Farmers of the Upper Volga region shared their experience in the field of agritourism

The May holidays are just around the corner, and the summer holiday season is just around the corner. It’s time to choose an interesting program for your upcoming vacation.

Fortunately for tourists, our region has developed unique travel routes covering a wide range of interests. Agritourism, which has been gaining popularity in recent years, deserves special attention. On April 18, at a conference-seminar, representatives of the Ministry of Tourism of the Tver Region discussed with tour operators, farmers and other specialists in this field the issues of promoting rural tourism in the Upper Volga region.

“Agritourism is a popular topic for our guests from big cities,” said Natalya Lukyanova, Minister of Tourism of the Tver Region. — In municipalities there are many facilities suitable for different purposes and formats of recreation. Rural tourism attraction points also strengthen international cooperation, attracting interested foreigners to places with a rich history and traditions of working on the land. It is necessary to monitor current trends in order to maintain a high level of this industry.

There are more agricultural objects

Deputy Minister of Tourism Nadezhda Vyskubova added that now there are more than 50 rural tourism facilities in our region, while seven years ago there were about 20. Federal and regional grants help strengthen agrotourism in the Upper Volga region.

“New points are appearing on tourist routes in rural areas, primarily small private museums and farms, where you can feel the unity with nature that residents of megacities so lack,” says Nadezhda Vyskubova. “Many owners of such tourist sites have already taken advantage of regional loans; in addition, they have the opportunity to receive subsidies from the Ministry of Agriculture, and we are ready to help with completing the documents for the application. For example, the business support center “My Business” gives out up to 5 million rubles on favorable terms for the arrangement of stationary glampings and campsites. Over the course of a year and a half, 23 new facilities appeared in municipalities under this program, and the total loan amount exceeded 86 million rubles.

According to Nadezhda Vyskubova, the activity of heads of municipalities who are determined to develop territories through tourism is also important. The deputy minister cited Tver Karelia in the Likhoslavl district as an example. Several years ago, this topic was just being explored and was not widely presented, but now the municipality has a dozen rural tourist display sites.

Experiment in the village

Next, the experts presented thematic reports in which they shared their own experience in the field of agritourism, talked about ways to create popular products and how regional grants helped in this.

As fate would have it, the author of best-selling books on time management, Gleb Arkhangelsky, opened an experimental agricultural facility in his small homeland.

“Eight generations of my ancestors lived in the Selizharovsky district; the happiest memories of those places remain from childhood,” said the entrepreneur. — I bought land in the small secluded village of Selino, which is located near Lake Volgo, and the project gradually took shape. In our estate we demonstrate small-scale agricultural production, collect raspberries and strawberries, and hold educational meetings. From my own experience, I know that such events are of great interest even among businessmen.

Thanks to grant support from the regional Ministry of Tourism, Gleb Arkhangelsky built a modular house on the territory of the estate, by the way, made in Tver. At first I lived in it myself, and from this year I opened it to tourists. According to the owner, the queue of vacationers is booked months in advance.

Profitable apiary

The founder of the first family apiary in the Upper Volga region, Tatyana Zhilina, spoke about how bees attract tourists to the village.

“Beekeeping is one of the most environmentally friendly areas of agriculture, and the bee is an indicator of good ecology and a symbol of good health,” says Tatyana. — At our apiary in the village of Trinity near Medny, we not only produce high-quality beekeeping products, but also conduct excursions, master classes and tastings for tourists. It all started in 2022, when my husband Alexey and I began preparing a tourist program, and in May of the following year we already welcomed our first guests.

Tatyana Zhilina noted that regional subsidies from the Ministry of Tourism made it possible to open a laboratory in the apiary, where interesting research can be carried out by observing the life of bees. Grant support was useful for the purchase of ten logs; for the family apiary, these funds were used to make a wooden honey extractor according to 19th-century drawings, and the bees were placed in art houses – in them you can see the entire bee family in detail. In addition, the Zhilins’ apiary provides a health-improving relaxation program.

“This year we launched a master class on a beehive frame,” continues Tatyana. – The idea is simple – tourists build a frame and put it in the hive, in August they receive honey that the bees have collected for them all summer. It turns out to be a kind of interactivity with the finished product.

— Agrotourism in the Tver region has noticeably gained momentum in recent years, demand is even observed from foreign tourists. Despite its apparent simplicity, the implementation of worthy projects in this area requires complete dedication from farmers. They not only work on the excursion program, but also serve the animals, set up small production facilities and take care of the territory, adapting it to the needs of tourists. Each region has unique rural tourism sites, but the Tver region stands out due to its advantageous location between the two capitals. This advantage must be used wisely, said Maya Lomidze, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators (ATOR), co-chair of the Expert Council for Determining National Tour Routes under the Russian Ministry of Economic Development.