Best tourism projects of Russia recognised at the National Centre RUSSIA

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A formal ceremony for the nationwide prize "More Than a Trip" was held at the National Centre RUSSIA. This is the first award in Russia dedicated to the development of youth and patriotic travel with an educational and socially beneficial component. The project brought together representatives of public authorities, the tourism industry, public organisations, experts, project authors, and leaders of change from different regions of Russia. The prize is held as part of the national project "Youth and Children".

The "More Than a Trip" project highlights the potential of travel as a tool for educating young people, shaping civic identity, and fostering a conscious attitude towards the country. The focus is on people and values — those who, through excursions, tours, hikes, media projects, and points of attraction, help young people better understand Russia and feel a personal connection to its history and future.

"Today, energetic and dedicated individuals and entire teams are being honoured at the National Centre RUSSIA. Their significant contribution to the development of the domestic tourism industry has been recognised by colleagues, experts, members of a representative and authoritative jury and, no less importantly, by supporters of an active lifestyle. Largely thanks to this year’s laureates, tens of thousands of young men and women, boys and girls have discovered new and engaging travel routes across our vast country, visited nature reserves, industrial facilities and educational institutions, and explored the landmarks of our cities, towns and entire regions," read the greeting address of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, delivered by the Chief of the Presidential Directorate for Social Projects, Sergei Novikov.

Sergei Novikov recalled that the motto of the prize is "Know, Love, Be Proud": "Over five years, the 'More Than a Trip' project has truly become more than knowledge, more than love and even more than pride. It has brought together 320,000 like-minded people — those who came to know their country not from books, but through their own steps, having travelled across it, seen it and become convinced that Russia is a wonderful, unique, vast and very diverse country, and therefore all the more beautiful — our Motherland. The fact that such a community has been created is largely your achievement. This community lives, develops, generates new ideas and designs walking routes and major journeys."

The ceremony marked the conclusion of a large-scale campaign that ran from August to December. It took place in several stages, including the submission of applications, remote expert assessment, an educational programme, in-person public project presentations and a public vote. More than 7,700 applications were submitted to the contest.

The State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve "Chersonese Taurica" (Sevastopol) received the Grand Prix of the nationwide "More Than a Trip" prize for the project "Chersonese Taurica — A City of Two Millennia". The project made a significant contribution to the development of educational youth travel across Russia and the promotion of the country’s historical legacy.

The winner of the special nomination "StudTourism Choice" was the project "Wonder Is Everywhere" (Murmansk region), a multi-platform initiative combining scientific expeditions, documentary filmmaking and educational formats for student and youth audiences. The award was presented to the project organisers by the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education, Olga Petrova.

"Tourism is a unique field, a truly interdepartmental project that brings us all together. May there be even more bright and meaningful initiatives that inspire and energise not only young people but people of all ages, helping to develop our great country," Olga Petrova said.

In the nomination "More Than a Point of Attraction", the scientific and educational project "Icebreaker of Knowledge" (the Murmansk region) won. The project is an international Arctic expedition combining a contest, an educational programme and a unique experience of exploring the Arctic. The award was presented by the Deputy Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Anastasia Zvyagina.

"For us, the 'More Than a Trip' team is more than colleagues — they are friends. We have come a long way together. At the RUSSIA EXPO, we faced an ambitious task: to gather tour guides from across the country in the shortest possible time — what we called guides of meaning. And we succeeded. Our colleagues trained and graduated more than 5,000 guides in just a few months. After the EXPO, these guides returned to their home regions. Can you imagine what this means for the industry? Now they speak about their home regions with great love and about regional achievements. Some of them, of course, stayed here at the National Centre RUSSIA, including young tour guides. We are already training the third cohort — 100 young people who, among other things, welcomed Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin here and guided him through the exposition "Journey Across Russia"," Anastasia Zvyagina said.

Anastasia Zvyagina also presented a special prize from the National Centre RUSSIA to Elena Romanova, author of the project "Autumn at Toropova Dacha". The project is aimed at supporting the wives and relatives of participants in the special military operation, developing creative potential and strengthening social ties.

The Director General of the Russian society Znanie, Maxim Dreval, presented awards to the winners of the special nomination "Znanie’s Choice". The winner was Alexander Savichev (Sverdlovsk region) with his original guided tour "Industrial and Creative Russia: The Code of the Urals and Sysert", aimed at promoting industrial heritage and developing educational tourism.

"Thanks to you, travel across Russia, across our native land, is gaining tremendous educational value. Thanks to you, every trip is not just an opportunity to see the rich and beautiful nature of our country and its architectural heritage, but also a chance to learn about history, culture, people, and achievements," Maxim Dreval said.

The winner in the nomination "More Than a Hike" was the tourism and local history programme "Vertical" (Tula region). The programme implements systematic work to shape civic identity, foster patriotism, and promote a healthy lifestyle through hiking tourism. The winners in this nomination were awarded by the Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), Grigory Gurov.

"The 'More Than a Trip' Prize is an opportunity to thank and recognise those who develop meaningful travel across Russia. More than 7,700 applications from all regions of Russia were submitted for the first prize. This confirms that more and more people want to explore our diverse country, its culture and traditions, and pass this knowledge on to the younger generation," Grigory Gurov noted.

The winner of the special nomination "Choice of the First" was the First Mobile Camp on Lake Baikal (tour operator KOYOT, Irkutsk region) — a project that shapes a culture of teenage tourism through mobile educational sessions and adventure formats. The awards were presented on stage by the Hero of the Russian Federation, participant in the presidential personnel programme "Time of Heroes", and Chairman of the Board of the Movement of the First, Artur Orlov.

"Travel and the desire to discover the country are among the most popular aspirations of young people. This is confirmed by feedback from children themselves. Their top priority is education, followed by making new friends, then travelling around the country, and finally going on hikes. We are moving in the right direction. As part of the nationwide project "Hikes of the First — More Than a Trip", hikes are held across the country on dates significant for Russia, aimed at introducing the younger generation to the culture and nature of Russia. We are moving in the right direction, and in 2026 we will continue this work," Artur Orlov said.

Within the special nomination "More Than Accessibility", the winner was Alena Yeltsova with the guided tour project "Unlimited!" (Stavropol region), which develops inclusive tourism and opens up travel opportunities for people with disabilities.

The winner in the nomination "More Than a Tour" was the project "Memory Train" (Moscow) — a joint cultural and educational initiative aimed at preserving the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War and fostering a sense of involvement in the country’s history among young people.

In the nomination "More Than Media", the winner was Irina Yuryevna Sayutina (Sakhalin region) with the media project "Watch the Expeditions", which combines science, travel, and storytelling and promotes scientific tourism in Russia.

The winner in the nomination "More Than an Enterprise" was the Foundation for the Revival of Traditional Shipbuilding and Arctic Navigation (Arkhangelsk region) with the project "Pomor Koch: Building a Wooden Vessel as a Display Object", which revives traditional crafts and develops industrial tourism.

A special partner prize from the ANO "National Priorities" was awarded to the media expedition "Trans-Siberian Railway: The Path of the Young" — a project that revealed regional identity through the format of youth travel and a documentary series.

The purpose of the prize is to support people and organisations that, through working with young people in travel across Russia, contribute to the development of patriotism and inspire creativity and service to society. Its objectives include recognising individual and team contributions to the development of the youth travel system, establishing a prestigious status for industry leaders and organisations, and creating a community of like-minded people united by the idea of travel as a tool for education and development.

The nationwide "More Than a Trip" Prize is held with the support of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, and the ANO "National Priorities".