Eye on the Arctic brings you stories and newsmakers from across the North
Arctic tourism is often touted in Canada, and other circumpolar regions, as a sustainable way to promote economic development in remote northern regions.
It both puts money in the hands of local communities, and helps encourage the passing on of traditional skills like hunting and surviving out on the land.
In part of Eye on the Arctic’s ongoing look at tourism in the North (See links below), today we turn our attention to Chukotka, a remote Arctic region in Russia’s northeast.
There, they’re taking a go-slow approach to tourism that they hope will both help maintain the traditional Chukchi lifestyle as well as bringing much needed money into remote regions.
Developing a tourism brand
Travelling to the Chukotka region is difficult, even for people already living in Russia.
“Even in Russia, some people think of Chukotka like it’s another planet,” said Irina Ryabukhina, the head of the committee of sport and tourism in the government of Chukotka. ”And it is hard and very expensive to reach us.”
This year, the region hosted it’s first ever Berinigia Arctic Games, something they are looking to make a regular event.
And with a focus on cruises and summer tourism and potential adventure travel, the Chukotka tourism brand is starting to take shape.
To find out more about the challenges and opportunities of developing tourism in Chukotka, Eye on the Arctic’s Eilís Quinn reached Irina Ryabukhina in Anadyr, Chukotka:Listen
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Creating an economy in the North: Can tourism save this town?, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Nature tourism in North Finland drawing Chinese tourists, Yle News
Greenland: Greenland inspires Arctic Bay, Canada tourism strategy, Eye on the Arctic
Iceland: Rejected by Iceland, billionaire sets sights on Arctic Finland for tourism project, Yle News
Sweden: Is space tourism coming to Sweden’s Arctic?, Radio Sweden
United States: Warming may hurt and help tourism in Southeast Alaska, Alaska Dispatch
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