Agenda: the start of the third phase of modernization of the Trans-Siberian Railway with BAM, the concept of autotourism development in Russia, the results of a nationwide competition of projects aimed at creating a comfortable urban environment.
Opening speech by Mr. Mikhail Mishustin
Report of Mr. Dmitry Chernyshenko on the implementation of the autotourism development concept in Russia
Marat Husnulin's report on the results of the national vote on improvement projects
Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister on current issues
Dmitry Chernyshenko attended the meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister
Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister on current issues
Excerpt from transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin: Hello, colleague.
recently marked 50th Anniversary of the start of construction of the Baikal-Amur trunk line.
We would like to congratulate all of our veteran BAM builders, engineers, workers, and volunteers. Many of them recently attended a meeting with the president and spoke at length about the importance of this transportation corridor. Today, the BAM railway is still of vital importance for interregional connectivity, the development of Siberia and the Russian Far East, and for Russia's economic sovereignty in general.
The government has decided to expand key transport corridors, mainly the Eastern Operating Area, which are essential to strengthen trade relations with friendly countries.
The President emphasized the increase in freight transport along the BAM and Trans-Siberian Railways. This means export earnings and budget revenues, and correspondingly additional resources to address social issues.
In my report to the State Duma, I said that the transport capacity of this corridor reached 170 million tons last year. The plan is to increase production by another 100 million tons over the next nine years.
To this end, we are continuing to implement investment projects to develop the Baikal-Amur Railway and the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Under the direction of the President, the government approved the third phase of the project until 2035, the total cost of which exceeded 3.7 trillion rubles.
The project includes the construction of additional tracks, junctions, tunnels and bridges, including one across the Amur River. Rail connections to the port will be added and many stations and platforms will be modernized.
The expansion of the capacities of the Eastern Business Area will create new opportunities for industrial companies, especially in the mining and manufacturing sectors. It also increases the amount of cargo carried and reduces overall travel time. Order volumes will increase and new jobs will be created. Areas adjacent to the railway will also be developed.
The planned changes will improve the quality of life of people in Siberia and the Far East, which is very important.
One more question.
In his address to Congress, the president set a goal of nearly doubling domestic tourist flows to 140 million a year by the end of 2010.
There are plenty of natural attractions, historical and cultural landmarks, and family-friendly destinations that are often best reached by car.
Such trips need to be comfortable and convenient, not only on major highways, but also on small access roads to tourist destinations. Travelers should take advantage of convenient facilities such as gas stations, mobile connectivity, well-equipped parking, and small hotels and motels.
Under the direction of the President, the Government has formulated the concept for the development of autotourism in Russia, which aims to combine efforts at various levels of government and business and synchronize the development of the various infrastructures mentioned earlier.
Mr. Chernyshenko, I would like to know more about these plans.
Dmitry Chernyshenko attended the meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister
dormitory Chernyshchenko: Mr. Mishustin,
Autotourism is one of the cheapest and most popular types of tourism, especially for families. Many people probably have bright memories of traveling out of town or to the beach with their parents.
According to a VTsIOM poll, more than a third of Russians have taken a road trip in the past five years. Of these, 49 percent said the freedom of movement was the best feature, 27 percent said it helped them save money, and 22 percent said the comfort and convenience of traveling by car.
The number of domestic trips is increasing every year. In 2023, the number of national trips will reach 78 million, an increase of 15% over the previous year and an increase of 21% over 2022. So we're seeing positive dynamics. Autotourism accounts for his third of these trips.
Tourism's contribution to GDP is growing. Last year, it reached 2.8%. We are building tourism infrastructure to meet the President's directive to increase the number of travelers to 140 million and tourism as a share of GDP to 5 percent by 2030. New tourism areas such as autotourism are being created. The government-drafted and approved “Russian Motor Tourism Development Initiative by 2035” is based on a comprehensive approach and should increase the number of car and bus tours from 27 million to 47 million people in 2030. .
However, this includes several important aspects, starting with the development of roadside services, including a complex area consisting of gas stations, motels, roadside catering, shops, vehicle maintenance services, children's play areas and other comfortable recreational facilities. The problem needs to be addressed. This includes providing quality mobile phones, internet connectivity and digital services, as well as refurbishing, upgrading and developing tourist attractions. As you know, our country's highways run through scenic countryside, such as the Nakaya Expressway (National Route R256) and the spiral roads of the southern regions and North Caucasus. Observation points will be set up at all locations.
This project will provide a tourist information center, tourist services such as rental cars, and a campground so that people can travel comfortably by all means of transportation, including buses, campers, cars, and bicycles.
As a result, we will create a network of easily accessible national interregional motor tourism routes. The number of potential car tourists is expected to increase from 22 million to 44 million in 2030.
Mr. Mishustin, the Ministry of Economic Development, together with local authorities and federal enforcement agencies, is drafting a detailed program for the implementation of this concept. It will be submitted to the government within the set deadline. However, many regions have already launched their own comprehensive projects, especially the republics of Karelia, Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, Primorsky Krai, Moscow, Leningrad, Vladimir and Tver regions.
Our goal is to ensure that autotourism is combined with safety, convenience and availability of relevant services for all Russian citizens.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you, Mr. Chernyshenko.
It is true that tourism has great potential to double our income. The multiplier effect for tourism business is approximately 5. In other words, for every job in tourism, there are five jobs in related fields.
This is the main reason why it attracts investment not only from tourists, but also from people working in infrastructure construction and the accommodation sector.
It is also very important to involve all federal agencies in this concept, including the remote areas of our country that are most wanted by large cities and tourists from large cities.
We want you to take control of your situation.
The next topic on the agenda is regional development.
We will continue to strive to make people's lives more comfortable in both urban and rural areas.
In his speech to Congress, the president called for more vigorous use of mechanisms that allow people to decide for themselves which facilities and solutions should be invested in in the first place.
One such instrument, an important feedback instrument, is a national vote on improvements. The vote allows people to use a special online platform to participate in improving their residential areas, such as renovating streets and building public gardens, parks and children's playgrounds. Local government authorities draw up a list of such public areas based on the opinions of residents.
We can see that people are becoming more interested in using this technique for improvement. The number of people participating in such polls is growing by millions every year.
Mr. Husnulin, the fourth national vote, was counted yesterday. How many people voted this year? In what areas were they particularly active? Look, you have a say.
Details will be released soon.
