Bering Strait International Festival to be held in Chukotka on 2-7 August
The Bering Strait International Festival will be held in Chukotka on 2-7 August as part of the main event schedule of Russia's chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021-2023. The Roscongress Foundation is the operator of chairmanship events. The festival programme features the Arctic Travelers' Forum business section, the Beringian Games athletic competition and an expedition tour around the region. The events under the festival's brand will also be dedicated to the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, celebrated on August 9.
The Bering Strait International Festival will be opened by the business programme of the Arctic Travelers' Forum. Professionals from travel agencies and hospitality experts from all over the Russian Arctic will come to Chukotka to take part in the Forum. Participants will discuss key industry trends, best practices in organising Arctic travel and successful cases in promoting the Far Northern regions. Director of the Arctic Portal Halldór Jóhansson (Iceland) will talk about what foreign tourists want. The forum will also focus on issues of sustainable tourism development in the Arctic, aspects of building new infrastructure, branding of territories and the popularisation of tours. Popular travel bloggers with over a dozen captivating expeditions in the Arctic under their belts — Bogdan Bulychev, Aleksey Zhirukhin, Albert Sokolov and Stanislav Koryakin — will meet and exchange opinions in Anadyr.
The athletic programme of the festival includes the Beringian Games competition among the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. The event will be attended by representatives of all Arctic regions of Russia. About 50 participants will compete in seven Northern disciplines, including triple jumps, tug of war with a pole, and single-foot high kicks. The competition aims at involving people living in the Russian Arctic Zone in regular exercise and sports, popularising traditional sports of indigenous peoples, as well as strengthening ties between the Russian Arctic regions.
The Beringia 2022 Anniversary Regatta of sea hunters, with traditional Chukchi kayak races among men's and women's teams in the village of Lorino, Chukotskiy District of the Chukotka Autonomous Area, will also take place during the festival, as well as events dedicated to the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
The highlight of the Bering Strait Festival will be an expedition tour around Chukotka. Its goal is to showcase all the best Chukotka has to offer to tourists. Expedition participants will install branded flags at the easternmost mainland point of Eurasia, Cape Dezhnyov, to round up the festival.
'Travel and sports are what brings people together. Today, the Chukotka Autonomous Area is a magnet for guests from other Russian regions. We hope that tourism professionals will be able to exchange their experiences and explore new trends in Arctic tourism development at the Bering Strait International Festival. Local entrepreneurs are developing a tourist infrastructure and a route network in the region. The festival aims to help us let everyone interested in unique tours of the Russian Arctic know about it. The magnificent nature of Chukotka is sure to make a profound impression on anyone!', stated Governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Area Roman Kopin.
The Government of the Chukotka Autonomous Area and Rosturizm stepped forward as festival organisers.
As part of its chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021-2023, Russia pays considerable attention to the development of sustainable tourism in the Arctic. This movement is aimed at progressive socio-economic development of the Arctic regions, support for small and medium-sized businesses in high latitudes, as well as the preservation and enhancement of the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the North.