The experience of a tourist information centre in the development of the cultural tourism in Veliky Novgorod

Director of Municipal Budget Institution «Tourism Development Centre «Red Izba» Marina Lebedeva The development of cultural tourism and its significance for Veliky Novgorod are determined by:

- the richest historical and cultural heritage; - high concentration of tourist sights in the city; - the beneficial geographical position, transport accessibility of the region; - the capacity of tourist market of and ;

The municipality needs a resource for solving problems of:

- promoting cultural tourism of Veliky Novgorod to Russian and foreign tourist markets; - quality of tourist service; - providing comfortable informational environment for spreading tourist information; - increasing the number of tourists and excursionists, and also the duration of their staying in Veliky Novgorod. MGI «Tourism development centre «Red Izba»

The first tourist information centre «Red Izba» was created within the project «TASIS the twin cities» in Veliky Novgorod, in 2001. It is based on a European model on the basis of partnership of business and government.

The main directions are aimed at promoting the tourist product of the city and developing cultural tourism:

1. Information and consulting services for tourists;

1. Tourist information Internet portal «VisitNovgorod»;

1. Fam trips for the media and tour operators;

1. Informational issues about the tourist potential of Veliky Novgorod;

1. Promotion of the tourist potential of Veliky Novgorod to Russian and international markets;

1. Development of new excursion programs, routes, projects in the field of cultural tourism; In 2005 the promoting of tourist potential was started under the brand «Veliky Novgorod – the Birthplace of » Veliky Novgorod - the Birthplace of Russia The core of the tourist offer – historical and cultural objects of Veliky Novgorod (37 UNESCO sites in the city)

General resource – «’s hill fort» (the first prince’s residence)

Trend – Patriotism

General informational occassion – 1150 year anniversary of the Russian statehood.

September, 21 – 23, 2012 1150-anniversary of the foundation of Russian state

http://visitnovgorod.com Questionnaires

In 2016 a survey was held among tourists who visited Veliky Novgorod. Participants of the survey: hotels, restaurants, museums. Number of respondents: 5000 people.

“Novgorod’s” tourist is a resident of Saint Petersburg (70%) or Moscow (30%), travelling with their family (2-4 people), who is actively using the Internet for planning a trip, visits Novgorod not for the first time and usually stays for 2 days.

The tourist is interested in the historical heritage of the city and cultural events. The location of Veliky Novgorod is convenient to reach. Informational and consulting services for tourists.

In 2017 the total number of tourists approaching the information desk was: 41 767 (+ 3% compared to the last year);

- Centre visitors – 35 392 (+5%); - foreign visitors – 1 601 (+10%); - received phone calls – 1 683 (+19%); - received phone calls on a hotline – 1 835 (+27%); - received inquiries by e-mail – 2 554 (+25%); - received inquiries on the «online consulting» on the site – 1 024 (+2%).

Open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Without breaks and days-off. In the summer and during major events open from 9.30 a.m. to 8 p.m. (9 p.m) Working 24-hour hotline in both russian and english languages. Promoting tourist potential on the internet-portal «VisitNovgorod».

- Informing about all cultural events and arrangements in Veliky Novgorod. - Selling tickets to various events. - Online-consulting on the site.

The site is available in In 2017 the site 9 languages was visited by: Located in 391 242 Top-3 people in search from 114 engines: Google countries and 79 and Yandex. federal subjects of Russia

1 067 105 viewed pages Routes and cultural sights on «VisitNovgorod» Cultural events on «VisitNovgorod» «Usability» of the portal «VisitNovgorod» Active promotion of cultural events and routes around Veliky Novgorod.

- Mobile version of the site;

Thematic pages: - «Spend your weekend in Veliky Novgorod» - «Celebrate New Year in Veliky Novgorod» - «Maslenitsa», etc. Social media. Topical information about cultural sights, events, excursions and expositions.

https://vk.com/redizba

https://www.facebook.com/visitnovgorod/ Promotion of the tourist potential of Veliky Novgorod to Russian and international tourist markets. An exhibition stand "Veliky Novgorod - the Birthplace of Russia" is organized at specialized events in: Moscow, St. Petersburg, , , Wiener Neustadt (Austria), Helsinki (Finland), Otepää (), etc.

Presentations of the tourist potential of the city are being held within various tourist exhibitions, forums, seminars and other events. Publishment and distribution of informational issues about the tourist potential of Veliky Novgorod.

Informational booklets, tourist maps, guidebooks, calendars and leaflets are produced in both russian and foreign languages.

The issues contain detailed information about cultural routes, places of interest and cultural events of Veliky Novgorod. Preparation and carrying out of fam trips for Media and tour operators. Goal – to attract tourists to the city, to include new cultural routes in the programs of Russian and foreign tour operators. Orienting information for tourists who are visiting Veliky Novgorod.

1. Tourist area at the entrance of the city from the side of Saint Petersburg;

2. Road signs;

3. Information stand with a map of the city, located between the bus and the train stations;

4. Signs of tourist navigation for pedestrians; Information about the city, cultural sights and events. Development of new excursion programs, routes and projects. Interactive theatrical programs, based on historical and cultural material were developed and included into the tourist offer of Veliky Novgorod. - «Walking tours with posadnik»; - «Walking tours with posadnitsa»; - «Entertaining cognitive games with Zabava Putyatishna». Development of new excursion programs, routes and projects.

Author's bus excursions around Veliky Novgorod «From the shield of Rurik to the sonorous of Sadko» with a visit to the center of musical antiquities named after V.I. Povetkin, «The Chronicles of the Vanished Times» with the degustation of traditional Novgorod drinks from the companies "Deka" and "Alcon". Theatrical excursion “Walking tours with posadnik Sbyslav"

Themed routes with posadnik Sbyslav through the historical centre of the city are extremely popular.

Since 2010 the excursion was visited by more than 78 000 people! Cultural routes around Veliky Novgorod for individual tourists.

In collaboration with “Audioguid” and izi.TRAVEL these free audio-excursions were developed: - «Veliky Novgorod - the Birthplace of Russian geniuses». Route №1. »; - «The Memory Route in Veliky Novgorod» to the anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patroitic War; - «People’s guide to Veliky Novgorod», the authors of which were Novgorod citizens. In top-10 of the best tourist informational centres of Russia.

On December the 1st, 2016, within the Saint Petersburg’s international cultural forum, Veliky Novgorod received an award from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation: the Tourism Development Centre entered the top 10 tourist informational centres of Russia.The award was presented by Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Alla Manilova. Thank you!

MARINA LEBEDEVA

Executive Director of MGI "Tourism Development Centre "Red Izba" 173007, Veliky Novgorod, Sennaya square, 5 tel. (8162) 77 70 03, 77 03 74 fax (8162) 73 73 42 mobile +7-911-603-82-86 WhatsApp +7-911-603-82-86 vk.com/id67833918 www.facebook.com/marina.lebedeva.161