The press service of the Government of the Murmansk Oblast said that in recent years foreign and Russian cruise tour operators report a growing demand for Arctic tourism.

      Murmansk and Arkhangelsk Oblasts, included into the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, jointly form a unique pilot interregional Arctic tourism product. It is assumed that the first Arctic route will run from Murmansk to Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Solovetsky archipelagos and will end up in Arkhangelsk.

      The pilot cruise on "Clavdia Elanskaya" motor ship along Arctic route, which is still under development, was pre-planned for July 2015. In Soviet period, expedition cruises and tours onboard of this motor vessel along the Northern Sea Route, the White Sea to the Solovetsky Archipelago were very popular among tourists. Until the end of this year the working group occupied with the elaboration of the new tourism products will consider bringing federal and extra-budgetary funds for the implementation of the pilot cruise project.