The Kamchatka authorities are going to introduce a tourist tax in the amount of 1% of the cost of living. However, tour operators in the region opposed the innovation. They stated that on the peninsula, even without tax, everything is very expensive, and the tourist flow, contrary to the authorities, is lower than in all other regions of the Far Eastern Federal District.
The appeal addressed to the Governor of the Kamchatka Territory Vladimir Solodov was signed by 39 members of the Kamchatka Tourism Industry Association (ATIK). Representatives of the tourism business emphasize that the popularity of Kamchatka is not nearly as great as is usually described on various forums and presentations. Prices on the peninsula already scare away tourists, who are increasingly choosing other regions of the Far Eastern Federal District. And the introduction of a new tax, albeit only 1% (but not less than 100 rubles per day), will serve as additional confirmation that it is too expensive on the peninsula.
The innovation of the authorities of Kamchatka hoteliers was especially alarming. If the tax is introduced, they will either have to go into the gray zone or raise already low prices. The tax will not affect tent camps, glamping and guest houses. As well as rented apartments. It is not difficult to guess that guest houses and apartments for rent will become more popular. Hoteliers will have to spend money on new servers for storing guest databases, additional accounting work, and increased staff. Thus, their expenses will significantly exceed the amount of the new tax.
At the same time, the authorities of other Far Eastern regions approached the introduction of a tourist tax more carefully. In Primorye, a 1% tax will be in effect only during the high season, in Yakutia it will be introduced only in a few municipalities, in Buryatia the issue has been postponed until April 1, and Sakhalin, Kolyma, Chukotka, Transbaikalia and the Irkutsk region have generally refused to introduce a tourist tax.
Kamchatka residents are also against it on social networks. They remind that, according to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, every Russian can move freely throughout the country. Therefore, in their opinion, such taxes can only be introduced for foreign tourists.
Let us remind you that scandals with tourism in Kamchatka occur regularly. In the summer of 2022, the vice-president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, Olga Sanaeva, said that you can fly to the peninsula with 45 thousand rubles in your wallet. This, they say, is enough for both tickets and vacations. To which the favorite of Kamchatka residents and wits, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexei Kumarkov publicly advised such travelers to take doshirak with them, because they would not try anything else with that kind of money in Kamchatka. Moscow tourists often call a trip to Kamchatka unreasonably expensive, and also note the lack of high-quality infrastructure.
Vostok.Today