The new 2019-2025 federal targeted program, Development of Domestic and Inbound Tourism in the Russian Federation, will feature the Arctic as a separate tourism sector, said Valery Korovkin, Head of the Directorate of International Cooperation at the Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism), during the conference, Arctic Sea Tourism as a Driver for the Development of the Murmansk Region. The conference was held as part of Murmansk International Business Week.

"The Arctic and Arctic tourism are now featured in the federal targeted program. For the first time ever, both the Arctic and Arctic cruises will become an individual category," Interfax reports, citing Korovkin.

Among the tasks facing Rostourism and industry representatives are improving permits and making Arctic tourism more affordable since it is still way too expensive.

The new 2019-2025 federal targeted program will replace the current one, which will end in 2018, Interfax reports. As Rostourism said previously, the new state program features a number of solutions that will support the tourism industry — from human resource training to helping travel companies upgrade and renew their cruise ships and buses.