Putin orders govt to write resort development strategy till March

BELOKURIKHA, Altai Region, Aug 26 (PRIME) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to prepare a strategy to develop resorts until March 2017, he said at a meeting of the State Council Presidium, his advisory body, on Friday.

“I am asking you to complete (the preparation of the strategy) in March next year,” Putin said. The strategy must define the financing priorities and ways to attract private investment in the sector.

He said that the repairs of the existing spa facilities will require 37 billion rubles. “The figure is hefty, no doubt, but it is clear that if we do nothing year after year, it will only increase. It is hard to rely only on budget sources there, which is why consolidation of financial resources, a proactive search is one of the top issues.”

According to Putin, about 40% of the area meant for spas is abandoned. “The development of this sector is constrained by a low level of material and technical resources of most resorts.”

He said that the Federal Tourism Agency must be granted the right to promote spas both domestically and abroad.

The president warned local authorities that introduction of a spa tax proposed earlier by governors must be made with caution and be justified. He also warned against an overestimation of land prices.

But Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told Putin that a 50–100 ruble spa tax is affordable for customers. “And the money must be spent only on the development of resorts, to the benefit of the vacationers.”

(64.9459 rubles – U.S. $1)

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