The first season of the Southern Resort program, in 2017-2018, led to a 7 to 10 percent increase in the number of tourists visiting the region. The increase in spa resort demand can be seen not only among middle-aged tourists, but young people as well, the regional Ministry of Resorts said.
"Spa resorts in seaside towns can combine a beach vacation with therapeutic and wellness programs," a ministry representative said. "Wellness tourism is fully developed in the towns of Anapa, Gelendzhik, Goryachy Klyuch and Sochi, as well as in the Apsheronsky, Yeisky, Labinsky, Mostovsky and Tuapsinsky districts."
The Krasnodar Region is home to 193 health resorts, balneotherapy clinics and holiday centers offering spa services, of which 140 are open year-round. Also, there are more than 50 pump rooms with mineral water, 11 of which are open to the public. The largest number of pump rooms is available in Anapa (16), Sochi (12) and Gelendzhik (9). There are five pump rooms in Anapa, three in Sochi, and one in Goryachy Klyuch, Krasnodar and Labinsk each.
Year-Round Wellness
"Local mud and mineral waters are used in spa therapy," the ministry said. "There are more than 50 hot springs in the region, most of which are located in the Mostovsky, Otradnensky, Apsheronsky and Labinsky districts, and over 40 mineral water deposits can be found along the coast and in the mountain and foothill areas. Anapa, as well as the Yeisky and Krymsky districts are home to many therapeutic mud deposits. All this puts the Krasnodar Region's spa resorts among the leaders in Russia."
The ministry developed a Southern Health Resort program in 2017 to provide high-quality recreation and wellness programs for tourists, as well as to ensure year-round resort occupancy, which runs from October 1 to May 1.
"Initially, the program included over 40 health resorts, balneological clinics and holiday centers offering treatment in 11 districts in the region," the ministry said. "They offered weekly wellness tours and three-week treatment programs. Later, this number grew to 56 spa and health resorts in the region that offered 5 to 50 percent discounts on weekly wellness tours and two- and three-week treatment programs."
According to the ministry, implementation of the program helped increase tourism by 7 to 10 percent during the low season at the resorts that took part in the Southern Health Resort program. "The program was also recognized one of the best for advancing spa resort services in Russia and was recommended by the Federal Agency for Tourism for use at other resort areas in Russia," the ministry said.
Increase in the Number of Users
The program includes weekly wellness tours and two- and three-week treatment programs with 5 to 50 percent discounts. Short tours include a set of wellness procedures designed to improve physical fitness. The two- and three-week vouchers include a greater number of medical procedures depending on the disease. The price depends on the program's package tours, resort grade, room category, meal plan and the number of procedures.
According to the regional authorities, more than 16.5 million tourists visited the Krasnodar Region from early 2018 to December 1, which is 6 percent more than the same period in 2017. In the summer, over 10 million holidaymakers visited the region's resorts, which is 5 percent higher than the 2017 summer season.
According to regional ministry estimates, about 16.7 million vacationers will have visited the region by late 2018.
According to the Russian Agency for Tourism, Russia boasts a number of therapeutic resources unmatched anywhere in the world. The popular Czech Karlovy Vary resort has a little over 60 types of mineral waters, and the famous German spa resort Baden-Baden about 20, but Russia's Mineralniye Vody resort in the Caucasus has over 100 water sources of 30 types with varying chemical composition, mineralization and temperatures.
According to the regional Ministry of Resorts, another project, The Golden Ring of the Bosporus Kingdom, is expected to increase the tourist flow to southern Russia by an estimated 10 percent and will extend average tourist stay by 15 percent.
According to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, the project initiated by the Krasnodar Territory will incorporate the cultural and historical legacy of the four southern regions of Russia and showcase thier potential on the global tourist market.
The Federal Agency for Tourism has included the program on the list of top 10 Russian itineraries designed for foreign tourists. The Golden Ring of the Bosporus Kingdom covers about 30 historical landmarks and modern tourist attractions related to the history of the Bosporus. They are located in 10 cities in southern Russian regions including the Krasnodar Region, the Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and the Rostov Region.
"The Krasnodar Region is also developing the Wine Roads of the Bosporus Kingdom route as part of that project," the ministry said. "The region has more than 60 small and large wineries that receive hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over Russia and other countries."
