by Aaltje Van Zoelen

Created on: August 30, 2008   Last Updated: April 04, 2011

Ecotourism Development in East Russia
Most travelers are familiar with the western part of Russia, specifically those areas and activities which are of interest to international travelers, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg and the wonderful river cruises along the Volga River. The eastern part of Russia, almost seven time zones away, and including Siberia and the Russian Far East, is less known and getting there is much more difficult. While there are ecotourism development projects taking place in the western part of Russia, the eastern part consisting of large tracks of pristine wilderness, and inhabited by a variety of unique species of wild and marine life, is inherently better suited to the development of ecotourism. That the region offers habitat to a variety of endemic species, such as the Amur Tiger and the Siberian Snow Leopard, which species are in dire need of protection, has attracted international attention. Both World Wildlife Fund and the United Nations Development, since the opening of the region in 1990, have and still are managing various projects. Some of the protected areas lie within the borders of both countries, the United States and Russia and include projects targeted towards the Bering Sea ecosystem.

While tourism in both Siberia and the Russian Far East has been slowly developing, it had centered mostly on cultural travel including using the Trans Siberian Express, as a transportation mode, with stops along the way, featuring cultural monuments, visits to local museums, and perhaps an Amur River Cruise in Khabarovsk, etc. Some of the regions included in the Russian Far East, are Kamchatka, Chukotka, Sakhalin, and the Primorsky and Khabarovsky Krais, all of them accessible by sea. In the past few years though, mostly based upon international interest, activity oriented programs, such as kayaking, hiking, climbing and trekking, have joined programs centering on participation in indigenous festivals or visiting local communities. While these activities could include ecotourism elements, such as education about the areas to be visited, support of local communities and travel management focused on limiting access to fragile areas, this is currently practices in a haphazard manner. There are lots of misunderstandings and cultural misconceptions of what the term "ecotourism" signifies and how it should be operated. Also its benefits interpreted by a different belief and economic system are not clear as well as the value of sound natural resource

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