Tourism in Kamchatka has been flourishing. Visitors are attracted by unspoiled nature, hundreds of volcanoes, hot springs and geysers. Mt Klyuchevskaya (4688m), the tallest active volcano in Eurasia, can be found on the peninsula as well. Local authorities expect that tourism in Kamchatka will grow even more.
Kamchatka authorities predict that by 2025 the number of tourists will rise to 800 thousand people a year. Last year the number of tourists in the region was 180 thousand.
The construction of tourist and recreational facilities on the territory of priority development (TOP), which was finished recently, will allow for an increase of annual inflow to the region of up to 800 thousand people. This was confirmed by the Kamchatka region Governor Vladimir Ilyukhin.
“According to our calculations, by 2025 we can reach a tourist inflow of 800 thousand people per year,” Ilyukhin said. He also noted that the population of the region itself is just over 300 thousand people.
He also said that within the TOP project comfortable tourist and recreational areas will be built in the village Paratunka. This will include a water park in the thermal springs and in general much better infrastructure. Roads are to be repaired and the airport will be reconstructed.
According to the head of the region, more than 80% of the expected tourism in Kamchatka will be the domestic visitors.
“The number of foreign tourists will not grow significantly. I think it’s about 15 to 20% of foreign tourists and the rest are Russian tourists,” Ilyukhin said.
According to him, the greatest interest among foreigners to travel to Kamchatka is shown in Japan, South Korea and China. These tend to prefer local eco-tourism activities.
Earlier this year the authorities of the Kamchatka region reported 180 thousand tourist arrivals in 2015. This is three times more than in 2014.