Year of Mountain Tourism in the CIS Space

The Council on Tourism of the Commonwealth of Independent States member states was held at the ‘Rosa Khutor’ resort.

In the mountains of Sochi, heads of tourism ministries from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan gathered, as well as delegations from the CIS Executive Committee, the CIS Business Center for Economic Development, the Council of the Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS Member States, and Eurasian mountain resorts. The Russian delegation was led by Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov.

— Russia, together with CIS countries, intends to focus on the development of mountain tourism, making it safe, comfortable, and affordable, which is why we proposed holding our meeting here at the ‘Rosa Khutor’ site, one of Russia’s most popular all-season resorts. This initiative is supported by entrepreneurs from our countries, — noted Maxim Reshetnikov.

The meeting participants were greeted by Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratiev. The regional head emphasized that thanks to support at the federal and regional levels, over ten years, the volume of investments in Kuban’s sanatorium and resort sector has grown 100 times.

— Glad to welcome you to Sochi, at ‘Rosa Khutor’. This is a modern resort that enjoys huge popularity among residents of Krasnodar Krai, the entire country, and tourists from abroad; I’m sure guests from your countries have been here too. The sanatorium and resort sector is important for our region’s economy. Therefore, we are doing everything to develop it and not resting on our laurels, — noted Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratiev.

An important outcome of the CIS Tourism Council meeting was the decision to declare each year thematic. The first under this new initiative is the Year of Mountain Tourism.

— Throughout the year, Council members will discuss the development of mountain tourism without scattering attention. Kazakhstan announced the creation of a new resort in the Almaty region, Uzbekistan is building about eight complexes, Russia is actively moving forward. The questions are the same for everyone, the problems too, — emphasized Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Erzhan Yerkinbayev.

In 2023, the Eurasian Alliance of Mountain Resorts was created. At the origins of the organization was the Russian ‘Rosa Khutor’; today it includes five more leading Eurasian complexes — ‘Amirsay’ from Uzbekistan, ‘Shahdag’ from Azerbaijan, ‘Shymbulak’ and ‘Oy Karagay’ from Kazakhstan, and the Mona Yong Pyong resort from South Korea. It is expected that in the coming year, four more countries will join the alliance — Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

As part of the recommendations adopted at the CIS Tourism Council, it is planned to create an interstate mountain tourist route, develop a unified trail classification, form a common system for certifying personnel in tourism, network educational programs for training guides, rescuers, and management. Among the proposed activities are a unified event calendar and a joint loyalty program. The Council’s business program included bilateral meetings of the Russian delegation with colleagues from Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

An important symbolic event of the CIS tourism leaders’ meeting in Sochi was the opening of a unique art installation ‘Source of Energy’ on Rosa Peak. At an altitude of 2320, a new tourist attraction appeared — a structure over 3.5 meters high that allows guests to touch the energy of the Caucasus Mountains and interact with their ‘energy field’. The event concluded with the presentation of the book ‘Legends of Stone Giants’. This is a collection of Eurasian fairy tales in Russian and the national languages of the Commonwealth countries, published this year by the ‘Rosa Khutor’ mountain resort and ID Mescheryakova.

Within the framework of the Year of Mountain Tourism, we can create a modern in-demand product that will be positioned not only domestically but also internationally. It is important that the meeting of CIS tourism department heads took place at ‘Rosa Khutor’; depending on the season, the share of tourists from Commonwealth countries in the total foreign tourist flow to our resort reaches 65 percent. In 2024, about one and a half thousand guests from Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan came to us. We expect an increase in tourist flow from CIS countries in 2025 by 10-15 percent; this trend will continue into 2026.

Deputy General Director of ‘Rosa Khutor’ for International Relations and Tourism

Sergey Khvorostyany.