"Time for the Jewish Autonomous Region. Time to go!": tourism potential of the region discussed at the National Centre RUSSIA
On 30 September, as part of the Days of the Jewish Autonomous Region, a round table titled "Time for the Jewish Autonomous Region. Time to go!" was held. The event brought together representatives of the tourism industry, government bodies, the federal expert community and businesses to discuss the prospects for developing tourism in the region.
"For us, the Jewish Autonomous Region is one of those regions that remains largely undiscovered and underestimated in terms of tourism, yet it is very interesting. Most importantly, the regional team has set one of its strategic goals: the development of the service economy, including the tourism industry. That is why we gathered at the National Centre RUSSIA to talk about this field, discuss steps and prospects," stressed Maria Badmatsyrenova, Deputy Director of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation JSC and moderator of the meeting.
She noted that tourism is growing every year and is one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the economy. According to her, the regions of the Far East have their advantages: the most favourable preferential regimes for business operate here. Every tenth project created with state support is related to tourism, which demonstrates the high level of interest in the industry.
The tourist flow to the Jewish Autonomous Region increased by 50% in the first half of 2025, said Anna Tarasenko, Deputy Chair of the Government of the Jewish Autonomous Region: "Of course, this is not the limit. Our goal is to reach 100,000 tourists per year, and we are confident that we can achieve this before 2030."
Anna Tarasenko also listed several reasons to visit the Jewish Autonomous Region. According to her, an important feature of the region is its natural wealth. Not far from the localities of the region are the Bastak Nature Reserve, home to rare animals and birds and relict plants; karst caves, lotus lakes and hot springs.
"Black cranes nest in the reserve — they are extremely rare birds, a symbol of family for the countries of Southeast Asia. There are very few such places in the world, and one of them is here. We are working to create tourist routes for birdwatching. The historical legacy is also rich: the Battle of Volochaevka, glorified in the famous song 'Volochaevka Days', took place in our region. Volochaevka Hill is a federally significant site, which we are ready to develop as a tourist destination," she added.
She reminded that it was in the Bastak Nature Reserve that Cinderella the tigress, rescued in captivity and returned to the wild, was released. Over time, she gave birth to offspring, marking the beginning of the restoration of the Amur tiger population in the region. Today, the group of tigers there numbers between 18 and 22 individuals.
Entrepreneurs and local residents also joined the discussion. For example, Olesya Zheleznyakova, owner of the Felicita cafe in Birobidzhan, noted that every region can boast of its own cuisine, and the Jewish Autonomous Region is no exception: here they make the Birobidzhan schnitzel, though the restaurateur did not reveal its recipe secrets.
"Of course, we have sights to see, potential to realise, and restaurants where Jewish cuisine can be tasted. There are hotels too, but we lack the tourist flow. With more visitors, the development of these industries could be much more active," emphasised Olesya Zheleznyakova.
According to her, event tourism is actively developing in the region — various festivals are held, including gastronomic ones: "For six years in a row we have been organising the Schnitzel Festival, which has become our gastronomic brand. Its geographical indication was registered with Rospatent, and we are actively promoting it. When a region has its own gastronomic symbol, it is a success, and it can be used to develop gastronomic tourism. This is a separate and important group of tourists, since getting to know a region often begins with local cuisine."
In addition, participants of the round table "Time for the Jewish Autonomous Region. Time to go!" discussed current and future tourism projects of the Jewish Autonomous Region: the Kuldur health resort, the FOMA ski resort and many others.
The event was held as part of the Days of the Jewish Autonomous Region at the National Centre RUSSIA. The themed week will run from 30 September to 5 October. Visitors are invited to explore the region through cultural and business programmes at the stand of the Jewish Autonomous Region.
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