COOPERATION WILL HELP PROMOTE NEAR MEZEN DISTRICTS ON THE TOURISM MARKET

An inter-district round table meeting entitled Rural Tourism and Recreational Use of the River Resources arranged under the Model River Mezen project was held in the village of Leshukonskoye, Arkhangelsk region, at the end of February.

Nikolay Sitnikov, deputy head of Leshukonskoye administration, who opened the event, said it was not the first meeting of representatives of adjacent districts participating in the Mezen project, and each time both parties came to a conclusion that Udora and Leshukonye districts’ residents had a lot in common both in their history and in today’s life full of challenges, so it was reasonable to look for solutions and further perspectives together.

Nikolay Sitnikov, deputy head of Leshukonskoye administration

Even though Leshukonye district is far from being located “at the crossroads”, it is quite possible to get there. And when you are there, there are a lot of things that may impress you.

Tourist potential of Leshukonye includes landscapes of the middle reaches of the Mezen with high steep banks of red, white or blue clay that are appealing to one’s eye, old villages with well-preserved architecture and traditional life style, and centuries-old folk culture carefully maintained by enthusiasts – original folk bands, village craftsmen, librarians, museum staff, etc. The package of tourist products offered by the district is limited for now – a boat tour along the Pizhma called Mistery of Pizhma Rapids, a tour for pilgrims Yudin Hermitage, tours to the house museum of old Martyn in Selishche, to the local history museum and  the Center of Crafts in Leshukonskoye… The Vazhenka guest house in the district center welcomes those who love hunting and fishing attracting tourists by hunting (wildfowl, elks and brown bears) and fishing resources.

The potential is poorly used at the moment. Remote location and absence of good quality all-year-round roads do not contribute to tourism development, of course. Another problem is absence of enthusiastic and knowledgeable “players” on the field, low self-confidence and sometimes indifference. Moreover, many villagers from Leshukonye and Udora areas are clearly against the idea of rural tourism promotion, as they are afraid of invasion of strangers who may destroy the last remaining fish and wildfowl resources. Obviously, rural residents do not know any successful examples of rural tourism development bringing about other positive changes, for example, the boom in service business (guest houses, transport, catering), manufacturing of souvenirs, revitalization of long forgotten arts and crafts, etc.

The first tourism intiatives for Leshukonye were spoken about at the meeting by Anzhela Makarova from the district administration and entrepreneur and natural and rural tourism enthusiast Igor Korbut.

Igor Korbut

Anzhela Makarova, specialist of the district administration (in the center)

Alexander Morozov, Ozherelye Udory director, told about tourist initiatives in Udora, he reported on the existing tourist routes, guest houses along the Mezen and potential new routes to be developed.

Olga Sazhina’s presentation about the Mezen Day event held for the first time last summer under the Mezen River project also raised a lot of interest among the participants. Just to point out that the Mezen Day representing event tourism became the first example of cooperation between two neighbouring districts, as both Udora and Leshukonye residents took part in it.

Initiators of the round table meeting are hoping to preserve the tradition through more than just facilitation of the Mezen Day event planned to be held next summer. The key tourism activists of the two districts – Alexander Morozov and Igor Korbut – agreed to develop and test a “through” tourist route along the Mezen (across Leshukonye and Udora districts) in the near future, and discussed other opportunities for potential cooperation in tourism development. Inclusion of the most interesting landmarks of both areas will diversify natural and ethnic components of the proposed routes and hopefully attract visitors interested in the North to the districts. Tourist group exchange and joint promotion of tourism products also have good potential …

It is possible that the cooperation will help to promote Mezen districts on the tourism market.

Visitors from Leshukonye on the Mezen Day in Udora district

Participants of the rafting tour on the Vashka before the start, 2017