1. The name of the project: “Tourist Information Centres Network”

2. The grant amount: 134 996 euros plus partners co-financing 27 000 euros. Total amount of the project is 161 996 euros.

3. The organization – leading partner: Lappeenranta business and tourism development organization

4. The organizations-partners:
• Committee for Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Politics, Administration of Leningrad Oblast;
• Imatra Regional Development Company;
• Tourist Information Center of Leningrad region;
• Municipal Fund “Ivangorod Center for Sustainable Development ”;
• NP "North-West Funding Service Centre".

5. Goals and objectives of the project:
The main goal of the project is development of the tourist sector of economy in South-East Finland and Leningrad region.
Objectives:
• Establishing of viable Network of Tourist Information Centers in Leningrad Oblast acting as an infrastructural facilities for sustainable development of tourist sector of economy.
• Development and implementing the innovative system for statistical accounting.
• Establishing the information system of TICs in Leningrad Oblast and Finland.
• Promotion of the region.

6. Target group (briefly): SMEs in sphere of tourism, municipal administrations which are interested in increasing of tourism incomes and in creation of new work places, administration of Leningrad Oblast.

7. The main outputs of project:
• Public project hearings on creation of TICs in Leningrad Oblast were held  in the frame of project implementation, this resulted in selection and creation of 10 TICs (see the list at  http;//lentravel.ru/infr/tourinfocenter) on the basis of 4 existing (2 of them are partners of the project) and 6 new ones.
• Development Business plan of every TIC was worked out.
• In all TICs responsible executors have been appointed, working places have been equipped (renovation of premises has been done, furniture and equipment have been bought)
• Six specialized training seminars (including 3 practical trainings) were held for TIC experts, during which TIC experts studied methods of operation and creation of  TIC
structures, networking of these organizations, tourist product creation rules, basis of statistic accounting, TIC work forms with organizers of rural tourism.
• The project and TIC have been presented at 8 tourist exhibitions (one in Helsinki, 3 in Moscow and 4 in Saint-Petersburg).
• The training seminar devoted to study of TIC work experience of Imatra and Lappeenranta was held in South-East Finland.
• Direct contacts were established between the Finnish and Russian players of tourism market.
• Finnish experience of collecting and statistic accounting was studied. System of statistic accounting for use in Leningrad Oblast was worked out.
• Created TICs have started to collect statistical information on their territories.
• The study tour for Finnish tourist operators to Leningrad Oblast has been organized where they got acquainted with its tourist product.
• Created TICs have started to collect information about tourist opportunities of their territories
• With a view of TIC and project results promotion, the TIC network symbolism was worked out.
• For the project webpage creation the existing resource was used, namely the website www.lentravel.ru, where the project webpage was created and is maintained on regular basis. It contains information about the project, its participants, day-to-day operations and results of the project. Created TICs have possibility to place and update information about tourist resources of their territories through the system of remote access.
• Project activities are permanently covered in mass media; journalists are always invited on the project events.
• Interim report has been prepared and submitted.
• The unified set of information booklets with TIC symbolism was published.
• Tourist schemes/maps of cities, where created TICs are situated, were published for dissemination among visitors of those TICs.
• TIC networking has been started.
• Information and material exchange, elaboration of mutual product are conducted.
• Elaboration of new tourist products is conducted.

Archived results by the end of the project:

- Realization of the project contributed to sustainable development of regions tourist sector, and influenced the tourist business development (hotels, restaurants, etc.), that on the whole increased economic growth of Leningrad Oblast and South-East Finland.

- Tourist infrastructure has been improved: on the Leningrad Oblast territory tourist network of 10 TIC appeared, which contributed in increase of coming tourist flows in small cities.

- New contacts were established, cooperation between small businesses in tourist sphere of Leningrad Oblast and South-East Finland was increased.

- Information support of tourist activity of the territories both on national and on international levels was improved.

- Information about tourist opportunities of Leningrad Oblast in Internet is presented on international level.

- Promotion of territories tourist product now is more effective due to activity of created TICs.

- The main project result: on the territory of Leningrad Oblast 10 TICs were created, namely:

1)  “Tourist and Information Centre” of Leningrad Oblast (LOSE TIC)
191186, St-Petersburg, Bolshaya Morskaya ul. 5.
Tel./Fax: + 7(812) 314 69 35, 314 69 45, 314 63 14, 576 45 98.
www.lentravel.ru
E-mail: lentravel@mail.ru

2) TIC in Volkhovsky region
Volkhov, Volkhovsky pr. 24
Tel.\Fax: +7 (81363) 31360, 73728
E-mail: fpmplada@mail.ru

3) Vyborg information tourist agency “Vita”
188800, Vyborg, Progonnaya ul. 7b.
Tel.\Fax: +7 (81378) 20386
E-mail: monrepo-1@yandex.ru

4) Tourist Information Centre of Gatchina
188300, Gatchina, Ul. Karla Marksa, 44.
Tel.\Fax: +7 (812) 234 8654
E-mail: inkeri_ktalo@mail.ru

5) Ivangorod Tourist Information Centre
188490, Ivangorod, Kingisepp Road 8,
Tel.\Fax: +7 (81375) 51 442, 53 369.
E-mail: dir.center@ivangorod.ru

6) Tourist Information Centre of  Lodeynoe pole district
187700, Lodeynoe pole, ul. Uritskogo, 8.
Tel.\Fax: +7 (81364)209 98;
Fax: +7 (81364) 254 11
E-mail: ipole@813.ru

7) Tourist Information Centre of Luga district
188230, Luga, pr. Kirova, 56
Tel.\Fax: +7 (81372) 23 601, 419 24.
E-mail: sdc@luga.ru

8) Tourist Information Centre of Priozersk district
188700, Priozersk, ul. Lenina, 36.
Tel.\Fax: +7 (81379) 31 862.
E-mail: preozersk@luga.ru

Tourist Information Centre of Siantsy district
188560, Slantsy, ul. Kirova, 19.
Tel.\Fax: +7 (81374) 218 44.
E-mail: ssdc@mail.spbnit.ru