INTOURFEST 2010

19th Workshop for Travel Trade Visitors February 5, 2010 PETROCONGRESS Conference and Business Centre 5, Lodeynopolskaya Str., Chkalovskaya metro station, St. Petersburg INTOURFEST 2010: a new venue in the new 2010 year INTOURFEST 2010 19th Workshop for Travel Trade Visitors took place in PETROCONGRESS CBC, on February 5. The annual workshop organised by CJSC "St. Petersburg Express" (RESTEC® Exhibition Company) in association with the Committee for Investments and Strategic Projects of St. Petersburg Government, Committee on Physical Culture, Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Leningrad Region, Russian Union of Travel Industry gathered over 700 trade visitors representing travel and hospitality industries.

INTOURFEST 2010 - traditionally the first in a year workshop for travel trade visitors in St. Petersburg. The INTOURFEST is unique for it is an integrated event of expositions and various business events that allows creating a complex product aimed at developing travel and hospitality industries in St. Petersburg.

This year INTOURFEST was held at a new venue - in PETROCONGRESS Conference and Business Centre that perfectly meets modern requirements of MICE industry. The expositions occupied the first floor and business events were held on the second floor.

129 travel and tourism companies took part in the workshop: 50 of which attended master classes and training seminars arranged by the organiser.

Among INTOURFEST 2010 participants are companies of travel and hospitality industries, foreign and Russian travel companies, resorts, hotels, transport companies, museums, educational institutions, trade press and e-Media. 

Foreign participants represented travel industry of the Czech Republic, Estonia. For the first time the event was participated by Dominican Republic.

An individual exposition at the workshop was devoted to tourism potential of the Leningrad Region: municipal areas, tourist information centers, guest houses and travel companies presented opportunities of the Leningrad Region and its districts.

The event was attended by 724 travel trade visitors from St. Petersburg, the Leningrad Region, Moscow, Vologda, Sochi, Latvia, Ukraine, Poland, Tunisia and Turkey. The participants were interested in both the exhibition and various business events.

The leading industry experts traditionally took part in the business meeting. Over 150 people visited business events, such as The role of small and medium business in tourist and hospitality industries development conference, a law seminar by Georgiy Mohov and Expert opinion on quality and service in hospitality industry seminar (with an advertising tour to St. Petersburg hotels).

For the first time in INTOURFEST an open presentation area for business program events was organised.  All guests of the exhibition could easily visit PETROCONGRESS CBC presentation, presentation of the Nevo-Style Club travel company, Advertising campaign in times of crisis seminar, Tourists personal information: law, regulations, responsibility seminar. 

A wide response among the travel trade visitors was drawn by Georgiy Mohov's master class. He is a member of the Russian Union of Lawyers, director general of Persona Grata law agency. The most current problems that tour operators and tour agents face every day were discussed at the seminar: types of contracts, agents' activities, legal implications, tour agent and tour operator responsibility, court practice, insured events, payments and refusals cases, checks and test purchases in travel companies, practice of using the changed legislation, etc.

Another event that aroused a great interest of the travel trade visitors was the seminar The role of small and medium business in tourist and hospitality industries development organised by "St. Petersburg Express" CJSC and the Committee for Economic Development, Industrial Policy and Trade. As long as the travel sector of the North -West of Russia is one of the most promising in the region's economy, the attention that is aimed at tourism development today is quite feasible: small and medium business makes the main part in tourism, therefore it is important to identify problems in companies' development and to take the necessary actions to solve them. 

44 representatives of travel and hospitality industries took part in the conference. Such representatives as Anatoliy Kotov, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Economic Development, Industrial Policy and Trade, Sergey Korneev, Vice President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, Sergey Andrushin, an expert of travel industry board of the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg, Tatiyana Gavrilova, Head of Travel Department of the Committee for physical culture, sport, tourism and youth policy in the Leningrad Region.

Sergey Korneev in his speech announced that today there are some possibilities and mechanisms of getting different business support from the government. Despite a complicated situation in economic sphere, financing of small business has grown more than twice. However, according to Mr. Korneev, on the one hand there are some programs but on the other hand some administrative barriers that prevent working and do not foster development of small and medium business.

During the discussion Anatoliy Kotov notified that one of the main goals is systematisation of factors that influence entrepreneurship, and control of regulation functions. Mr. Kotov informed the visitors that in 2009 eight programs on support of small and medium business had been launched, and since February 2010 a new special Microloan program allowing getting up to 1 million of rubles has been opening. A new specialised fund providing subsidies will be created within the framework of the program.

24 representatives of educational institutions, bed-and-breakfasts, hotels, trade press and centres of hospitality development took part in the seminar Expert opinion on quality and service in hospitality industry that was held by L.I. Bitkulova and A.A. Musakin, experts of hospitality industry. All participants of the seminar have noticed a high level of information, and the tour round hotels following the seminar was an excellent useful experience. During the tour such hotels as Hermes park-hotel, the Tradition hotel and Courtyard Marriott hotel were visited: the participants were shown not only the hotels room capacity but also the history of the hotels foundation was told. The official partner of the advertising tour was PiterBus Transport Company.

Here are the participants' opinions about the workshop:

The director of Smolninskaya hotel, Logvinova Marina noticed that a new venue of PETROCONGRESS CBC is a good match for holding travel trade meetings: "An opportunity to meet with companies' representatives of St. Petersburg travel and tourism market has a positive impact on further work".

According to Alexander Kobrin's opinion, a representative of Classic Travel company (tour operator to Israel), the workshop was highly professional. "Precise advertising campaign helped to attract 100% trade visitors that made work at the event especially effective". 

Business program was highlighted by the participants. It perfectly shows what INTOURFEST is, - a workshop aimed at organisation of debating and educational venue dealing with up-to-date questions in travel sphere, the state and potential of travel industry development, study of Russian and foreign experience, search for new business partners.

Organiser: RESTEC® Exhibition Company, CJSC "St. Petersburg Express"
Promotion manager: Veronika Gantseva