Participating on the opening ceremony of the festival will be the Governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Area Roman Kopin, President of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Chukotka Anna Otke, Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Arctic Council, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Nikolay Korchunov, Consul General of the Republic of India in Vladivostok Sai Murali S. and Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Vladivostok Piao Yangfan, who will deliver video addresses.
Discussions as part of the business programme will take place on 2 August. The central event will be the "Tourism in the Arctic: advanced development" plenary session. Tourism experts will outline the crucial steps required for the development of the industry in the Russian Arctic Zone, share their views on the potential development of territories, and discuss ways to create a comfortable tourist infrastructure and improve the quality of services in the Arctic regions. The results of the Best Mural competition among the Arctic cities of Russia, organised by the Arctic ANCO, will be announced as part of the plenary session. The Governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Area Roman Kopin, State Secretary — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Pavel Volkov, Managing Director of Far East and Arctic Development Corporation JSC Ivan Pechorin, and Vice-President of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia Vadim Prasov are expected to participate in the session.
Best practices in the organisation of Arctic travel and co-development of projects in the industry will be discussed at the "League of Arctic Travel Agencies" business session. Chairman of the Board of the Murmansk Region Tourism Industry Union Oleg Terebenin, Head of Discover Yamal Zelfira Makhmutova, Head of the Baikalika Travel Agency Mariya Strelyuk and other tourism industry experts will speak at the section aimed at establishing cooperation between the tourism businesses operating in the Arctic.
Participants of the "Warm or Cold: What the Arctic looks like from the Mainland" business session will share their views on the modern image of the Russian Arctic Zone and on the ways of overcoming the biggest obstacles in tourism development. Head of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Chukotka Autonomous Area Evgeniy Tikhomirov, author, methodologist and head of the Gastronomic Map of Russia project Yekaterina Shapovalova, President of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers Igor Bukharov and other speakers will present successful cases in promoting the Arctic regions.
The traditions and culture of indigenous peoples living in harmony with the primaeval Northern nature are the core values of the Russian Arctic. One of the business programme sessions will cover ethno-cultural and ecological tourism aspects and the issues of getting the locals involved in the hospitality industry. The "Sustainable Development of the Arctic: Key Points" section will be attended by traveler and photographer Ida Ruchina, Executive Director of the Northern Forum International Organisation of Northern Regions Vladimir Vasilyev, Director of the Baikal State Reserve Federal State Budgetary Institution Vasiliy Sutula and Director General of Teplorium Anatoliy Fyodorov.
Extreme tourism in Chukotka will be discussed at the festival's final business session, the Forum of Arctic Travelers. Expeditions in Chukotka are some of the most difficult in terms of logistics, climate and geography, but also supremely exciting and memorable. Famous extreme travelers, bloggers and photographers from Chukotka and the rest of Russia were invited to participate in the session, including the head of the RGOexpo expedition center Bogdan Bulychev, blogger Aleksey Zhirukhin and traveler Albert Severniy.
The bill of cultural events at the festival includes the Beringian Games international athletic competition among the indigenous peoples of the Arctic 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 Beringia 2022 Anniversary Regatta of sea hunters in the village of Lorino, Chukotskiy District of the Chukotka Autonomous Area, will also take place during the festival. The event includes traditional Chukchi kayak races, with men's and women's teams competing.
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.
The events of the Bering Strait Festival business programme will be broadcasted on the official website of the Russian chairmanship: https://arctic-council-russia.ru/events/arkticheskiy-turizm/mezhdunarodnyy-festival-beringov-proliv/ and on the official website of the festival: https://beringstrait.ru.