OREANDA-NEWS. January 29, 2010. The largest in Scandinavia international tourist exhibition MATKA – 2010 held in Messukeskus exhibition center in Helsinki (Finland) is over. Area of the stand of the Russian Federation at the exhibition has made 63 square meters, of which 40 sq m belonged to exposition of the Republic of Karelia.

According to the organizers, this year the exhibitions of MATKA and CARAVAN welcomed 81 537 visitors of whom 17 868 visitors were experts of tourist industry. The number of professional visitors has grown in comparison with the last year by 700 people, and there has been registered approximately 1250 representatives of mass-media.

Traditionally, Karelia being one of the leading tourist destinations in the Russian Federation takes active part in this most significant tourist exhibition of the Northern Europe. To participate in the exhibition the Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia within the scope of implementation of the Development of Tourism in the Republic of Karelia for the Period through to 2010 regional target program has purchased equipped exhibition area for organization of a uniform stand of the region, there have been prepared and released a Tourist Karelia CD in English and Karelia bilingual catalogue.

Experts of the Information Tourist Center of the Republic of Karelia, Administration of Petrozavodsk city district, Kizhi Open-Air Museum, 10 tourist and hotel enterprises of the republic presented tourist potential of Karelia at the uniform stand.

Association of the tourist enterprises of North Ladoga area together with the branch of the Information Tourist Center of the Republic of Karelia in Sortavala presented offers of country clubs and hotels of Sortavala region.

Visitors of the Karelian stand were, first of all, interested in opportunities of visiting pearls of the North – Kizhi, Valaam and Solovki islands, Paanajarvi national park, Sortavala region, as well as issues of registration of foreign citizens and booking of railway tickets. Foreign tour operators which plan to start working with Karelia addressed to representatives of the Information Tourist Center of the Republic of Karelia to establish direct contacts with museums and hotels.

Information in English about history of Karelia and activities devoted to celebrating the 90th anniversary of the republic attracted interest of journalists. Reportings on tourist opportunities of Karelia presented at the exhibition have been prepared and published in Finnish mass media.

In addition at the same time Kizhi Open-Air Museum has organized the exhibition Karelia. Image in Time in the Russian center of science and culture at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in which solemn opening there participated representatives of the Information Tourist Center of the Republic of Karelia, Administration of Petrozavodsk, tourist companies of the republic.