Tourist Information Centres Network creation in Leningrad Oblast and South-East Finland

The Project is aimed to develop the tourism sector of economy in cooperating regions.
Specific focus is directing to small cities in Leningrad Oblast, which lack the tourist flow both from Russia and Finland/EU. For Finnish side the main focus would be in establishing direct and effective links to Russian partner organisations, which will expand the range and geography of services for outside tourists but also to attract more tourist from Russian side by disseminating the tourist information throughout the small cities. Both countries will benefit by promoting the cooperation regions as the tourist destination place and increasing of internal tourist flow.

St.Petersburg is well-known the tourist destination place but there are a brilliant interesting places spreading throughout the Leningrad Oblast region. Because of lack of financial resources and absence of specialised companies, the tourist would hardly find any related information of tourist events and places to visit in Leningrad oblast region. Same problem Russian tourists meet when they are going to South-East Finland. In fact, South-East Finland is doing a lot to promote the tourism but actual needs in establishing direct contacts to Russian tourist agents are essential. Government of Leningrad oblast is interested in presence of the network of professional organisations developing the tourism in small cities of Leningrad oblast but own resources are very limited. Both sides of the project are interested to develop new tourist routes, offer new tourist products, attract the tourist from outside of cooperating regions but also increase the internal tourist flow. The project will provide the assisting to cooperating partners to develop the sustainable system of the development of tourism in cooperating regions.

The aim of the project is development the tourist sector of economy in South-East Finland increasing the number of tourists coming to non traditional tourist locations.

Objectives of the Project:
1. Establishing the Network of Tourist Information Centers in Leningrad Oblast acting as an infrastructural facilities for sustainable development of tourist sector of economy.
2. Development and implementing the innovative system for statistical accounting of tourist sector
3. Establishing the common information system  of TICs in Leningrad Oblast and Finland.
4. Promotion of the region.

One of main action of the project will be the development of existing network of tourist information centres (TIC), which are presenting nowadays by 4 centres. In the end of the project the network will contain the 10 TICs, which will be generally equipped and trained to provide the relevant service.

Existing TICs in Leningrad Oblast:

1) LOSE “Tourist and Information Centre”
tel. + 7(812) 314 69 35, 314 69 45, 314 63 14

2) TIC "VITA" in Vyborg:
76, Progonnaya str, Vyborg. Tel. (81378) 20 386, e-mail: monrepo@lens.spb.ru

3) NP “TIC of Gathcina area”
61a, Karla Marksa str., Gatchina. Tel. (81371) 76 158, e-mail: anttisyrov@rambler.ru

4) TIC of Municipal Fund for business and economics support «Social-business centre»
56, Kirova pr., Luga. Tel.  (81372) 41 924, 22 774, e-mail: luga@813.ru, sdc@luga.ru

5) Municipal Fund “Ivangorod Centre for Sustainable Development”
8, Kingisepp Road, Ivangorod, Leningrad Oblast 188490
tel. (81375) 53 369, 51 442, e-mail: travel.center@ivangorod.ru

The participants of the project will produce more than 10 new innovative tourist packs, which will be widely distributed among the tourist agents both in cooperating regions and outside. These packs will be also distributed by the participation in the international exhibitions and events organized within the project activities.

Another important component of the project is transferring the experience in statistic accounting of tourist sector of economy.

The main beneficiaries of the project are companies, which are involved in serving the tourists. Increased number of tourist will means more sales, increasing the number of small private hotels, development of restaurants, and other related businesses.

The terms of project realization: November 2006 - December 2007

Budget: 162 000 euro, financed by the means of TACIS

Partners:

1) Lead partner - Business development company of Lappeenranta(Finland)
Contact person: Hannu Alanen
Tel. +(358) 56 16 34 01

2) Committee for Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Politics, Administration of Leningrad Oblast
Contact person: Gavrilova Tatiana Viktotovna
Tel +(812) 576 77 84, 576 45 98

3) Imatra Regional Development Company (Finland)
Контактное лицо: Mr. Hannu Saarinen
Tel. +(358) 437 77 27

4)  LOSE “Tourist and Information Centre”
Contact person: Pavel Churakov
Tel. +7 (812) 314 69 35

5) Municipal Fund “Ivangorod Centre for Sustainable Development”
Contact person: Sharova Tatiana
Tel. +7(81375) 53 369, 51 442

6) NP "North-West Funding Service Centre"
Contact person: Sokolova Olga Erikovna
Tel. +7 (812)  712 65 44