Educational intensive about the Nenets Autonomous Area held at the National Centre RUSSIA

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On 18 October, as part of the Nenets Autonomous Area Week within the "Region-2030. Platform of the Future" exposition, the educational programme "Encyclopaedia of the Arctic: One-Day Intensive about the Nenets Autonomous Area" took place. The event allowed guests to explore the Arctic region in just one day through the lens of tourism, economy, culture, and experts’ personal experience.

The economic potential of Arctic tourism was presented by Oksana Lototskaya, Head of the Entrepreneurship and Tourism Development Department of the Department of Finance and Economy of the Nenets Autonomous Area. She shared current statistics and noted the growing interest of travellers in the region.

"Tourism is a unique opportunity to touch history, feel the spirit of a place, and enrich your inner world with new experiences. Market dynamics show growth: in the first eight months of 2025, around 24,000 trips to the Nenets Autonomous Area were recorded — almost two thousand more than in the same period last year. The Arctic is closer than it seems: just two and a half hours by plane from Moscow — and you are beyond the Arctic Circle, in the city of Naryan-Mar," said Oksana Lototskaya.

What life is like in the capital of the Nenets Autonomous Area was described by Anna Rastyagaeva, Head of the Marketing Department of the Arctic Tourism Centre, in her lecture "Naryan-Mar: Instructions for Use".

"Our city is small but very cosy. Its remoteness and harsh climate help it preserve its identity. There’s also an interesting feature: almost every house has its own nickname. In the centre you’ll find buildings known as 'Titanic', 'Grasshopper' and 'Dollar'. These names come from the shape of the buildings, historical events or local associations — and we rarely use official addresses. If you say 'Lenina 29', locals won’t understand you, but if you ask how to get to 'Titanic', they’ll know immediately. The same goes for taxis — you can simply say 'to the Gingerbread House'. So come and visit us, walk around Naryan-Mar and get to know our house nicknames," said Anna Rastyagaeva.

One of the intensive’s topics focused on the fishing village of Shoyna on the coast of the White Sea. During the film lecture "How to Make Films in the Arctic?", participants learned that its unique landscapes attract not only tourists but also creative professionals. Members of the film crew of the feature film "Cosmos Falls Asleep", the first part of which was shot there, shared their experiences.

"It was either 2020 or 2021 when I saw a documentary about Shoyna and immediately fell in love with this place. But it felt dishonest to write a script about somewhere I’d never been, so I added a personal story. I knew it would be easy to find a crew — filmmakers love distant, beautiful places, especially ones that have never been filmed. At the same time, I realised that no producer would want to take on such an expensive and challenging project. Many told me: 'Why go to the Arctic if you can film Shoyna in Moscow?' But to me, that felt like a betrayal of the place and its people. I wanted the film to feature the real residents of Shoyna, whose faces I’d seen in that documentary," said film director Anton Mamykin.

A personal story of transformation was shared by Svetlana Gorbatykh, author of stunning photographs capturing the nature and people of the region. She spoke about how the Arctic changed her life and career.

"I used to be a doctor, and I only started taking photos after turning 40. I’ve always loved the sea and the mountains. I imagined the Arctic as an open space — bright white snow, deep blue shadows at noon and nearly buried houses. But I discovered an entirely different world. My inner world was turned upside down. I couldn’t imagine how beautiful the tundra could be and what wonderful people live there," said Svetlana Gorbatykh.

The intensive continued with an Arctic blog tour presented by Vera Agapitova and Svetlana Kustysheva, creators of the blog "Podruzhki-Pokatushki" ("Travelling Friends") about life beyond the Arctic Circle. Practical advice for future visitors was offered by Yevgeny Shuvalov, General Director of the travel company "I’m Going to the Nenets Autonomous Area", during his workshop "I’m Going to the Nenets Autonomous Area: How to Choose Your Tour". Founder of the Narey brand Olga Vyuchayskaya gave the lecture "Arctic Style: from Traditions to the Present", explaining how Nenets culture, Arctic landscapes, and the beauty of the tundra inspire her designs.

The event concluded with an educational quiz "How Well Do You Know the Arctic?", with the main prize — a trip to Shoyna.

The Regional Days were held as part of the "Region-2030. Platform of the Future" exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA from September to October. Visitors explored the Republic of Dagestan, and the Voronezh, Tula, Amur and Chelyabinsk regions, as well as the Jewish Autonomous Region. The series concluded with the Nenets Autonomous Area, which presented its history, traditions, achievements, culture, and development plans from 14 to 19 October.