Nearly 1,500 participants registered for the 6th International Sustainable Development Forum, held from 17 to 21 February in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. In total, the Forum hosted about 50 business sessions across three thematic tracks: economics and investment, architecture and integrated territorial development, and tourism and hospitality.

The Kamchatka Forum is a network event of the International Tourism Forum ‘Let's Travel!’, a major national event in the tourism sector and one of the key business platforms in the Russian Far East. Participants included representatives of federal and regional authorities, development institutions, entrepreneurs, and industry experts. Guests arrived from 25 Russian regions and 3 foreign countries: India, Ghana, and Peru.

“In total, we estimate that we spent around 200 hours at the Forum venues engaged in debates, case discussions, presentations and reports. More than 1,500 people took part in the Forum both offline and online, representing 25 regions of the Russian Federation. About 230 participants travelled to the peninsula from other regions,” said Leonid Agafonov, Programme Director of the 6th Sustainable Development Forum.

This year the Forum’s business programme included an architectural track for the first time.

“It is safe to say that thanks to the Forum we will develop a shared understanding of how to implement urban projects in challenging climatic conditions, taking into account regional characteristics, federal standards, local community initiatives, and business participation. Everything discussed at the Forum will be analyzed and shared with municipalities. It is also important to note that all sessions were broadcast online, so those who could not attend will be able to watch them at any time,” said Ekaterina Korzh, Minister of Architecture and Urban Development of Kamchatka Territory.

The architectural track featured panel discussions and round tables devoted to sharing best regional practices in establishing competence centres, working on integrated territorial development projects, and implementing master plans for Far Eastern cities. Discussions also covered urban greening in development projects, principles for involving residents in territorial development, and tools for collecting public feedback.

More than 20 sessions within the tourism and hospitality track focused on exchanging experience across a wide range of topics. These included the development of cruise and off-road tourism, the secrets of successful event tourism, and trends in science-based tourism. Participants also discussed tourism infrastructure, including transport, hotels, and hiking trails.

“The Forum has now been held for 6 years. Initially it was conceived as a tourism event, but several years ago we added an investment agenda because we realized that tourism infrastructure cannot be developed without investment. This year we introduced another innovation: a full architectural module. We had some concerns about it, but it integrated organically into the programme. Participants from other regions said they could hardly distinguish the boundary between investment issues and architecture, which is about creating a comfortable environment for residents. Our programme directorate succeeded in creating an engaging agenda that attracted participants from across the country,” said Vladimir Rusanov, Minister of Tourism of Kamchatka Territory.

The third track of the business programme focused on economics and investment, with particular attention to improving the investment climate in the regions. Leaders of the National Investment Climate Ranking shared their experience during Forum sessions.

“Representatives from Volgograd Region, Leningrad Region, Nizhny Novgorod and the Minister of Economic Development of Primorye responded to our invitation. They came to share their experience with us. Following the Forum, we identified several areas that had not previously received enough attention, and we will incorporate them into our future work,” said Alexander Mylnikov, Head of the Kamchatka Development Corporation. He also noted that cooperation agreements were signed with Volgograd Region and the city of Monchegorsk, as well as with Peruvian entrepreneurs from Corporacion Kajatt Vaccari on participation in the development of a future yacht port in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Partner sessions organized with the support of Roszapovedtsentr of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, the Roscongress Foundation and ANO National Priorities made a significant contribution to the programme. The educational track included masterclasses, seminars, workshops and training sessions. One of the key events was the business breakfast entitled “Land of Impressions: Partnership between Business and Government for Creating a Unique Tourism and Investment Experience.” The event took place in the renovated terminal of Kamchatka’s main airport, where experts, officials and business representatives discussed investment prospects in the Far East.

The 6th Sustainable Development Forum in Kamchatka was held under the motto “The Hospitality Economy as a Key to Spatial Development and a New Regional Priority,” highlighting the links between tourism, urban development and investment in the development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic.

The Forum was organized by the Government of Kamchatka Territory with the support of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic and the Office of the Plenipotentiary Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District. Key partners and institutional participants included the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation, the Kamchatka Development Corporation, DOM.RF, the Kamchatka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Roscongress Foundation.

Additional participants included Sberbank’s Far Eastern Bank, VEB.RF, major development and consulting companies, and business associations Delovaya Rossiya and OPORA Russia.