Modern trends in the development of tourism in Kalmykia. Analysis of the opportunities for the development of non-traditional types of tourism in the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia

• 1 day Astrakhan

  At 07:00, the group gathers at the Astrakhan railway station near the electronic clock. Guide with a sign "Luxury of the Lower Volga". Transfer from the railway station to the hotel. Leaving things in a left-luggage office or early check-in for an additional fee. fee (standard check-in time - 12.00). We recommend taking tickets for train No. 005 Moscow-Astrakhan. Departure from Moscow at 23:59, arrival at 06:43). Ticket price - from 4100 rubles / reserved seat, from 4600 rubles / compartment.

  08:00 Breakfast.

  10:00 Big sightseeing tour of Astrakhan. The Astrakhan Kremlin, the most beautiful central streets, the Volga embankment, old mansions and the latest buildings (for example, the Opera and Ballet Theatre) - all this can be seen during the tour. In the program: Peter I Square, inspection of the mansions on the street. Nikolskaya, st. An. Sergeev, the Iranian and Armenian courtyards, the Annunciation Monastery and the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Armenian cross - a khachkar and a monument to the songwriter Kurmangazy. Optional visit to the famous fish market.

  Lunch at a city cafe.

  Visiting two expositions of the Museum of Local Lore:
  "The Living Past of the Earth". Acquaintance with ancient animals that lived on the territory of the Astrakhan region more than 300 thousand years ago. In those distant times, the south of Russia was inhabited by mammoths, bison, hairy rhinos, giant deer, as well as cave hyenas, lemmings, etc. A large place is occupied by a collection of teeth of ancient animals. The exhibition presents models of some representatives of the Quaternary fauna. Caspian basin.
  "Gold of the Sarmatians". Gold jewelry of the Sarmatian leader from the famous burial near the village of Kosika, Enotaevsky district: a golden pectoral - a chest symbol of royal power, golden belt buckles depicting a steppe eared hedgehog, phalars, instructions.

  16:00 Check-in at the Azimut Hotel 3*. Free time.

  Day 2 Lotus fields

  Breakfast.

  An amazing excursion to the lotus fields. You will be surprised: this is the largest lotus field in the world, and it is located in Russia, in the Astrakhan region. And today you will see this miracle with your own eyes! And how many gorgeous photos you can take today! Well, in addition to the actual lotus fields, you will find a boat trip among the magnificent landscapes and a relaxed vacation in a truly paradise and swimming!

  Lunch: ear, Fried fish with garnish, vegetable cuts, cold drink, tea, pastries.

  Around 19:00 return to Astrakhan to the hotel. Free time.

  Day 3 Elista

  Breakfast.

  Departure to Elista - the capital of Kalmykia (~ 310 km). Kalmykia is a land of endless steppe expanses, like an ocean, with magical tulip islands. The land along which the Great Silk Road ran, where they built their cities Golden Horde, here and now you can find their remains.
  Sightseeing tour of Elista. The Stupa of Enlightenment is a traditional place of pilgrimage for Buddhists from all over the world, a place of strength and inspiration, a place where wishes come true. A visit to the new Central Buddhist Khurul of Kalmykia with a statue of Buddha 9 meters high. You can see the venue for the 33rd World Chess Olympiad, the official name of which is City Chess, and the unofficial name is New Vasyuki. Memorial to the victims of political repressions "Exodus and Return" by Nobel Prize winner Ernst Neizvestny.

  Lunch at a city cafe.

  Walking tour of the city center: the Golden Gate, inspection of the sculptural compositions "The Great Silk Road" and "Man and Nature through the eyes of the East", created at the international biennale of sculptors.

  Around 22:30 return to Astrakhan to the hotel. Free time.

  Day 4 Sarai-Batu

  Breakfast. A trip to the former capital of the Golden Horde and acquaintance with life in the steppe.

  Departure to Saray-Batu (~140 km). Among the wide steppe, 140 km above Astrakhan, dozens of centuries ago, there was one of the world's capitals. On the site of the modern village of Selitrennoe, the Golden Horde settled, founding the city of Sarai-Batu. The ruins of the richest capital of one of greatest empires called the Selitrenny settlement. Since the second half of the 20th century, scientists have been constantly exploring this richest archaeological monument. The unique finds of the Volga archaeological expedition lift the veil of the past and reveal the secrets of the life of formidable conquerors.

  Visiting the pottery kilns of the Golden Horde. Inspection of excavations in the village. Saltpeter.

  Lunch at the cafe.

  Continuation of the tour. In 2010 in the immediate vicinity of the excavations ancient city shooting of the film "St. Alexis" took place. On the picturesque bank of the Akhtuba River, the scenery of the Khan's palace was erected - exact copies of ancient buildings. Narrow eastern streets, hut houses - after filming, all the scenery was preserved, and you will definitely see them.

  Around 19:30 return to Astrakhan to the hotel. Free time.

  Day 5 Lake Baskunchak*

  Breakfast. Free day or additional excursion to the Baskunchak salt lake* (1800 rubles/person - reservation and payment on the tour). To the north-east of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain is the city of Bolshoye Bogdo and the salt lake Baskunchak. These unique natural objects are part of the Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky Reserve. To the east of Bogdo there are many caves of karst origin.

  Lunch at the cafe.

  Excursion around the Reserve for the whole day: singing rocks, Bogdo, lake. Baskunchak, reserve museum and much more. These are incredible beauties that you need to see with your own eyes.

  Around 22:00 return to Astrakhan to the hotel. Free time.

  Day 6 Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve

  Breakfast. Release of rooms.

  Departure to the Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve. True connoisseurs of nature all over the world tend to the Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve. The landscapes of these places are unique. The reserve is located in the Volga delta, where the mighty river branches into hundreds of branches and channels. The beauty of nature can be enjoyed endlessly, admiring the magnificent landscapes or watching the many birds that live in this region or stop to rest during migration.

  Tour of the Reserve. On boats, the group travels to the Volga Delta with an inspection of the flora and fauna of the Caspian Delta, where there are many varieties of birds, animals and insects, as well as all the beauty and diversity of the Astrakhan Delta.

  Around 14:00 return to Astrakhan to the railway station. Independent departure to Moscow by train. Attention! The schedule of trains from Astrakhan has changed in the summer of 2017. Due to the fact that now train No. 005 Astrakhan-Moscow departs from Astrakhan at 10:30, we offer the following options:
  1. return Money for the last day of the tour in the amount of 1370 rubles / person - when departing from Astrakhan by train No. 005 at 10:30 on the 6th day of the tour.
  2. additional payment of 500 rubles per person for extending the stay at the Azimut Hotel in Astrakhan on the 6th day until 23:59, transfer to the Astrakhan railway station by 01:00 (actually on the 7th day of the tour) - when departing from Astrakhan by train number 085 at 01:45 (actually on the 7th day of the tour)
  3. additional payment of 1400 rubles / person (for 2-person accommodation) and 1800 rubles / person (for 1-person accommodation) for extending the stay at the Azimut Hotel in Astrakhan until 09:00 (actually on the 7th day of the tour), transfer to the Astrakhan railway station by 09:45 - when departing from Astrakhan by train No. 005 (actually on the 7th day of the tour)
  

Do you really want to come to these steppes and how to make it pleasant to return. Cultural Features and economic prospects of inbound tourism in Kalmykia in the material "FederalPress".

An average Muscovite or a resident of another large Russian city the question "where is Kalmykia" can still be confusing. However, the number of those answering correctly, and also telling what is interesting in the republic, is becoming more literally every month. Visiting the steppe republic has actually become a must for the cultural baggage of a self-respecting lover of domestic Russian travel.

The intensification of economic activity, which was undertaken in the republic in Last year, made Kalmykia a place where well-known professionals in various industries began to visit regularly. They spoke about their impressions not only in a narrow circle, but also in in social networks, where many of the Kalmyk guests, of course, have long been opinion leaders. More and more Muscovites, Petersburgers and residents of other megacities wanted to look at the curiosity themselves.

And they have already seen that Kalmykia is not just some sparsely populated territory between the Volga and the Caucasus, but a special land that goes beyond any framework. The Republic is unique in many respects, and these words are no exaggeration at all.

For example, in recent weeks, several applications have been submitted for a collective visit to the republic by tourists from China who plan to receive services in Kalmykia, you will not believe, oriental medicine.

About everything in order.

What to watch

Ties with China, by the way, are not at all accidental. The closest relatives of the Kalmyks, the Oirats, live in the Sinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, as well as in Mongolia. Most recently, Kalmykia successfully hosted the world festival of Oirat culture - thousands of Oirats from all over the world visited for the first time Russian republic and got a lot of good impressions.

But Kalmykia does not place its main stake in the development of tourism on foreigners, whom, of course, the exotic eastern republic between Europe and the Caucasus attracts. The main discovery of Kalmykia is internal - the republic wants to become popular for tourists from Russian regions.

There is progress - every year, recently literally every month, the number of tourists discovering the republic is growing. This was facilitated by the traditional Tulip Festivals and the above-mentioned world festival of Oirats "Oirat tumen".

The hallmark of Kalmykia is not so much its nature, although, contrary to the initial impression, it is also unique, but its cultural and religious component. There are no more Buddhist regions in the European part of the country, it’s also unusual to look for such an unusual history and culture, while Mineralnye Vody is less than three hours away by car, and two hours from Moscow, but by plane.

In Kalmykia New Year meet at least three times a year. This is not counting the one that is "old".

In the capital of the republic, Elista, it is impossible not to notice the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni. Khurul with a height of 64 meters is the largest in Europe. In addition to its size, it impresses with the grace of architecture and interior decoration. The complex also includes the monastery "Enlightened monastery of monks", a statue of Buddha, the Golden Gate, the Pagoda of seven days.

The construction site of the Central Khurul was blessed by the 14th Dalai Lama, who visited Kalmykia several times. By the way, the head of the Buddhists of the Republic, Telo Tulku Rinpoche, is the official representative of His Holiness in all of Russia and the CIS countries.

Imagine..

You wake up early in the morning from the fragrance of the blooming May steppe that hits all your organs. Leave the room, which from the outside looks like a real nomadic wagon. Somewhere on the horizon, the dome of a Buddhist khurul gleams. Right next to your "kibitka" is another one. This is a restaurant where traditional salty milk tea and delicious sweet bortsogs are already prepared. After breakfast, not just horseback riding, but a real equestrian expedition - along an interesting route and in compliance with ancient traditions. It will end at a lake with healing water, where you will be met by a doctor of Tibetan traditional medicine. Then a concert of absolutely amazing musicians and the way back, but already comfortable, by car. Along the way, you drive up to the Lonely Poplar - a stunning "place of power" in the endless steppe. Near this sacred tree one thinks very well - both about the world order and about one's place in it.

For dinner, several national dishes for tasting and the obligatory steak from local marbled beef. Restaurant experts say that it often surpasses the New Zealand one, although it costs significantly less. To accustom to it is also a positioning task - the meat of the Kalmyk breed is darkish, out of ignorance, another buyer may consider it not of very high quality.

And the next day, master classes in the preparation of koumiss and felt weaving, then a visit to a service in the Central Khurul.

After that, you can give up on fishing - at least on the Caspian Sea, on the way where you can see, however, only on certain days of the summer, lotus blossoms, even on the Volga, even on Lake Manych-Gudilo.

How to use

All this and much more, for example, excursions to the reserve, where wild saigas and many other rare animals live, is quite real. But while on this way there are a lot of obstacles and inconveniences.

Kalmykia, although it has been talking about a possible tourist boom for a long time, turned out to be not quite ready for it. In the republic during the same tulip festival, there are no longer enough places for accommodation. There are questions about their quality, it is necessary to modernize and build new not only hotels, but also restaurants, to train qualified guides.

Namjen Utnasunova has been engaged in inbound tourism to Kalmykia for 10 years. She recalls that she got excited about the idea, because she herself is an active traveler and wanted Kalmykia to be seen by as many guests as possible. At the beginning of the activity, it was difficult, the experience of colleagues from other regions helped - they went on tours, watched webinars. “Tourism, it seems to me, is not easy. Each stage of our activity has its own characteristics, now we are creating routes, studying places of accommodation, working with guides,” the businesswoman said.

The main inhibitory factor, in her opinion, is logistical. “Tourists have a lot of difficulties with how to get to us. Azimuth Airlines recently launched a flight, only 2 times a week, and today all cheap tickets are over. Now, if a railway line from Volgograd to the Caucasus was laid through Elista and cheap flights were launched at least every other day, this would dramatically increase the attendance of our republic. There are many who want it."

“To stimulate any business, real help is needed - tax incentives, money. So I want to make a guest house, and there is land plot, there is an unfinished building, and the amounts of grants in tourism are scanty - from 100 to 400 thousand rubles. You can’t build anything with this money, and you also need equipment and furniture,” Utnasunova said. At the same time, according to her, the leadership of the republic cannot be reproached for not supporting tourism.

The obstacle to the rapid growth of the industry is not a lack of assistance to specific tour operators, hoteliers and restaurateurs, but somewhat deeper. The industry has lived almost spontaneously for many years. There was no comprehensive understanding of how to develop it.

Help from the authorities, by the way, is essential. Under the regional program, restaurants and certain other institutions included in the tourism development program receive 50% compensation for electricity costs. The mentioned system also works, albeit not yet very large grants.

Tatyana Delikova, head of the economic department of the Institute for Comprehensive Studies of Arid Territories, a member of the Kalmyk branch of the Russian Society of Political Scientists, states: “We need a strategy. And general, and in different areas of tourism - confessional, natural, health. And each area should have its own clearly defined action plan.” The current dynamics of tourist growth, according to Delikova, is insufficient. Growth, by the way, is difficult to even calculate - the system for collecting relevant statistics is not well-established

But it seems that the republican authorities understand all this as well as experts. Having solved the priority social problems and established timid economic successes, the Kalmyk authorities, headed by Alexei Orlov, began to form a fundamentally new approach to the development of tourism. At the same time, they have not yet abandoned the previously adopted incentive measures.

In May, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the republic, on behalf of Orlov, developed a unified concept for the development of domestic and inbound tourism in Kalmykia for 2019-2025. The draft concept was discussed and approved by municipalities, educational institutions and participants in the tourism market.

The concept will be the basis for the development of the Strategy for the Development of Tourism in the Republic for a long-term period. This will be accepted in 2019, the director told FederalPress budget institution"Republican Tourist Information Center" Lyubov Ushanova.

The Ministry of Culture will order its development on the basis of research and development work to assess the potential of the region's municipalities and possible points of growth. The results of this scientific work will form the basis of the future strategy.

A tourist cluster will be created in the republic, Lyubov Ushanova explained. In addition to developing infrastructure, partly, possibly through inclusion in federal programs, and stimulating entrepreneurial activity, the objectives of the new strategy will also be to promote the republic's tourism products and raise awareness about them, as well as to develop a system for training and advanced training of tourism industry specialists.

The basis of tourism growth, Ushanova explained, will be small and even micro-enterprises.

Tatyana Delikova also believes that no major investors will come to the industry. “Rather, you need to pay attention to your resources and available opportunities. It is now possible to attract additional investments by participating in federal tourism development programs. In addition, we have a generation of young people who are ready to take risks and understand how to transform labor, intelligence, and creativity into goods and services. They are now very lacking. practical experience, that is, we need institutions for the transfer of this knowledge,” she concluded.

Kalmykia generally believes very much in its youth.

“Our republic has a great future, we have children who are very educated and enterprising. Look how many beautiful cafes in our city, how many shops and how many travel agencies have opened. But we have no industry, wages are low, and electricity tariffs are high,” Namjen Utnasunova believes.

“Come to us, see for yourself how calm, beautiful and with what hospitality you will be met,” they say in the republic.

It's worth a try.

You can get to the Republic of Kalmykia both on the ground and in the sky. Kalmykia is connected with other cities of Russia by several highways - for example, the route from Volgograd, Stavropol, Mineralnye Vody, etc. The section of the Elista-Divnoye railway is connected to the network of the rest railways, but, most likely, you will have to go by train through Stavropol or by bus or plane.

The bus from Moscow to Elista takes about a day, the fare one way is 1200 RUB. Prices on the page are for November 2019.

The Ruslan airline operates flights from Moscow to Elista, but it is very difficult to catch them, so you may also have to fly through Stavropol, and from there - to Kalmykia by train or bus. There is only one airport in Kalmykia - in Elista, flights are made to it from Moscow, Mineralnye Vody and Rostov-on-Don.

Search for flights to Republic of Kalmykia

Weather in the Republic of Kalmykia

The climate in Kalmykia is far from being a resort and is characterized as sharply continental. Summers are hot and dry here, and winters are snowy and often frosty. The average January temperature in Kalmykia is about -7...9 degrees in the south of the republic and about -10...12 degrees in the southwest. In the northern regions, colds occur in winter with a frost of thirty-five degrees. But there are quite a lot of sunny days a year - 280. The average July temperature in Kalmykia is +23...25 degrees. The maximum heat is about +40...44 degrees.

Attractions, entertainment and excursions in Kalmykia

It must be admitted that the nature of Kalmykia is not very diverse - mostly these are the famous "Kalmyk steppes", but this does not mean that there are no sights here. Nevertheless, it is better to start acquaintance with this steppe country from its capital - a small but beautiful city with the poetic name of Elista. The city was founded at the end of the 19th century, and today only about 100 thousand people live in it. The city itself unique phenomenon towering in the steppe.

Elista is a city with a Buddhist flavor, clean and cozy streets and incredible buildings. For example, here is the largest seven-level Buddhist temple in Europe, the Golden Abode of Shakyamuni Buddha, with the largest Buddha statue on the continent, 12 meters high!

The Golden Abode contains many relics, such as the clothes of the 14th Dalai Lama and the hair of Lama Tsongkhapa. On the first level there is a museum, a conference hall and a library, on the second - a statue of Buddha covered with gold leaf and inlaid with diamonds, above - rooms for individual reception, the residence of the head of the Buddhists, the residence of the Dalai Lama XI and utility rooms, and on the very top floor there is a meditation room, where only monks have access.

Elista - Kalmyk Khurul

Big Yashalta Lake

Among the natural attractions of Kalmykia, it is impossible not to mention the unique Big Yashalta Lake. By healing properties it can only be surpassed, probably, by the Dead Sea. And despite the fact that there are not resort towns around the lake, but steppe and feather grass, a large number of Russians come to him to improve their health - from the treatment of respiratory diseases to diseases of the reproductive function and for the purpose of rejuvenation. Moreover, a modern medical center was recently built here, today it is one of the best in the list of Russian health resorts.

In terms of healing properties, Yashalta Lake can only surpass, probably, the Dead Sea.

Reserve "Chernye zemli"

Between the Volga and Kuma is the Kalmyk natural reserve "Chernye zemli" with an area of ​​121 thousand hectares.

Since 1990, these lands have been considered a state biosphere reserve in order to preserve the unique nature of these lands from ecological disaster, for example, to save the saiga population.

Here, on the territory of the reserve, there is Lake Manych-Gudilo, where wintering and nesting sites of swans, pelicans, bustards and other rare birds are protected. On the territory of the lake there are 12 islands, traveling on which you can admire the birds of the reserve and beautiful landscapes of wildlife.

City Chess

If you are a fan of modern attractions, then you should definitely visit the City Chess area. The prototype of this unique district is the project of New Vasyuki by Ostap Bender, the hero of the novel "The Twelve Chairs". It was built in 1998 as a complex for the XXXIII World Chess Olympiad. The Olympiad has passed, and the "City of Chess" to this day pleases residents and guests of the city. In the center of the complex is a huge Chess Palace, where, in fact, the Olympiad was held. Today it houses gyms, offices and cafeterias. The area of ​​the complex is built up with small cottages, which creates the impression that you are not in the capital of Kalmykia, but in a European town with cute houses and well-groomed lawns. The territory of the district is decorated with interesting sculptures, and there is even a small Orthodox church George the Victorious, which fits perfectly into the architectural mood of the complex.

Tsagan Aman

Almost 300 km from Elista there is an amazing place called Tsagan Aman. In ancient times, it served as a traditional outpost for crossing the Volga for the Scythians, Pechenegs, Polovtsy and other peoples who inhabited these lands, and was called the "White Gate". There is also a beautiful temple here - the Tsagan-Aman khurul, installed in the early 90s next to the house where Lama Tugmyud-gavji once lived and served. This temple is a beautiful example of Buddhist architecture with an elegant pagoda with a golden roof, decorated with wood carving. Icons depicting the protector goddess Green Tara, who bestows health on Buddha Manla and other Buddhist deities, brought from Mongolia and Tibet, as well as bronze sculptures made by craftsmen from Nepal, hang on the walls of the temple.

The Republic of Kalmykia is a beautiful and interesting region, unlike most of the Russian cities and regions, which makes it even more interesting to travel.