[IMG=21235-7077]As the review of amendments to the Federal Law On Tourism approaches, more alternative proposals are being made by regional travel market players. Some of these proposals - those suggesting alternative varieties of financial guarantees and mechanisms for the protection of tourists’ rights - have already been presented to the State Duma, the Federal Agency For Tourism of The Russian Federation and The Russian Travel Industry Union by the tourist associations of Povolzhje, the Urals region, and Siberian region.
After interviewing representatives of regional tourism authorities, BANKO have discovered that at the moment one other issue is generating great interest amongst regional travel market players - namely the role regional authorities will play in tourism management. The new law will stipulate that Federal organs of executive power will regulate the travel industry at State level. Meanwhile Rostourism will also be responsible for forming a register of tour operators. As a consequence of this regulatory centralization, will regional authorities no longer have any way in which to regulate their local markets?
Commenting on this shift in regulatory responsibility, Viktor Gorbachev - Advisor on External Economic Activity Co-operation and Tourism of Novosibirsk Administration - observed that ‘We will have no controlling function. Federal organs are to be responsible for licensing. Therefore, we have written suggesting that Federal authorities should delegate some of their functions to regional authorities. At the moment this suggestion is being considered by the State Duma - and their response is not clear yet’.
A detailed letter about the role of regions in travel industry regulation has also been prepared by the Urals Tourism Authority. However, they have not revealed the reponsibilities they want to assume. Konstantin Brilyakov - Tourism Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of Sverdlovsk region - told BANKO only that: ‘The Governor of the Sverdlovsk region is to make a decision’.
Meanwhile, tourism authorities of the Rostov region say they do not wish to play a regulatory role in their local markets. Timur Padchenko, Senior Specialist of the Tourism Department of the Ministry of the Rostov region stated that ‘at the moment we co-operate successfully with travel market players on such issues as development of tourism in the region, exhibitions and info tours organization’.
Furthermore, regional tourism authorities agreed that Federal control of the travel industry will not affect the budget allocated by local authorities. According to experts, the budget is spent on advertising and promotion in the regions.
