This was the name of a two-day seminar for rural tourism organizers and guest houses owners conducted under Model River Mezen project in the Udora district of Komi.

The given seminar is not the first event devoted to the rural tourism development in the Udora district: Silver Taiga is supporting this activity under its projects. It should be noted, that the participants of the given seminar had an opportunity not only to exchange the information with each other and to discuss the urgent problems, but also to get acquainted with the experience of the rural tourism development in the neighboring Arkhangelsk region thanks to participation of the entrepreneur from Pinega district Tatjana Sedunova.

Tatiana is being engaged in the rural tourism organization for eighteen years already and, according to her, she has experienced a lot of this business, from the period of outright ridicule in her address to the active support of both the villagers and the authorities. Starting the business in cash-strapped nineties, like many, with trade, she invested her first serious profits in the construction of a children’s camp in the ancient village of Kuchkas… She was one of those who began to revive the famous Artemievo-Verkolsky monastery… Thanks to her initiative the following has been organized and is functioning: tourist rafting from Pinega river headwaters, buying-out of mushrooms and berries from the population and their processing, youth camps, etc. There are guest houses in Verkola and some other villages of the Pinega land and many local people are involved in rendering of services to tourists. The first tourist products and tourist routes spontaneously appeared in the district have been structured, Pinega district has been divided into four clusters, the four most visited areas. They are: the Wild Pinega (the head of the river), the Fairy Pinega (around Karpogory area), the Orthodox Sura (birthplace of John of Kronshtadt), the Blessed Verkola (motherland of many talented people of Pinega). About 2 thousand people visit the local tourist routes per year, 80% of the tourists are from Moscow, but, according to Tatiana, people from the Arkhangelsk region have also begun to come here in recent years.

Being a member of the Arkhangelsk regional Assembly and Deputy Head of the parliamentary Committee on culture and tourism, Tatiana also pays a lot of attention to development of other rural areas of the Arkhangelsk region including villages along Mezen river.

Thanks to Tatiana’s presentation of the rural tourist routes and her comments upon it, the participants of the seminar got acquainted with the directions of tourism development in the neighbouring districts of the Arkhangelsk region. It was interesting to listen to Tatiana’s experience in details. She spoke about her first steps in tourism development, revival of the northern villages, ways out of difficult situations, cooperation with the local population including cultural and educational workers, old residents, farmers, etc.

Tatiana paid special attention to the fact, that thanks to the rural tourism development local people have begun to care about their villages; they support the initiative and propose their own interesting and promising ideas; some people are coming back from towns and cities, restore their native houses and begin to deal with the guest tourism…

According to Tatiana “guest house – it is the whole industry of hospitality” and she gave an example of one of her guest houses in Verkola village, where not only traditional services are provided, but also there is a conference hall in order to conduct meetings, workshops, conferences, etc.

«Tourism – is a good business. But you should be patient as a lot of time and effort are needed to achieve a success!» – says Tatiana to the beginning entrepreneurs from Udora district of Komi. They have a great desire to develop tourism in their district, but have no support of both the villagers and the authorities.

However, Udora representatives have gained some experience in tourism business. Victoria Semenova, specialist of the economic development department of Udora district administration, presented in short the information about tourism development in the district. Alexander Morozov (Udora Necklace ltd.) and Nadezhda Morozova (Children’s Activity Centre) shared their experience of river resources recreational use. Dina Ivanovna Chuprova, a teacher and an organizer of the rural tours, told about the formation of tourist product variants on the basis of the guest houses of Udora district and about the results of research expeditions of children.

Anna Yurchenko, a representative of Tourism Agency of the Komi Republic, answered the questions about the state support of tourist projects. Besides, the participants of the seminar expressed their ideas and proposals towards the Agency including the annual republican exhibition «Rest in the North», which is not functioning nowadays.

During the second day of the seminar the participants visited Selyb village, the guest house of Bushenev’s family, where they were met by the village creative team. Olga Busheneva presented the tourist product step by step – the guest house, the village museum, the church, which is being set in order by the local population. The participants also got acquainted with the local icon painter Oksana Baklanova. They were impressed by her workroom, the story about her work secrets, peculiarities and technique of modern icon-painting, famous Mezen paintings, etc.

At the end of the second day the participants spoke about the benefits and drawbacks of Selyb tourist product and how it is possible to turn the tourism to the sector of the village economy.

According to the participants, the seminar was extremely useful and positive. Besides, the participants exchanged the contacts with each other and are ready to cooperate including exchange of tourist troops of schoolchildren, development of a joint tourist product and participation in the annual conferences of the guest houses owners in Pinega.

The first day of the seminar in Koslan. The Head of Udora district Administration Nikolai Zhilin is among the participants.

The first day of the seminar in Koslan. The Head of Udora district Administration Nikolai Zhilin is among the participants

Participants of the seminar

In Selyb village

Coffee-break with the local dishes

Village creative team

The guest house owner Olga Busheneva is conducting an excursion in the village museum

Tatiana Sedunova in her guest house in Vercola village

In the workroom of the painter

Valentina Semyashkina
Photo by Sergey Davydov and Nadezhda Morozova