'City of Kitezh' in Nizhny Novgorod region to be built by year-end

The round table "The development of tourism in the Nizhny Novgorod region" took place in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Since 2005, the number of tourists increased by 1.6 times - from 525 to 870 thousand people.

"For a long time, during the Soviet period, the Nizhny Novgorod region and the city of Gorky were closed for tourists. Today, we have a lot to catch up with and solve many problems associated with the development of tourism from scratch, - said the head of the region Valery Shantsev. - Last year, 875,000 tourists visited the Nizhny Novgorod region. According to the program of the development of tourism, which I approved, the number of tourists coming to the region is to increase to 3.1 million people a year by 2020. In all countries that have serious historical and cultural traditions, the number of tourists outnumbers local population. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, there are more than 3,500 monuments, and 600 of them are in the city of Nizhny Novgorod. We have rich nature and centuries-old history. I am convinced that the region has a considerable tourist potential, and the objectives for the development of tourism can be achieved."

Such tourist centers as Semenov and Gorodets develop actively. The Voskresensky territory and Lake Svetloyar have a huge potential. The construction of the museum and tourist complex "City of Kitezh" in the village of Vladimirskoye will be completed by the end of 2014. There are finishing and landscaping works being conducted at the facility.

"The Voskresensky territory is one of the jewels of the Nizhny Novgorod region. "There are many interesting things for tourists to see there. Lake Svetloyar, with which the legend of the City of Kitezh is associated, is known throughout the world, especially after the Olympics in Sochi, where this image was used for the opening ceremony of the Games. Last year, I drew attention to the fact that the pace of the construction of the Optic Theater in the village of Vladimirskoye was very low, although the museum and tourist complex is necessary for the development of tourism in the area. I gave instructions to accelerate the construction," Governor Valery Shantsev said.