Green Technologies in Tourism

Representatives of Petrozavodsk State University together with their Finnish colleagues implement the cross-border project Green Nature Based Solutions in Tourism to reduce negative impact on the environment (NatureBeST).

The project will analyze the current state and study the negative impact on the environment in recreational tourism, develop the environmental and economical feasibility of solutions for tourism facilities. Two pilot areas of the project in Prionezhsky and Segezhsky districts of the Republic of Karelia are ready to introduce these technical solutions. The project also includes events to increase awareness of green technologies.

Sergey Koshelev, project manager on the Russian side, the Head of the Department of Additional Educational Programs of the KRCCPE of PetrSU, has given an interview to Karjalan Sanomat. In the interview, he provided data on the tourist flow into the Republic of Karelia. By 2035 the flow is planned to increase from 850 thousand to 2 million people every year.

To ensure the readiness of the tourist services of the Republic and minimize the environmental impact, the project stipulates activities in four areas (waste collection and recycling, emission reduction, sustainable production of electricity, and wastewater treatment) that will be used in recommendations developed for owners of guest houses.

This summer the two pilot facilities of the project, one of which is the Urozero recreation center of PetrSU, will introduce the suggested technological solutions, which will mitigate the environmental impact.

An important part of the development of the tourism industry and green technologies is the exchange of best practices. For this reason, in summer 2019 a group of Karelian owners of recreational centers went on a study visit to Joensuu. In April 2020 Finnish owners of tourism facilities will come to Karelia to study the issues of ecology.