"There is no place for poor locust in Kamchatka!" A tourism scandal erupted on the peninsula

Ivan Zubov

"The locust of roaming beggars" - such a definition was given by the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Kamchatka Territory Alexey Kumarkov to not rich tourists, - the agency "KAMCHATKA-INFORM" reports. His publication on social networks has already caused dissatisfaction with the governor of the region Vladimir Solodov.

In his post, Kumarkov commented on the rather bold statement of the vice-president of the Russian Union of the Tourism Industry, Olga Sanayeva, that for only 45 thousand rubles, tourists in Kamchatka will be able to afford a flight (charter for 16 thousand), and accommodation, and meals! And there will even be money left for visiting attractions. Kumarkov, in response, expressed great doubts, stating that such "money" only in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky would be available only for Bed and Breakfast (bed and breakfast):

“The rest of the time you want to eat, you will swallow saliva, looking at price tags and walking around the unkempt city. We, the inhabitants of Kamchatka, why do we need it - so that they come to us “for cheap”? What will be the use for the economy and nature of Kamchatka if locusts of beggarly bag-bags rush here, huddling for every ruble? We decided to develop a mass segment? Do we have the infrastructure for this? A great chance to earn nothing, but everything is finally fixed..."

According to the minister, it all comes down to the fact that, having arrived in Kamchatka on a charter flight, a visiting tourist with 29,000 rubles will be able to afford to pay for a hotel and, perhaps, go on a bus tour around the Elizovsky district or a horse route around the city fountain.

By the way, he also noted that Sanaeva herself is the founder of a travel company that sells 6-day tours to Kamchatka from 72 thousand rubles. per person.

Kumarkov explained that for 29,000, it would be impossible to even visit the ocean, not to mention guest houses or hotels in hot springs, or the opportunity to go fishing or watch whales.

The idea to make the peninsula accessible to any tourist wallet, according to the minister, is detrimental, since there is practically no infrastructure on it, and therefore, the environment will suffer due to the influx of "wild" tourists.

True, the governor of Kamchatka, Solodov, was "unpleasantly surprised by the publication on social networks of the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology." He failed to motivate his position, getting off with general words that the task of his team is “to make Kamchatka accessible to every inhabitant of Russia, regardless of his wealth and social status...”

On behalf of the governor, an official check has been launched against Kumarkov in terms of compliance with the ethics of a civil servant.

Meanwhile, social networks comment on this scandal in different ways. Some bloggers are in favor of the minister being fired for rudeness, while others confirm his rightness regarding the inaccessibility of Kamchatka not only for an ordinary tourist, but for its inhabitants themselves. Most of them cannot not only visit the famous Valley of Geysers, but also much more affordable sights. They suggest that the governor conduct an experiment and find out what a tourist can actually use for 29,000 rubles for a week in Kamchatka: where he will live, what he can afford to buy from food, and, most importantly, what excursions he will visit and on what transport:

- You can engage in populism as much as you like, but the island economy will not provide a mass flow in any way;

- A helicopter ride for a couple of hours, two monthly salaries. This is fine?",

- It's beautiful here, but the prices for food, hotels, trips out of town will surprise you unpleasantly.

- No matter what the governor says or does, prices will not go down.

- The vice-president of the tourism industry can only be advised to try to fly to Kamchatka herself and live there for a week for 45 thousand rubles, but the minister, of course, needs only oligarchs and poachers to visit, who can dine for 45 thousand rubles once and then without booze.

- Here is the governor and let him be a tourist in Kamchatka for 29 thousand for a week. And not "all inclusive", as now, when he lives at the state expense. From the porthole of a free helicopter, of course, the whole of Kamchatka is available to him. Weak, Vladimir Viktorovich, to experiment on yourself? PR will be great!