Polish-Russian Tourism Forum in Saint Petersburg
On October 9-12, 2010, the Polish-Russian Tourism Sector Forum took place in Saint Petersburg. Participants included, among others, Katarzyna Sobierajska, Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism; Jan Korsak, President of the Polish Chamber of Tourism and Jan Szmytke, President of the Polish Tourism Organization. The Russian side was represented among others by representatives of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of the Russian Federation, Russian Tourism Sector Union and authorities of Saint Petersburg. Numerous representatives of Polish and Russian tourism industries also participated in the event.
The main objective of the forum and of the meeting of the representatives of the two professional organizations was to analyse the current status of cooperation and to discuss problems hindering the tourist traffic between the two countries.
The meeting ended with a conference during which Undersecretary of State Katarzyna Sobierajska decorated representatives of the Russian side with badges of merit for their contributions to tourism. Among others, the following persons were honoured in this way: Marianna Ordzhonikidze, Vice-Chair of the Investment and Tourism Committee of Saint Petersburg Authorities; Nikolai Burov, Director of the Isaakiyevskiy Cathedral Museum; and Andrei Sharapov, Director of Ambassador Hotel.
A competition for the best film promoting Poland, organized by the Polish Tourism Information Centre in Moscow, was adjudicated during the forum. Students of Saint Petersburg universities participated in the competition. Prizes for the finalists include a trip to Poland.
The purpose of the Polish-Russian Tourism Sector Forum which took place in Saint Petersburg was to mobilize the sector in order to enhance tourist traffic between the two countries after the slump caused, inter alia, by Poland’s accession to the Schengen Accord and by the slowdown in the economy.