Capacity Building Partnership to Improve Tourism Education, Research, and Industry Outreach: University of Florida, USA and the State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Russian Federation (2010-2013)
The Russian Federation is a major tourism market with over 20.6 million in international arrivals that account for $11.94 billion in international tourism receipts. The domestic market within Russia also accounts for a major economic impact to the economy with significant potential for further growth. Tourism is an important industry in Russia as visitor expenditures permeate throughout various sectors of the economy and create a multiplier impact in income and employment. The tourism industry encompasses multiple interrelated businesses that include lodging, natural and built attractions, restaurants, travel agents and operators, etc. Given the interdependency of these multiple businesses, it is important to maintain and further enhance tourism with a sustained long-term growth strategy for destinations and the nation’s economy.
Russia is a vast country with rich tourist resources of all kinds – unique natural features, beautiful landscapes, historical and cultural attractions, places of ethnographic interest, and excellent recreational opportunities. To realize its potential, Russia needs to diversify its tourism product mix beyond the traditional nucleus of Moscow and St. Petersburg and into other regions, i.e., Nizhni Novgorod.
The city of Nizhni Novgorod with a population of about 1.3 million people was founded in 1221 and is one of the cultural centers of modern Russia due to its central location, history, and background. It is also referred to as the third “capital” of Russia and is located at the strategic confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers. The city is on the UNESCO list of the top hundred cities worldwide that are most valuable in terms of culture. Evidently, the city attracts a sizeable number of visitors to learn and experience the culture and heritage. Beyond the elements of cultural heritage, the city is also a commercial hub for industry, manufacturing, innovation and research, as well as a major educational center in Russia.
The city and the national government expect to increase international arrivals as the potential to expand this sector to generate more income, employment and other benefits is enormous. Tourism growth is dependent on a number of factors, notably, developing a qualified, trained and skilled labor force. The shortage of specialists in tourism related professions (e.g., destination planning and development) is rooted since the surge in international visitors following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Given the current influx of visitors as well as development of destinations and attractions in Russia, there has been limited number of institutions that has focused on tourism degrees.
Overall, capacity building and institutional development in tourism education is a fundamental component for the vitality and sustainability of the industry in Russia.
Hence, a primary effort will need to be instituted in developing a qualified, trained and skilled labor force. More importantly, a close working partnership by universities with the hospitality and tourism industry is needed to identify and develop skills. This project offers the key opportunity to create a synergistic partnership to strengthen tourism education, training, research and industry outreach in Nizhni Novgorod. The proposed model can be utilized for other regions in Russia to further enhance and strengthen tourism education.
[Tourism statistics referenced from the World Tourism Organization and World Travel & Tourism Council websites]
