New resorts, agrotourism and international flights: how the Stavropol region is strengthening its tourist flow

Tourism development in the Stavropol region is becoming one of the key drivers of regional growth. This was stated by the Governor of the Stavropol Region, Vladimir Vladimirov, at the National Centre RUSSIA during the presentation of the development strategy "Region-2030. Stavropol Region". The head of the region emphasised that new tourist areas and modern airports serve one common goal — to make the Caucasian Mineral Waters and the entire region as accessible and attractive as possible for visitors.

According to him, the Stavropol region has demonstrated steady growth in the tourism sector for several years.

"Today, we increase our accommodation capacity by around 2,000 rooms annually. Accordingly, the growth in room stock ensures an increase in tourist flow. We see from payment system data that tourists bring between 60 and 80 billion roubles to the Stavropol region each year, and this volume should grow by approximately 10 per cent annually, in line with the growth of the room stock," Vladimir Vladimirov noted.

He stated that agreements have already been signed for approximately 500 billion roubles in investment, and the regional authorities expect total investment to exceed 1.5 trillion roubles. This will make it possible to create at least 20,000 new rooms, including high-level projects — next-generation sanatoria and category "5+" facilities with modern design, medical services and hospitality standards.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

The governor emphasised that the modern tourist expects far more from a resort than the classic package of treatment and meals: "High-quality rooms, a high level of service, modern medical treatment, good cuisine and engaging leisure activities are required. We are developing agrotourism, wine tourism, industrial tourism, hiking and cycling tourism. People are interested in seeing vineyards and farms, walking along the routes of the national park in Kislovodsk, and breathing the air of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, which, as they say about Zheleznovodsk, can literally be eaten with a spoon."

A special role in supporting tourism growth belongs to the airports of Mineralnye Vody and Stavropol. The main strategic objective is to turn Mineralnye Vody into a major international aviation hub. To achieve this, reconstruction of the former terminal complex, previously taken out of operation, has begun. After renovation, it will function as a separate terminal for international flights. New airport complexes have already been commissioned, the route network is expanding and passenger traffic is increasing. For Mineralnye Vody, the ambitious goal is to reach 10 million passengers per year; in Stavropol, to exceed 1.5 million.

The expansion of flight geography, including through subsidised routes and international flights, makes the region more accessible for both residents of Russia and foreign tourists. Currently, around 17 international destinations operate from the airports of the Stavropol region: CIS countries form the core, flights to Turkey and the UAE are actively developing, and the Asian direction is expanding. The region is interested in strengthening air links with China, India, countries of the Middle East and South America: "When foreigners come, they get to know Russia, and it is impossible not to fall in love with Russia."

Thus, tourism development and airport infrastructure in the Stavropol region are viewed as a single unit: new resort territories and formats of recreation require greater transport accessibility, while the expanding network of domestic and international flights, in turn, stimulates tourist growth and opens the region to new visitors.

The visit of the Governor of the Stavropol Region, Vladimir Vladimirov, took place during the region’s thematic week at the National Centre RUSSIA.