The development of tourism in the region was discussed at a meeting in the Government of Irkutsk Oblast led by Russian Presidential aide Igor Levitin. Over the past three years the industry has shown steady growth, tax revenues, tourism services, hotel income, and the number of Russian and foreign tourists have increased. At the same time, key problems were identified, a lack of infrastructure, roads and berthing facilities, as well as high airfares in the summer season. Special attention was given to Lake Baikal, and according to Igor Levitin, its development issues are planned to be set out in a separate subprogram.

A working meeting on tourism development in the Irkutsk Region was held in the Government of the Irkutsk Region under the chairmanship of Igor Levitin, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation.
In her report on the state of affairs in the tourism industry of the Irkutsk Region, Marina Rozhkova, Head of the Tourism Agency of the Irkutsk Region, said that over the past 3 years the Irkutsk Region has seen steady growth in all key indicators.
Since 2012, the amount of tax contributions from tourism enterprises to the budget of the Irkutsk Region has increased by 49.5% and amounted to 386.4 million rubles. The volume of tourism services provided increased by 10.2% and amounted to 1.51 billion rubles. Revenues from hotel and similar accommodation services increased by 12.3% and amounted to 3.47 billion rubles. The number of Russian tourists increased by 43% and amounted to 1 million 289 thousand people. The number of foreign tourists increased by 94% and amounted to 146.9 thousand people.
To achieve these results, the Tourism Agency of the Irkutsk Region is carrying out systematic work to develop tourism not only in the territories bordering Lake Baikal (Irkutsk, Olkhonsky, and Slyudyansky districts), but also with other municipalities of the region. Angarsk municipal district, Usolsky and Zalarinsky districts, as well as the city of Bratsk and the Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug have actively joined the work to develop tourism in their territories. Marina Rozhkova also noted a number of problems that significantly hinder the development of the tourism industry. First of all, this is the lack of developed infrastructure, primarily roads and berthing facilities. One of the serious problems is the high cost of air tickets from Moscow and the central part of Russia to the Irkutsk Region during the summer period. Issues of improving legislation, requirements for water transport on Lake Baikal, classification of hotels and other accommodation facilities, improving service quality, introducing a tourist navigation system, creating new routes and programs, issues of advertising and informational promotion of the region, and international and interregional cooperation were raised by the head of the regional tourism agency to the Aide to the President of Russia.
According to Igor Levitin, within the framework of the upcoming meeting of the Presidium of the State Council of the Russian Federation, devoted to issues of developing the country’s tourism and recreation complex, the issues of Baikal will be separated into a distinct subprogram in order to support and develop tourism on Baikal.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Chairmen of the Government of the Irkutsk Region, ministers of the regional Government, and representatives of the region’s tourism business.