17/7 Tass 59a
MAKHACHKALA, July 17 (Itar-Tass) —— Some 250,000 people may annually spend vacations at Dagestani Caspian Sea resorts 15 years from now, said speakers at a Friday conference in Makhachkala where the concept of the Caspian sea tourism cluster was presented. Federal executives, bankers and businessmen attended the conference.
“Total investments in the Caspian coastal cluster may amount to 140 billion rubles. The government will assign 27% of the entire sum, and 73% will be contributed by private investors,” General Director of the North Caucasian Resorts Public Joint Stock Company Alexander Nevsky said.
Resorts will be situated along the 200-kilometer coastline in Dagestan.
“The number of tourists visiting Caspian beaches will reach 250,000 by 2025. Together with the Matlas alpine skiing resort, Dagestan will receive five million tourists annually,” the speakers said.
The overall tourism potential of the North Caucasian cluster is estimated at ten million per annum.
The Caspian tourism cluster will create 21,000 jobs in the tourist sector and more than 33,000 jobs in affiliated industries. Russian Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina ordered the North Caucasian Resorts joint stock company and the regional authorities to evaluate financial effects of the combination of alpine skiing and coastal clusters.
The construction of five alpine skiing resorts in the North Caucasus – Matlas in Dagestan, Mamison in North Ossetia, Arkhyz in Karachayevo-Cherkessia, Lagonaki in the Krasnodar territory and Adygeya and Elbrus in Kabardino-Balkaria – is a priority project of the federal authorities. The North Caucasian Resorts State Corporation was formed for implementing the project, and Akmed Bilalov was put in charge. The investments may reach one trillion rubles within ten years, and about 300,000 jobs will be created.