As part of the Day of Sports and Tourism at the international exhibition and forum “Russia” at VDNH, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko held a plenary session “Sport and Tourism. Synergy of development”. The event was also attended by Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Russian Minister of Sports Oleg Matytsin, Governor of Primorsky Krai, Chairman of the State Council Commission on Tourism, Physical Culture and Sports Oleg Kozhemyako, member of the Expert Council under the Government of Russia, Chairman of the Council of the federal territory “Sirius” Elena Shmeleva, representatives of business structures.
At the opening of the Sports and Tourism Day, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko stressed: “For about 2.5 months, the Russia exhibition, organized on the initiative of President Vladimir Putin, has been welcoming guests from all over our country and other countries. More than 5 million people appreciated the achievements and opportunities of the country – its regions and economy.”
At the plenary session, Dmitry Chernyshenko spoke about the strategic connection between sports and tourism. “The synergy of tourism and sports affects the creation of new points of attraction, the development of regions and the health of citizens. Sports facilities are becoming points of attraction for major events and drivers of the development of mass tourism, and tourist infrastructure facilities are becoming places for sports camps. The national Tourism and Hospitality Industry project helps us in many ways. Tourism generates demand for the products and services of many other industries – transport, housing, catering, culture, construction. There is a certain magic of numbers, if you look at the data of the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Sports: by the end of 2023, we exceeded the figures for domestic tourist traffic of the pre–2019 level – this is over 75 million people. This practically coincides with the number of people involved in sports in our country – 77 million people. It is important to continue achieving all the goals set by the President of Russia and ensure the independence and technological sovereignty of our country,” Dmitry Chernyshenko said.
“The Ministry of Economic Development, when developing measures to support the industry, focuses, among other things, on the growing interest of tourists in sports and a healthy lifestyle. With the help of the mechanism of special economic zones, the largest ski resorts in the country are developing, and the program of preferential loans within the framework of the national tourism project can now be used to develop the infrastructure of ski complexes,” Maxim Reshetnikov said.
Russians are increasingly traveling around the country. In 11 months of 2023, an increase of 20% in tourist trips or 12 million people. The geography of trips is also expanding. The North Caucasus showed an increase in tourist trips 2 times higher than the national average.
“Holding sports events enhances the tourist image of the regions and becomes an impetus for future investments, helps the development of the local economy and business involvement. Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Sochi, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, Yakutsk – these and many other cities have been significantly transformed on the eve of major sports tournaments. Russia has always been and remains a pioneer in creating new competition formats. We will continue to further develop the national sports system, create infrastructure for mass sports and high–performance sports within the framework of the federal project “Sport is the norm of Life” of the national Demography project,” Oleg Matytsin said.
In 2024, Russia will organize the Games of the Future and the BRICS Games, which will be held in Kazan, the Children of Asia in Yakutsk, the Children of Primorye in Vladivostok, and the Friendship Games in Moscow and Yekaterinburg.
The All-Russian Winter Sports Contest of the strongest will open the traditional mass competitions “Ski Track of Russia”, “Cross of the Nation”, the Russian-Chinese Youth Games are planned to be held in Sakhalin and the Far East in 2026.
Dmitry Chernyshenko spoke about the unique international multisport tournament “Games of the Future”, which allows for the active development of sports and tourism.
“The Games of the Future is the main digital tournament, the concept of which implements the principle of harmonious development, combining esports and classic sports. The Games of the Future are one of the results of the Decade of Science and Technology announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kazan is ready to welcome guests, media representatives, athletes and fans from around the world with the hospitality typical of Russia. The business program of the Games will open up new opportunities for international cooperation not only in the field of sports, but also in the fields of science, innovation, the gaming industry, and the creative economy. The guests of the Games of the Future will see the image of Russia, combining the originality of culture and innovation,” the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.
