan (Buddhist monastery), the centre of Dalai Lama. I purchased a pair of cute “inseparable” Buddhist spiritual practices in Russia, is located 36 km elephant gurines. According to Buddhist tradi- away from Ulan-Ude. Most of the temples here were tion, the elephant is one of the most revered animals; built in the 1970s. indeed, Buddhist teaching tells us that before she gave birth to Gautama Buddha, his mother dreamt of a In 2002 the incorrupt body of Hambo Lama Itigilov white elephant entering her body, and even though she was transferred to Ivolginsky Datsan. Hambo Lama was married, her vision was seen as a portent of the Itigilov died in 1927, having instructed his followers appearance of a divinity on earth. to exhume his body a er 75 years. When the monks performed the ritual, they discovered the Lama’s body i POSOLSKY intact, with no signs of decay. Many a scientist, includ- MONASTERY ing some from other countries, has tried to unlock this There are three functioning Russian Orthodox mystery: cells taken from the Lama’s dead body are the same as the cells of a healthy living person. monasteries in Buryatia today. The Posolsky Transfigura- tion Monastery, located on the shores of Lake Baikal, is Today the Lama’s body is seated in a large armchair quite remarkable. It was founded in 1681 on the site where behind a protective glass, and at set intervals during eight members of the first Russian diplomatic mission to the year, any visitor can approach him to bow and Mongolia were murdered and buried. The monastery has pray. An exception was made for our group, and we been under reconstruction since 2000. The Russian Min- were allowed to visit the sacred site outside of the istry of Foreign Affairs provides assistance to the Posolsky normal schedule. By the way, before going into the Transfiguration Monastery through its Board of Trustees. temple you are required to let go of all dark thoughts and worries in order to enter in a positive and happy 48 TOURISM & LEISURE IN RUSSIA / july 2019