Ethno-Arctic accelerator program to kick off soon, join today!
© RIA Novosti. Yuriy Kaver

Ethno-Arctic accelerator program to kick off soon, join today!

The Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic (Minvostokrazvitiya) is inviting travel agencies, ethnic centers, ethnic villages, self-employed individuals and organizations working in the Arctic to join the Ethno-Arctic tourism accelerator free of charge.

According to the ministry’s press service, applications can be submitted until January 12, 2022. The accelerator is an open intensive program for developing ethnic and cultural tourism products in the Arctic. Apart from popularizing tourism in polar areas, the participants will be able to preserve the traditions of indigenous ethnic groups and to facilitate the sustainable development of regions.

Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic Pavel Volkov noted that over 30 applications from Murmansk, Salekhard, Norilsk and Anadyr had been received during the first week. Once the program is complete, the ministry’s experts will obtain cost-effective and interesting projects of interest to tourists and indigenous peoples.

Participants will be selected on a competitive basis during the first stage of the multi-stage accelerator, and 15 teams will be set up. The first stage also involves various sessions, including 10 expert and three mentor meetings. The program’s finalists will obtain social media and website content, and their tourist products will be included in a guidebook on Arctic ethnic and cultural tourism. The accelerator’s main program is scheduled from January 17 through March 5, 2022.

The accelerator is sponsored by the Information and Analytical Center of the State Commission for Arctic Development. More details about the project are available here: https://ethno.arctic-russia.ru. Participants can also submit their applications on the accelerator’s official website.