The Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism) will promote tourist routes in the Russian Arctic zone, focusing on Murmansk, Rostourism Deputy Head Sergei Korneyev said on Tuesday in an interview with Izvestia newspaper.

"Considering that Russia has the longest Arctic shoreline, it would be silly not to develop Arctic tourism. We have outlined several areas, the first of them being cruise tourism. We are pining our hopes on Murmansk, the renovation of which should make it the center of attraction for all Arctic cruises," Interfax quotes Korneyev.

There are plans for dozens of Arctic cruises to be run by small Russian and foreign companies specializing in Arctic tourism, as well as by Russian research vessels that have been renovated for Arctic cruises, such as Akademik Shokalsky.

"The islands and archipelagoes of the Arctic Ocean are a major attraction of the Russian Arctic zone. Although these tours are exclusive and expensive, the number of Arctic tourists has increased almost ten-fold over the past 20 years," the Rostourism deputy head said.

"We are also actively promoting mountain ski tourism in the Khibiny Mountains in the Murmansk Region. We also offer an interesting river cruise on a reconstructed paddle steamer in the Arkhangelsk Region," Mr Korneyev added.