News

Karelia has taken part in the international tourist exhibition «Matka-2007» held in the capital of Finland city of Helsinki from January, 17 to 21.

At the exhibition our Republic was presented by a uniform stand. Ministry of Economic Development of the RK, Ministry of Culture and Public Relations of the RK, Tourist Holding Karelia, Ltd., Intourist-Petrozavodsk Joint-Stock Company, Kizhi open-air museum and other tourist and hotel enterprises of the republic have taken part in the exhibition. Ttourist potential of Kalevala region was featured at the stand.

At the exhibition there were distributed guidebooks, maps of Karelia, catalogues, brochures and booklets prepared by Ministry of Economic Development of the RK and tourist organizations, consultations were rendered to the stand visitors, multimedia presentations about tourist opportunities of the republic were shown, prospects of development of new tourist services and programs were discussed.

Aspects of organization of tourist service in Karelia were of great interest to large mass media of Finland. Interviews with correspondents of such Finnish editions as magazines Tieto&Trendit, NORDICUM and the Tribuna weekly newspaper have been organized. Karelian participants of the exhibition told the Finnish journalists about new tourist products of the republic, investment projects in the sphere of tourism and new order of frontier zone visiting.

In 2007 at the «Matka» exhibition, the largest in the countries of Northern Europe, there was registered record-breaking number of visitors - more than 86 thousand people. 1150 professional organizations from 69 countries have taken part in work of the exhibition. The largest groups of professionals from abroad of Finland are presented by the tourist organizations of Russia (more than 700), Estonia (about 430), Sweden (about 170). Among the Russian regions the Republic of Karelia was notable for sending the largest number of representatives, non-standard stand decoration, appeal of tourist offers to visitors of exhibition.

Interrogation of opinion of Karelian tour operators about efficiency of participation in the exhibition has revealed, that almost all their expectations were justified. The number of contracts concluded exceeded the planned quantity. On responses of visitors of the exhibition, significant growth of interest to tourist products of the Republic of Karelia which became more attractive to the citizens of Finland was noted, having outstripped in the rating of their preferences other traditional direction - Estonia. This tendency was caught by Estonian tour operators who recognized necessity of close studying of experience of Karelia in attracting entrance tourist streams.

Organizers of the exhibition have sent their gratitudes for participation in the exhibition to the Ministry of Economic Development of the RK, having noted, that the stand of Karelia was recognized the best Russian regional stand at the «Matka 2007» exhibition.

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