Budget booster: tourism investment projects will be supported at the state level
By the end of the year, the government intends to allocate an additional billion rubles to support tourism investment projects through a preferential lending program. These funds will allow us to continue to offset part of the costs of already issued affordable loans, which are used to modernize the hotel infrastructure. Izvestia investigated which regions can benefit most from the program, as well as how subsidizing loans affects the quality of tourism infrastructure and the competitiveness of Russian resorts.
Regional potential
Russia has a significant reserve for expanding ethnographic tourism, Natalia Belenko, vice-rector for Project Activities at MGUTU named after K.G. Razumovsky, told Izvestia. One of the ways to stimulate this trend may be the formation of specialized infrastructure in the regions of Russia — ethnographic tourist and recreational clusters, which provide conditions for the accommodation of travelers.
"This type of tourism allows you to join the traditions and unique culture of different peoples living in our country, in particular, the rich historical, cultural and military-patriotic heritage of the Russian Cossacks, as well as the unique culture and traditional way of life of the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East," she said.
According to her, taking into account the recently approved strategic documents, in particular, the Strategy of the State National Policy of the Russian Federation until 2036, focused on supporting linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as the Concept of Sustainable Development of Indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East until 2036, the formation of ethnographic tourist and recreational centers in the regions of Russia becomes especially important. clusters.
We are talking about territories where Cossacks have historically lived, as well as places of traditional life and economic activity of indigenous peoples. The creation of such clusters and their subsequent inclusion in regional tourist routes is becoming particularly relevant today.
The preferential loan program has become an important incentive for investments and the construction of hotels across the country, Roman Batalov, chairman of the Business Russia Committee on Tourism and the hospitality industry, said in an interview with Izvestia. It is especially beneficial for regions with an already developed tourist flow, for example, Altai, the North Caucasus, Krasnodar Territory, Crimea and Lake Baikal.
At the same time, the program, according to him, made it possible to launch projects in places where construction would be unprofitable without cheap money, despite the emerging demand. The expansion of the program to water parks, amusement parks, mountain resorts and other tourist infrastructure made it possible to comprehensively develop the territories. Regions with high tourism potential and government support for the creation of engineering and transport infrastructure receive the greatest effect.
"According to the government's order, by the end of 2025, the largest subsidies will be provided to the Kamchatka Territory (400.9 million rubles), the Perm Territory (518.2 million rubles), as well as the Voronezh, Kemerovo and Yaroslavl regions (260.2 million rubles, 211 million rubles and 308.1 million rubles, respectively)," he said. — These subjects have special advantages.
Raising funds
The effectiveness of concessional loans in the tourism sector is determined primarily by the high demand for the program, which turned out to be higher than expected, Roman Batalov believes. This increase in interest is explained by an increase in the discount rate and the fact that conventional financial resources have become inaccessible, so businesses are actively turning to preferential mechanisms.
"Concessional lending has made it possible to massively attract investment in tourism: businesses have already invested more than 1 trillion rubles thanks to the program, and by 2030 the volume of investments will reach more than 2.5 trillion rubles," the expert emphasized.
The unprecedented scale of the program, he said, is already being reflected in the industry.: New hotels are being built and opened across the country, and businesses are actively involved in creating a tourist infrastructure. The low profitability and long-term payback of hotel projects are compensated by the available preferential funds, which were used by hundreds of participants. There are new jobs and satisfied guests behind each project.
A key indicator is the ability to attract private investment in capital—intensive long-term projects such as the construction of hotels and resorts, especially where the government already provides engineering and transport infrastructure, reducing costs and accelerating payback.
The multiplier effect is equally important: preferential loans stimulate the emergence of not only individual facilities, but also entire tourist clusters with catering, service and entertainment enterprises, Roman Batalov believes. This creates small businesses, jobs and forms the modern tourist landscape of the country, meeting the goals of the national project "Tourism and Hospitality".
Subsidizing loans is a full—fledged tool for improving the quality of tourism infrastructure, Kirill Yakovlev, program director of the RANEPA Faculty of Hospitality and Sports Industry, told Izvestia. In fact, it accelerates the renewal of the entire ecosystem of the industry and affects several areas of development at once.
"Preferential loans enable investors to implement modern solutions: smart hotel management systems, energy—efficient technologies, digital services and booking platforms," he said. — Thanks to this, facilities that meet international standards are already appearing in a number of regions.
For example, in the Perm Region, preferential loans encourage the construction of hotels with advanced technologies: barrier-free environment and automated service. In addition, the program helps to raise standards: most projects are certified according to the Quality Mark system, which regulates the market and strengthens tourists' confidence in accommodation and service.
Concessional loans also increase the international competitiveness of Russian resorts, reducing the gap between Turkey, Egypt and the UAE in terms of infrastructure, Kirill Yakovlev noted. In the Kemerovo region, thanks to financing, the slopes and lifts in Sheregesh are being upgraded, extending the season until May and bringing the service to the European level. In Primorye, the funds will be used to upgrade the cruise infrastructure of Nakhodka and Vladivostok, which will integrate the region into the international routes of the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the expert, in the long term (2026-30), the effect of the programs will be enhanced by synergy: infrastructure subsidies combined with concessional loans will create conditions for stable growth of the tourism sector. The Ministry of Economic Development forecasts an increase in the gross value added of tourism from 2.6% of GDP in 2024 to 4% by 2030.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Energy's press service, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
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