Tourist potential of Baikal region has been presented at the international exhibition in Tokyo. Since 18 to 20 September the Japanese had a chance to visit a united stand of Russia featuring companies from Irkutsk Oblast, Khabarovsk Territory, Kamchatka, Yakutiya. Tourist company Eastland which presented Irkutsk Oblast at the tourist exhibition offered tours on Baikal and central part of Russia.

Although the Japanese were more anxious to find out about the tours in the Far East owing to the territorial proximity and lesser transport expenses, “the pure well of the planet” still couldn’t help attracting attention of the citizens of the country of the rising sun.

Japanese tour operators got particularly interested with event-tourism – Christmas, Epiphany, Shrove-tide (Pancake week), winter games on Baikal. As usual the Japanese being eager to contemplate nature kept inquiring after flower and ornithological tours. In 2008 about 500 Japanese visited Lake Baikal through tourist company Eastland.

At the time of the exhibition the discussion was going on as to the resumption of charter flight between Irkutsk and Japan –  previously flight Niagata – Irkutsk was regular. Today tourists face the difficulty of changing flights across Khabarovsk or Vladivostok which considerably increases the value of Baikal tour and besides is quite time taking since the flights are fulfilled with a great interval.

Tourist company Eastland offered its presentation produce about tours and cruises on Baikal. At the close of the exhibition one tasted Baikal vodka. The Japanese were very enthusiastic about the strong drink of Siberia. However, they were drinking it like their traditional alcohol beverage – sake, at small sips, otherwise, according to their words, it was burning too much. Sum total, the participants of the exhibition numbered over 700 tourist companies from all over the world.

Eastland press-service