Murmansk has high hopes for more Arctic tourism

By Hege Eilertsen, High North News November 23, 2016
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Murmansk Region Governor Marina Kovtun considers marine tourism in the Arctic to be a promising activity, and on behalf of the region she recently signed an agreement on cooperation with world-leading tour operator TUI.

The document was signed by Kovtun and General Director of TUI Russia and CIS, Taras Demura, in the framework of the 5th Murmansk International Business Week last week, reports the Russian website IIA NewsPort.

Demura says TUI is going to arrange cruises to Murmansk for Russian tourists. According to news agency TASS Demura also pointed out that Russians would be interested in tours to Spitzbergen starting from Murmansk.

Murmansk is a port of departure for North Pole cruises, and it has been a port of call for cruise ships for more than 17 years. (Linda Storholm / High North News)
Murmansk is a port of departure for North Pole cruises, and it has been a port of call for cruise ships for more than 17 years. (Linda Storholm / High North News)

According to the press center of the regional government Marina Kovtun hope that the agreement will help create high-quality tourist products in the region, and when speaking at the event she said that Arctic cruise tourism is undoubtedly a distinctive brand of the Kola peninsula.

“Murmansk Region Government has recently made a lot of significant steps to develop tourism. Today we are the leaders among the Arctic regions when it comes to attractiveness and awareness,” IAA PortNews quote the governor as saying.

The TUI Group is the largest leisure, travel and tourism company in the world, and owns travel agencies, hotels, airlines, cruise ships and retail stores. The group owns six European airlines – the largest holiday fleet in Europe – and nine tour operators based in Europe and Scandinavia.