April 15, 2009

14th International Travel Fair
LEISURE WITHOUT BOARDERS. SUMMER 2009

7th Specialized Exhibition
LENTRAVEL - 2009

St.Petersburg, Exhibition Center of North-West Russia
(2, Pobedy Sq., Moskovskaya Underground Station)

On April 19-20 citizens and guests of St. Petersburg could choose a summer of their dream and enjoy the coming vacation season. The 14th International Travel Fair LEASURE WITHOUR BOARDERS was held in the Exhibition Center North-West Russia.

In April yet the real festival of tourism threw its doors open to the brightly shining Sun and lovely summer and became a welcome start for a new travel season and, made it clear: The summer 2009 will come soon! Over 220 travel companies from 12 countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, India and China participated in the event. Under the statistics, the exhibition LEASURE WITHOUT BOARDERS. SUMMER 2009 was visited by over 11 000 citizens and guests of St. Petersburg.

The official opening ceremony was visited by the following special guests: E. Martinova - chairperson of the Committee for Investments and Strategic Projects in St. Petersburg; T. V. Gavrilova - head of Travel Department of the Committee for physical culture, sport, tourism and youth policy in Leningrad Oblast; Dmitris Dmitiu - Cyprus travel attach? in the RF, Director of Moscow office of a Cyprus travel company; Louise Cartudeese - member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus travel company; A. M. Rish - President of St. Petersburg association of tourism-excursion enterprises employers (ATEP); S. U. Krilov - Executive Director of National Tourism Academy; Y. V. Kuznetsov - President of Business and Travel Assistance Foundation; L. I. Ivanova - Director General of JSC "St. Petersburg Express".

The exhibition was marked as rapidly developing and the most popular among the citizens and guests of St. Petersburg. It was also mentioned that St. Petersburg being the center of international tourism attracts permanent interest of tourists and that the citizens' traveling activity is the highest on the territory of the Russian Federation. Visitors of the event thanked the organizing committee of the event, welcomed participants at the opening ceremony and wished fruitful work to the participants of the event and lovely summer to visitors.

For the 4 days of the exhibition work citizens and guests of St. Petersburg could see a wide range of travel offers for the summer season 2009, get the relevant information, plan the summer vacation in advanced, compare priĶes and find a travel offer which would be affordable and the most interesting for them. Over 220 travel companies presented various offers for the summer vacation 2009 in Russian and abroad: family vacation and children holidays, cruises, bus tours and weekend routs, VIP tourism, eco tourism, extreme, health, adventure and individual tours.

Citizens and guests of St. Petersburg were especially interested in specialised travel sections for the present summer season such as Museums and Travel Tours, Rest and Health, Weddings and Graduation Ceremonies Without Boarders, Children and Youth holidays.

For the first time in this year on April 9-10 the 14th International Travel Fair LEISURE WITHOUT BOARDERS. SUMMER 2009 was working jointly with the 7th Specialized Exhibition LENTRAVEL 2009 devoted to recreation offers in Leningrad Oblast. The guests of LENTRAVEL 2009 exhibition were presented a unique exposition - a map of Leningrad Oblast where the visitors could literally take steps on it into Leningrad Oblast and moving from one town to another could see all the relevant travel offers.

On April 10 devoted to the Day of Leningrad Region, guests of the event were presented all the travel events of Leningrad Region for the summer 2009 called Leningrad Summer 2009. The opening ceremony of the Day of Leningrad Region was visited by A. N. Sobolenko - Chairman of the Committee for physical culture, sport, tourism and youth policy in Leningrad Region, I. P. Kirsanov - Director General of RESTEC , S. E. Korneev - director of the North-Western Regional Department of Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI), E. E. Kotkin - Deputy Minister for Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia.

At the weekends all the visitors of the both exhibitions were given an opportunity to take part in various all-prize lotteries and quizzes organised by the exhibitors of the events. The following companies Pertotur Service, river tourism operators in Russian such as Vodohod-Saint-Petersburg, Latti, Mosturflot (Moscow Travel Shipping), InfoFlot hold their quizzes and awarded the main prizes. On April 11 a promotional offer held jointly with the Metro newspaper was sum up, participants of the offer who could answer all the questions published in the newspaper, could get an opportunity to win a travel voucher of the following travel companies Vodohod-Saint-Petersburg, Latti, Mosturflot (Moscow Travel Shipping), InfoFlot.

Sorokina N. V., a winner of the promotion offer In Search of Treasure was awarded with a travel voucher for 7 nights in the Adriatic Sea offered by our partners from Slovenia and Ruscom and Metropol companies. Those who searched for treasures were to follow a map route taking all the messages to make a phrase and get the main prize. The key phrase was a quote: The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes (Marcel Proust).

On April 12, at 1 o'clock the winner of the contest Why THIS Is So Important For Us for newly-marred or celebrating a jubilee and simply loving couples was defined. It was the Prosochkinis couple who prepared for the contest a kind of photo gallery and a story devoted to Krukov canal and its role in the family life.
At 2 o'clock a traditionally held lottery of prizes was held, and the main prize was a travel voucher Magic Holidays to Ladoga prepared by ILAKS trade union travel company.

At the weekends Children Club was organised for parents to leave their children to draw, playdough or play in an air castle. The Children Club partner was Airpalace air castles factory.

The event organisers express deep appreciation to the partners for support to organize and run the exhibitions LEISURE WITHOUT BOARDERS. SUMMER 2009 and LENTRAVEL - 2009 and hope all the visitors could choose a vacation of their dream.

Advertisement and Mass Media coordinator:
Daria Ershova +7 (812) 320-6134
E-mail: ershova@restec.ru