Once upon a time, when Tver was a city of gloomy gray houses and did not know asphalt, the words “tourism development” sounded like a mockery. And today we are not only mentioned kindly in the ratings of news agencies, but also the tourists themselves leave positive reviews. This is a kind of audience award and says a lot.
For example, last year our region was included in the top twenty in the rating of Russian constituent entities in which foreign tourists were interested. And this rating was created based on the analysis of the activity of foreign users who downloaded maps of the regions of the Russian Federation to Maps.me from June 1 to August 31, 2019. By tradition, the first lines remained in the two capitals – Moscow and St. Petersburg, followed by the Krasnodar Territory, the Kaliningrad Region, and the next foreign tourists liked the Vladimir, Smolensk, Tver and Rostov Regions.
And already this year the Tver region entered the top 10 regions for traveling by car. And in November, Tver was among the winners in the nomination “The best city for the hotel business” among settlements with a population of up to 500 thousand inhabitants. According to Tvil.ru, during the period of self-isolation, tourists preferred out-of-town vacations in nearby regions. The greatest demand for cottages is in the Moscow, Vladimir, Tver, Tula and Yaroslavl regions.
New Year tourists
New Year’s holidays are coming, and the Tver region is waiting for guests from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Something tells us that the region will seriously strengthen its position among competitors.
The regional Ministry of Tourism claims that no new restrictions will be introduced in the region. Subject to all sanitary and epidemiological rules, there is no prohibition on visiting museums, exhibitions and other cultural sites, hotels and hostels work as usual.
As for the forecasts, it is probably difficult to count the number of future tourists. In 2020, despite the epidemiological situation, the figure for the tourist flow to the Tver region is projected at 1.7 million people (at the level of 2019). At the end of the summer season, there was a significant increase in the average occupancy of country hotels and a slight drop in the number of people living in city hotels, which was due to the trend of the season and the epidemiological situation.
At the same time, according to experts, hoteliers and guides will compensate for the summer downtime by the increased demand for hotel and excursion services at the present time, as well as during the New Year holidays. This is due, inter alia, to the effect of restrictive measures in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Go
We decided to write our own travel guide for the residents of the region and guests who are going to travel around the Tersk region.
So, let’s start with Tver. More than 50 hotels are registered here, but do not forget about the offers from private apartment owners, so there will be no problems with housing.
As for entertainment, in Tver popular among tourists are the Tver Imperial Palace, the Tver Museum of Life, private museums – “Iskra” and the Goat Museum. In the Kalininsky district – the Domotkanovo estate and the “Little Italy” cheese farm.
In 2020, the demand for out-of-town hotels, eco-tourism and rural recreation with the opportunity to join the life of farmers has increased. The program of several tours included a visit to the Enikeevo eco-farm, the Ivanovka agro-tourist farm, the Sudimir reindeer farm and the Reindeer Farm No. 1.
In the year of the 75th anniversary of Victory, interest in patriotic tourism is growing, more and more citizens consider it their duty to visit the Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier. Almost half a million people have already visited it since its opening.
In Torzhok, tourists visit the Novotorzhsky Borisoglebsky Monastery, the Pozharsky Hotel, the Museum of Gold Embroidery, taste the Torzhok gastronomic brand, glorified by Pushkin – Pozharsky cutlets. The All-Russian Historical and Ethnographic Museum and its interactive programs are gaining popularity again; guests have a unique opportunity to become participants in the historical reconstruction and take a souvenir photo with Prince David Rostislavich of Novotorzh.
The next point on our route is Konakovsky District, a favorite place for Moscow guests. This is the closest to the capital, the most comfortable, environmentally friendly and affordable resort. Among the attractions, in addition to natural beauty, you can visit the Konakovskiy faience museum.
Travelers from all over Russia go to Kalyazin to see a real miracle – the bell tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral towering above the water. It is worth considering a trip here for at least part of the day, so that you can join the spirit of the Russian hinterland with tea in a thermos and sandwiches.
In Staritsa, the baking museum and the oven museum have become a new attraction.
In Likhoslavl, tourists are attracted by the museum-production complex “Marmalade Kingdom”, where guests are greeted by fairy-tale heroes, as well as master classes on painting gummy bears. Likhoslavl region is also the center of Tver Karelia. In the Likhoslavl Museum of Local Lore, tourists are taught to sing songs in the Karelian language, prepare wickets (national Karelian pies) and sculpt from clay.
Vesyegonsk is suitable for lovers of fishing, they say that here it is the best. The Penovsky district is interesting for its lakes and an architectural landmark of Shirkov Pogost.
Toropetsky district is interesting for its nature, there are about 250 lakes. Toropets is famous for myths and legends, and is also famous for its thousand-year history, which is inextricably linked with Alexander Nevsky. They say that it was here that the wedding of the future saint took place.
Ostashkovsky district, Seliger – the combination of these names requires no comment. But for those who do not know yet, Seliger is a “magical land of lakes”, as Wikipedia says, and this is true! This is a large hydraulic system, which consists of rivers, reaches, lakes, connected by channels, straits, with wonderful islets on them. The nature here has exceptional properties.
Where to stay
We are used to booking hotels in advance when traveling abroad. Now you need to plan your travels in Russia.
According to Irina Sheremetker, President of the Tourism Association of the Tver Region, the tourist services market has changed due to the pandemic. Today, they travel in groups less and less and more and more organize individual, family tours. Our expert named several of the most popular directions, and they all coincided with those that we wrote about above, so that MK in Tver keeps up with the trends.
The industry also began to lack guides. So those who love their native history and are ready to learn a new business, it’s time. At the end of the conversation, Irina Viktorovna noted that even the most remote corners of the region can be popular among tourists. After all, there are also many tourists who like to simply relax in the bear’s corner. For some, it is enough just to walk through the forest and breathe in the clean air.
I would like to believe that we will learn to notice the beauty around us and appreciate what we have by birthright.