After six years of St. Petersburg plans to increase the number of tourists visiting the city, to 8.100 million per year. As the correspondent BakuToday, about that today, June 7, at a meeting of city government in the Smolny the head Committee for Investments and Strategic Projects Alex Chichkanov.
Today at the meeting of the city government adopted a program of St. Petersburg as a tourist center for 2011-2016, this is the second program to develop tourism in the city. The adoption program will require funding in the amount of 872.21 billion rubles.
To date, St. Petersburg takes a year, five million tourists, tourism industry brings to the budget of 115 billion rubles per year – 10% of the GDP of St. Petersburg in 2016 is expected to increase this value to 16%. Over the five past years, the number of tourists in St. Petersburg increased by 1.5 million people. During the years of the program is expected to increase foreign tourists staying in the city to five days and actually increase the number of foreign tourists in the city of 2.5 times.
The city should organize to promote the tourist world-class events, congress tourism, pilgrim tourism, tourism training to the influx of tourists does not depend on the seasonality factor, said at the meeting. Chichkanov noted the successful solution of problems of safety of tourists in St. Petersburg. And among the ideas in this regard he mentioned the development of the concept of community patrols to help police, the establishment of tourist police, a single dispatch service for water tourism, tourist buses, the possibility of moving to a dedicated line for public transportation in St. Petersburg.
Chichkanov noted that 4 million St. Petersburg travel abroad each year, is preparing the concept of a single consular insurance, call center, where help can be call from anywhere in the world. Alex Chichkanov said that in working to ensure that a registrar could register marriages in two days from the filing date. “It also will add a romantic aura of St. Petersburg, will come here many times” – the official said.
St. Petersburg has become attractive as a center of yachting tourism, the city can not take less than 40 thousand tourists a year yacht, but it prevents the federal legislation. “We expect the adoption of the State Duma a law that would open the way to Russia for small boats and yachts,” – said Chichkanov.
The official also said that in June at a government meeting will consider a program of camping. 8 allocated land within a month after the adoption of the program will be a contest of investors. Chichkanov noted that about 6 large companies said they had interesting plots and the participation in the contest.
“A year and a half, the company will realize these projects,” – summed up the governor of St. Petersburg Valentina Matvienko. She noted that “we have little civilized clubs where you can dance and socialize, those clubs which have been calculated on alcohol, drugs and loud music, not the tourists.” “We need to create a civilized evening and night clubs for tourists and for St. Petersburg at the age of forty and fifty of these ought to work”, – said Governor.
Will develop a system of pictographic information for tourists and for adaptation of urban spaces for people with disabilities. Chichkanov noted that the city did not have enough qualified middle managers of tourist infrastructure, it is necessary to change the culture of staff. Matvienko said and what needs to attract not only tourists but also residents of Russia for them to see St. Petersburg.
