Organised as part of the presidential platform Russia – Land of Opportunity, the Hospitality Masterscontest has expanded the list of categories for its second season. The new categories include Event Tourism and Industry, Ethnocultural Tourism, and Innovation in Hotel Management.
“For the second season of the Hospitality Masters contest, we have been able to attract quite a few new partners who initiated their own categories. This demonstrates the relevance and success of the first season and its participants. We are certain that each partner will find interesting solutions of their own and creative ideas in their respective fields, while interactions among various stakeholders will create synergies for the sector. It is so great that this year we will be partnering with major corporations and organisations which are directly involved in the hospitality sector, as well as organisations willing to contribute to its renewal and reinvention,” Head of Partner Relations at Russia – Land of Opportunity Anton Serikov said.
The Roscongress Foundation will be the main partner of the Event Tourism and Industry category. Roscongress is a socially oriented non-financial development institution and a major organiser of international conventions, exhibitions, and business, public, sports and cultural events. The key events in its portfolio include the Russian Energy Week, the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum, the Russian Investment Forum and others. “This category primarily targets participants who conceive and organise events for attracting tourists to the region. It focuses on the creative industry, including organisers of events, forums, festivals, concerts and celebrations. The best contenders will be invited to join the Roscongress team in order to gain experience in undertaking projects at the national and international levels,” Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Roscongress Alexander Stuglev said.
Another partner, the Tavrida Art Cluster, will probably attract young and creative entrants. The Tavrida platform includes the Tavrida Forum for young artists and cultural workers, the Tavrida – ART festival, and the Tavrida Residence Art Park and Educational Centre. The Hospitality Masters contest gives participants the opportunity to join the team of Tavrida – ART organisers and other projects, as well as take part in the forum, including in a special workshop on promoting regions and their hospitality sector.
Organisers and producers of Russia’s largest business and entertainment events will act as mentors for the contenders in this category. The best of them will join the organising team for the World Travel Awards, which will be an invaluable experience.
The Ethnocultural Tourism category seeks to promote the Russian regions and the traditions of their people and indigenous population, as well as preserve the country’s historical and cultural heritage. The best projects will receive grants from the Russian Geographical Society.
“Domestic tourism is gaining momentum, with travellers discovering new destinations and itineraries. They are looking for new experiences and want to see the remote corners of our country with their own eyes. They are seeking to return to their ancestral lands and ethnic roots, which often becomes quite an emotional experience for them. It is for this reason that ethnocultural tourism has emerged as a new trend and a rapidly developing segment of the tourism industry. Tourists are also eager to learn about culinary traditions, national costumes, and the everyday lives of indigenous people. After all, our country is home to more than 180 ethnic and indigenous groups. We see a lot of potential in ethnocultural tourism, although it has yet to reach its full potential. The Russian Geographical Society believes that we need to study this ethnocultural phenomenon in its complexity so that the Russian travel industry can achieve its development goals and offer new quality destinations. We strongly believe that those who submit their entries for the contest’s second season will present worthy projects which will take ethnocultural tourism to a new level in Russia,” Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Regional Development Department Sergei Korlykhanov said.
The Azimut hotel chain partnered with the contest in the Innovation in Hotel Management category. Azimut is committed to finding projects for improving booking solutions, services and catering, as well as communication and promotion, quality control and employee performance evaluation, and other processes involved in the hotel business. This can include innovative projects for introducing high technology, projects bringing a fresh, creative perspective on management processes, and proposals to rethink ways of using hotel infrastructure.
“Innovation and creativity have become the key factors in today’s competitive environment. By introducing new technology, we can be more effective in our business, serve our customers better and offer unique services to set our organisation apart from the competition. Innovation is essential not only for attracting clients, but also for creating a positive environment for professionals who work for us,” Alexander Klyachin, who owns the Azimut hotel chain and Moscow’s Metropol Hotel, said.
The contest also includes the following categories announced earlier: Environmental Tourism Development, Developing Travel Routes on Russian Cosmonautics, Event Tourism, New Approaches to Education on Tourism, Arctic Tourism, Children’s Tourism, and Tourist Accessibility for Travellers with Disabilities.
The Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism), the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and the National Hospitality Industry Union are the second season’s general partners.
For reference:
Russia – Land of Opportunity is an autonomous non-profit organisation established at the initiative of President Vladimir Putin. Its key objectives include improving social mobility and enabling people to fulfil their personal and professional potential. President Vladimir Putin chairs the Russia – Land of Opportunity Supervisory Board.
Russia – Land of Opportunity operates a platform under the same name. It consists of 26 projects: Leaders of Russia contest; Leaders of Russia. Politics contest; I’m a Professional student contest; My First Business international contest; Big Break national contest; Career Time national project; Volunteer of Russia national contest; TopBLOG project; Professional Internships 2.0 project; Cultural Code project; Russian Student Spring festival; Hospitality Masters national contest; Grant Contest for Youth Initiatives; Digital Breakthrough contest; Teacher of the Future professional contest; Best Social Project of the Year contest; Russian Pupils’ Movement – Territory of Self-Rule project; Abilimpics professional mastery competitions for people with disabilities; Manage! National Management Youth Cup; Student of the Year Russian national award; WorldSkills Russia; Dream With Me charity project; League of Team Leaders national contest; My Country – My Russia contest; CASE-IN international engineering championship; NTO.Junior extracurricular movement; and Political Observers’ Contest (in partnership with the Expert Institute for Social Research).
In February 2019, Russia – Land of Opportunity created the Senezh Management Workshop for nurturing a new generation of proactive citizens, including skilled government officials who benefited from professional training and want to serve their country and people.
The Hospitality Masters national professional excellence contest started on 13 November 2019. It seeks to enable professionals to unlock their potential, as well as establish new traditions, improve service quality, and promote tourism and hospitality professions. Entrants are expected to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and present their own hospitality projects. Winners get to carry out their projects in Russian regions.
The Hospitality Masters contest is held as part of the Social Mobility for Everyone federal project, which, in turn, is included in the Education national project.
The National Hospitality Industry Union was established in the summer of 2019 to help tourism business participants work together and protect their rights and professional interests. Its members seek to shape new traditions in Russia’s hospitality sector and promote higher standards.
The Union’s mission is to develop and promote a new national concept titled Developing Russia by Developing its Tourism Sector. It operates offices in all federal districts of Russia. Grant Babasyan is its president.
The Roscongress Foundation is a socially oriented non-financial development institution and a major organiser of international conventions, exhibitions, and public, sports and cultural events. It was established at the decision of the President of the Russian Federation.
The foundation was established in 2007 with the aim of facilitating the development of Russia’s economic potential, promoting its national interests, and strengthening the country’s image. One of the roles of the foundation is to comprehensively evaluate, analyse, and cover issues on the Russian and global economic agendas. It also offers administrative services, provides promotional support for business projects and investment attraction, and helps foster social entrepreneurship and charitable initiatives.
Each year, the foundation’s events draw participants from 208 countries and territories, with more than 15,000 media representatives working on-site at Roscongress’ various venues. The foundation benefits from analytical and professional expertise provided by more than 5,000 people working in Russia and abroad. In addition, it works in close cooperation with 133 foreign economic partners; industrialists’ and entrepreneurs’ unions; and financial, trade and business associations from 70 countries worldwide.
roscongress.org
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25 january 2021