Published on: 2026-07-31
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the visitation dynamics of specially protected natural areas show steady growth: while in 2018 these territories were visited by 6 million tourists, by the end of 2025 this figure exceeded 22.5 million people. The increase in tourist flow requires a well-organized management system that will ensure a balance between preserving unique natural complexes and developing infrastructure for comfortable and safe year-round recreation, emphasized Dmitry Patrushev.
“It is very important that thanks to the influx of tourists, national parks receive an incentive for harmonious development, and small businesses gain new opportunities. At the same time, interesting projects are being implemented, creating jobs. Approximately 25 billion rubles are allocated in the federal budget for the improvement of national park infrastructure within the framework of the national project ‘Ecological Well-being’ until 2030. At the same time, the national project ‘Tourism and Hospitality’ is being implemented, within which infrastructure facilities are also being created in specially protected areas, and support measures for investors are in place,” said Dmitry Patrushev.
The participants of the meeting discussed points for further growth of ecological tourism. In particular, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that an important direction of work is the digitization of services for visitors. Currently, the Gosuslugi portal is implementing a service for issuing electronic permits to visit specially protected natural areas, including national parks, nature reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries available for visitation. This approach speeds up and simplifies the procedure. Since last year, a number of protected areas have already been connected to this service. Dmitry Patrushev drew attention to the need for expanding coverage.
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that even the most interesting route or attraction will not become in demand if people cannot get to it. Improving the transport accessibility of tourist sites remains one of the important issues in this sector.
An integral component of tourism development in specially protected natural areas (SPNA) is environmental education. By the end of 2025, relevant activities reached over 5 million people. Participants noted the necessity of further expanding such educational work.
The meeting reviewed the key directions for the development of ecological tourism, including improving the regulatory framework and industry strategic planning documents, as well as the training of qualified personnel. Special attention was paid to the need for a comprehensive approach to the development of national parks, ensuring the interconnection of all implemented activities.
Following the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister gave a number of instructions, including to complete the approval of the Protected Areas Development Strategy by the end of 2026, as well as to ensure the implementation of a set of fire prevention measures in these territories.
As part of a working trip to the Krasnodar Territory, Dmitry Patrushev visited the Sochi National Park and went to the Polikarya waterfall, which is 72 meters high — the tallest waterfall in Sochi. This sight attracts more than 50,000 tourists annually. The Deputy Prime Minister noted that, given the popularity of the waterfall, it is important to improve its infrastructure. In particular, equipped trails and viewing platforms will allow visitors to safely explore the natural site without disturbing the fragile ecosystem. Such measures are also provided for with federal funding under the national project “Ecological Well-being.”
The Deputy Prime Minister also visited the “Leopard Recovery Center in the Caucasus,” where he familiarized himself with the stages of restoring the population of the Persian leopard (Caucasian leopard). Over the years of the center’s work, 15 leopards born and trained at the center have been released into the wild. Specialists carry out continuous monitoring of their adaptation, recording stable signs of the species’ return to its historical habitats.
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