In Irkutsk region they are discussing creating an international winter sports training center in Slyudyansky district, at Sobolinaya Mountain and in Baikalsk. The area is best suited for such projects thanks to existing infrastructure, tourist flow and natural conditions, and could even host the Winter Olympics. Authorities also see Listvyanka and Olkhonsky district as promising for tourism, and developing the whole sector will require 10 billion rubles.
On the eve of the round table “Prospects for the Development of Tourist Centers of the Irkutsk Region,” the Minister of Economic Development, Labor, Science and Higher Education of the Irkutsk Region, Vladimir Pashkov, stated that the territory of the Slyudyansky District, in particular Mount Sobolinaya and Baikalsk, is suitable for creating an international training center for winter sports and even for holding the Winter Olympic Games.The Slyudyansky District was named the most attractive in terms of the speed of return on invested funds, the availability of ready-made infrastructure and existing tourist flow, as well as due to geographical and environmental conditions. “There are all the conditions for the development of winter sports there; it is the most convenient and suitable site on the territory of the Russian Federation: the appropriate elevation difference, temperature regime, and much more,” Vladimir Pashkov said.
The Government of the Irkutsk Region believes that Listvyanka and the Olkhonsky District are also attractive from a tourism perspective. According to preliminary data, to realize the tourism potential of the Irkutsk Region, it is necessary to create infrastructure, which will require 10 billion rubles.