Original culture, shamanistic ceremonies, and musical folklore are expected to help in development of ethnical tourism in Siberia. The international travel fair Baikaltour has a lot to show its guests and has gained the reputation of a considerable event in the sphere of tourist business.

The initial programme of the fair includes: a press-conference with representatives of the Federal agency of tourism; a seminar on business travel as an instrument of business development in the region; a seminar on creation of several tourist-recreational zones on the territory of the RF; a seminar on amendments to the tourism laws in Russia; a seminar on tourism and traditional culture of native and local communities; presentations of expositions of different countries with participation of councils` representatives; presentations of regional tourist programmes; excursion programmes; trial tours.

The fair is held February 28 – March 2, and is organized with support of the Federal agency of tourism of the RF, administration of the Irkutsk Region, administration of the city of Irkutsk, the Association of tourist exhibition organizers, and some other organizations. The fair Baikaltour has a medal of the International Union of Fairs and Exhibitions for the high quality of exhibition organization and service. Within 10 years the fair has strengthen the position of one of the largest incoming exhibitions in the east of Russia and turned into an event stimulating development of the tourism potential of Siberia.

In 2006 152 companies participated in the Baikaltour fair which took the total area of two thousand square metres. 4790 visitors were registered at the fair, and amongst them – 2900 professional specialists. Baikaltour became a place of meeting for Siberian regions and regional tourist associations. The united expositions were presented by the Republic Buryatia, Khakasia, the Krasnoyarsk Region, the Novosibirsk Region, the Omsk Region, the Republic Sakha, and the Far East regions. Foreign participants of the Baikaltour fair included tourist firms from Mongolia, China, Turkey, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, Czech, and South Korea.

This year the fair widens its exposition: the exhibition will take place in three pavilions of the exhibition centre SibExpoCentre (in 2006 it was two pavilions) and the total area of the fair will constitute more than two thousand square metres. Besides, it is also planned to widen the area for the business part of the programme. This time presentations, seminars, conferences, and other activities will be organized in a hall for up to 250 persons, instead of pavilions for 50-60 persons.

In the framework of the fair there will also take place a round table devoted to ecological problems of Baikal. It is organized by the social institution Baikal Ecological Wave. The head of the ecological tourism department reports that the main problems to be discussed are waste utilization and damage to natural landscapes of Baikal. It is said that various tourist bases are built at the most beautiful creeks of the lake without any permission documents.

VENUE: The Irkutsk International Exhibition Complex "SibExpoCentre", 253A, Baikalskaya St., Irkutsk.

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Sources:
    www.sibexpo.ru     www.votpusk.ru

Lavrentyeva Natalya