The development of cruise tourism in the ports of the Western Arctic

For most Russians, the Arctic remains obscure and unattractive for tourism region. The main conditions for tourism development on the Arctic Ocean – is the creation of a special cruise fleet and coastal tourism infrastructure. Currently, Russian tour operators are poorly represented in the segment of the expedition cruises to the Arctic. Financial strength and experience of the foreign expeditionary cruise companies virtually eliminate the possibility for Russian companies to organize themselves and to sell on the world market in the Russian Arctic cruises. On average, the Russian Arctic and the North Pole is visited by the foreign tourists in 1000 [1, 2011] .

Russian first Arctic expedition cruises organizer becomes the Moscow company "Travel Club" Special", which organizes up to 10 % of all cruises to the Arctic. Company since 2010, has organized their own cruises to the Russian Arctic on a chartered Russian courts, including the Franz Josef Land (FJL) diesel icebreaker Murmansk branch "Rosmorport" "Captain Dranitsin." The company plans to organize the Arctic cruises from Murmansk to Vaygach Island and New Earth , along the Murmansk --‐ Svalbard --‐ Victoria Island --‐ PFI --‐ Svalbard --‐ Murmansk [2, 2012]. In the sum--‐ mer of 2011 "Special" organized new tourist flight to the ship "Akademik Shokalsky" from Mur--‐ mansk to Arkhangelsk on the White and Barents Seas visiting Solovki . Along the coast of the Kola Peninsula operates only maritime passenger route Murmansk --‐ Chavanga on which runs the ship "Claudia Elanskaya " before flying to Arkhangelsk .

FSUE " Rosatomflot " for several years has been organizing cruises to the North Pole. Cruis--‐ es on the icebreakers --‐ the inclusive ex--‐tourism product of Russia, as it offers the only Russian company Poseidon Expedition, a member of the association of operators of the Arctic expedition cruises. Russia --‐ is the only country in the world that brings tourists by sea to the top of the plan--‐ et. Unlike traditional, expedition cruises are not entertaining, and informative. Cruise ships are so busy that from October to May, and in the summer their load is low. This allows "Rosatomflot" to allocate ships for cruises and receive additional funds for their maintenance. Summer cruise sea--‐ son is short --‐ only 50 days. If in the early 90s. icebreakers to the North Pole was transported no more than 60--‐70 people per season, in 2011 the number of the tourists reached 530 people., 58 of them Russians. The number of Russian tourists compared to 2009 increased by 6.5 times. Note that prior to 2009 there was virtually no Russians in the Arctic cruises. Beginning in 2010, cruises to the top of the world carries the youngest and most powerful icebreaker in the world --‐ "50 Years of Victory", capable of accommodating up to 130 people. The cost of a two week cruise is from 16 to 25 thousand euros. Flights to North Pole from Murmansk run through Spitsbergen or through Franz Josef Land Into the New Earth. During the 2010--‐2011. icebreaker "50 Years of Victory com--‐ pleted 3 cruises per season. In 2012 it was planned to make 4 icebreaker cruise to the North Pole ¹ .

Murmansk in 1990, developed as a center of the international maritime tourism, the start--‐ ing point of the cruises to the northern seas. Cruise ship in Murmansk for the past 13 years orga--‐ nized Murmansk tour operator company "Nordmorservis travel", accepting and serving in the commercial and fishing port for one summer season average of 3 to 6 cruise ships with many for--‐ eign tourists on board from 160 to 1000. In summer 2011 Murmansk visited 11 different ships with tourists, just making 13 calls in Murmansk fishing port. On board in Murmansk arrived about five thousand cruise tourists, including many guests from Germany. In 2012 expected 15 ship calls 2. Currently only 1% of the total number of tourists traveling on cruise ships, are citizens of Russia [3, 2012].

Murmansk is included in the routes of the ocean liners "Ocean Princess", "Albatross", "Le Diamant", "Kristina Regina." Potentially in the foreseeable future Murmansk could take up to 50,000 cruise tourists per year [4, 2012]. This requires a radical reconstruction of berth passenger terminal in Murmansk seaport: dredging and shore protection works, the elongation of the main pier, creating a border checkpoint, reconstruction and expansion of the marine station.

On the 100th anniversary of Murmansk (2016), since 2012, carried out a project to create a federal investment sea front "Arctic harbor" worth 20 million dollars, which involves the organiza--‐ tion of the recreational, tourism, culture zone in the marine station. Implement the project in col--‐ laboration with the Government of the Moscow area will be an investment company "Olympic City". Marine Facade "Arctic Harbor" – is a complex that will include a berth for cruise liners, the promenade, parking space for floating museums --‐ atomic icebreaker "Lenin" and the submarine "K--‐ 3 " [4, 2012]. Murmansk to convert into an attractive tourist cruise center of the international level also need to pass a law approving the right to visa--‐free reception of foreign tourists from cruise ships for the period to 72 hours. It will boost the tourism sector of the economy, will con--‐ tribute to the creation of the modern urban infrastructure and expansion of the labor market.

At present, the question of the restoration of marine passenger service between Mur--‐ mansk and Kirkenes, which operated in the 90s. Also, back in 2010 were conducted international negotiations with representatives of the largest Norwegian cruise tour operator --‐ the company "Hurtigruten" to extend the popular cruise route Bergen --‐ Nordkapp --‐ Kirkenes to Murmansk port and in what follows, in the Arkhangelsk region with a visit to Arkhangelsk and Solovki. On average for the season about 110 cruise ships visit the North Cape. This creates a good potential to attract those vessels to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. In Karelia, a draft circular water route for cruise ships on the St. Petersburg --‐ Baltic --‐ Nordkapp --‐ Murmansk --‐ Solovki --‐ Karelia --‐ St. Petersburg. Implemen--‐ tation of these projects will allow for the anniversary of Murmansk take up to 50 tourist boats per year [4, 2012].

The Greatest tourist potential in the Western Arctic has Primorsky district of Arkhangelsk region, which stretches along the coast of the White Sea and comprising: Small Karelians, Solovk archipelago of Franz Josef Land and Victoria Island. The fifth year of a National Park "Russian Arc--‐ tic", established in 2009.

In 2010, the park "Russian Arctic" visited no more than 500 tourists (4 cruise liner), in 2011 the archipelago increased flow of the visitors to 865 people., In 2012 --‐ 1024, in 2013 decreased to 707 people [5, 2013]. Existing problems associated with the development of the park infrastruc--‐ ture, environmental responsibility, work checkpoint, obtaining permits and other causes. Appear--‐ ance in the high northern latitudes of the National Park "Russian Arctic" allows users to secure Russia's presence in the Arctic region.

Arkhangelsk – is the first port in Russia, "the gateway to the Arctic", is not only a center of the scientific exploration of the Arctic territory, but also the center of attraction of the attractive tourist activity along the northern routes. There are unique monuments of wooden and stone ar--‐ chitecture. The chief ornament of the city is the five--‐kilometer embankment of the Northern Dvina and a protected pedestrian street Chumbarova --‐ Luchinskogo --‐ Archangel Arbat. Among the fac--‐ tors hampering the development of inbound tourism, it can be noted deficit class cruise ships and luxury vehicles to the transport tourists.

СОСТАВ И ГРАНИЦЫ ООПТ

Национальный парк «Русская Арктика» 1426 тыс. га.– общая площадь 632,1 тыс. га. – суша 793,9 тыс. га. – море

Федеральный заказник «Земля Франца-Иосифа» 4200 тыс. га. – общая площадь

РУССКАЯ АРКТИКА национальный парк

Major tour operator in the reception of the foreign cruise ships and excursion service on the beach in Arkhangelsk is a tour company "Intourist --‐ Arkhangelsk". The company actively work--‐ ing in this direction since 2004 an important role in the direction of the cruise company also plays "Belomortrans", which does the work of the marine agent. During 2004--‐2009, Arkhangelsk and Solovki was taken on average one or two cruise ship season. In 2010, neither the Solovetsky Is--‐ lands, nor Archangeskl has not visited any foreign cruise liner due to purely economic reasons, namely because of the high port charges, which affected the decision shipowners of their entry into the White Sea [3, 2012]. For example, for the ship "Discovery", capable of accommodating 750 passengers, they amounted to 75 thousand dollars for a 10--‐hour port call [6, 2012]. For com--‐ parison, in the Murmansk port charges 2 times less, even below them in St. Petersburg. In some countries, interested in increasing the tourist flow, port fees for cruise liners and all canceled. Eve--‐ rywhere favorable reception tourist boats are the result of meaningful and purposeful policy of the regional and municipal authorities. In 2011 an agreement was reached to provide 50% dis--‐ counts on some fees for cruise liners, resulting in Arkhangelsk and Solovki visited five tourist boats. According to the experts, if you create normal conditions for the receiving airliners number of ship calls during the summer navigation in Arkhangelsk and Solovki can reach hundreds, but it is not less than 30 thousand foreign guests [6, 2012]. Increase in the number of the cruise ships and their passengers in the future should not affect the increase of revenues to the city budget. How--‐ ever, there is yet unresolved technical problems with the reception of cruise ships on the sea--‐river station Arkhangelsk. There can only approach the small vessels with a draft of less than 7.5 m Large ocean liners because of the limited berthing areas and narrow sizes Dvina sleeves have moored in the cargo commercial seaport on the northern outskirts Save Arkhangelsk.

There is a proposal for redeveloping one of the piers of the Red marina in central Arkhan--‐ gelsk under berth cruise liners that the most positive impact on the organization would welcome tourists by sea and river. Developed the project "White Sea cruise" envisaging the development of the cruise line along the coast of the White Sea, calling at Solovki [3, 2012]. However, reconstruc--‐ tion of berth complexes Red marina and sea--‐river station requires significant investment, a huge amount of the investment funds, which are unavailable in "Rosmorport" responsible departments for improvement berths. Virtually ceased cruises from Arkhangelsk. To the Solovki occasionally goes cargo ship "White Sea" (in the way of three days), which can carry only 10 passengers. In the future, may increase the flow of the foreign tourists to Solovki, if restore sea cruise from the port of Kandalaksha, acting in Soviet times. In Kandalaksha tourists will arrive by bus from the Finnish--‐ Russian border crossing Salla. In addition, the petrspectives are opened with the successful im--‐ plementation of programs developed by the Government of the Arkhangelsk region in 2013 and supported by the President of Russia and the Russian Federation.

Government of Arkhangelsk Region in July 16, 2013 approved the development strategy the archipelago as a unique object of spiritual, historical, cultural and natural heritage, and in Oc--‐ tober 11, 2013 approved the State program of the Arkhangelsk region "Infrastructure Develop--‐ ment of the archipelago (2014--‐2019)" [7] . Upon approval in the Russian Federation is Pravitelstve FTP project "Conservation and restoration of the complex spiritual, cultural and natural heritage and the development of infrastructure on the archipelago 2014--‐2019 years." Implementation of a complex system of measures will not only virtually re--‐create the entire infrastructure in Solovki, but also to establish a modern federal tourism center of world level. Planned restoration cruise flights from Arkhangelsk, reconstruction and construction of berths in Solovki, the acquisition of two hovercraft and other effective measures for the development of marine tourism.