Kavkaz.RF will open a travel boutique at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy.
The North Caucasus Development Institute will represent the region at the International Tourism Forum "Travel," which will be held in Moscow from June 10 to 14 at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy. Kavkaz.RF's travel boutique stand will be a meeting place for tourists with those who shape the key experiences of a mountain vacation—those who build and operate cable cars to the country's highest peaks, tour operators and guides who create breathtaking routes, and artists and artisans who create the region's multilayered image.
The main product will be specially designed tours for the forum from the North Caucasus Mountain Club (NCMC), a subsidiary tour operator of Kavkaz.RF. For the first time, NCMC is entering the scientific tourism niche with a three-day trip that includes a visit to the Baksan Neutrino Observatory and the Terskol Peak Astronomical Observatory. Both facilities belong to the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Neutrino facility is the first and one of only two large-scale underground laboratories in the world for research at the intersection of fundamental physics, astrophysics, and geophysics.
Andrey Yumshanov, CEO of Kavkaz.RF, will discuss the creation of unique tourism products around familiar mountain landscapes at the Forum's plenary session, "Time to Travel: A Diversity of Experiences Accessible to Everyone."
"Tourism development cannot be built indefinitely on infrastructure alone. This approach has its limits. At a certain point, high-quality infrastructure alone is no longer enough for tourists. To attract new people to the North Caucasus, the tourism product must evolve—through new meanings, emotions, and a reassessment of the values that bring people to the region," notes Andrey Yumshanov.
The concept of the Kavkaz.RF stand envisions an open space combining a Caucasus fair and a fashion store. Just like from a real trip, visitors to the exhibition will be able to take home gifts for loved ones and themselves: Ingush ceramics, silk stoles from Chechnya, and designer jewelry from various regions. You can also try on and purchase summer clothing and accessories from the Kavkaz.RF mountain resorts—the legendary Elbrus and the new Mamison. Among the exhibitors will be Slavyanovskaya mineral water, a holder of the "Made in the Caucasus" quality seal.
"This year, we tried to create a vibrant and multifaceted tourist image of the region through graphics, textiles, and ceramics—to give tangible expression to the Caucasian cultural code as we see it, and to remind visitors that the Caucasus is fashionable. The exhibition's main focus is on the works of Nalchik artist Lena Romanovskaya, in which she explores, with good humor, the theme of summer vacations in the native mountains and stereotypical notions of the Caucasus. "We'll be immersing tourists in large macrame string bags designed by Dagestani artist Leyla Babaeva, filled with the most alluring symbols of the Caucasus. A shelf of cups by artist Mila Khatsuk symbolizes Caucasian hospitality with a modern twist," said Tatyana Baeva, Communications Director for Kavkaz.RF.
A mini-lecture session at the stand will bring together ambassadors of the North Caucasus mountain resorts, including guides, photographers, filmmakers, and scientists. At the stand, visitors will be able to listen to lectures by glaciologists about the glaciers of Mount Elbrus, meet Nikolai Piotrovsky, director of the extreme sports film "The Mountains Are Calling," and blogger Daria Sirotina, author of a guidebook to North Ossetia.
Guests will also be able to enjoy a raffle, quizzes, workshops on creating custom notebooks, and plenty of gifts.