Arctic tourism is not only extreme hikes on foot across the tundra, helicopter flights and forcing the rough waters of the Arctic Ocean on icebreakers, but also a promising tool to support the local population. This conclusion was reached by the Children of the Arctic project team, having conducted a series of expeditions to the most remote corners of the Russian North over the past three years.

Representatives of small indigenous minorities of the North, as well as the indigenous old-line population, are in a difficult situation today. On the one hand, the dynamic economic growth associated with the growth of cargo turnover along the North Sea Route, the implementation of large raw materials projects and the construction of infrastructure to serve it open new opportunities for self-realisation for local residents. On the other hand, this process is oriented to a completely different social and cultural reality, which does not fit well with the usual way of life of nomadic reindeer herders, hunters and fishermen. They often feel disconnected from the mainland and are not always able to quickly navigate the modern economic space.

In this case, tourism acquires a socio-humanising function, which turns an 'archaic' way of life from a disadvantage into an advantage. Apart from the obvious effect of creating new jobs and attracting investment, the travel industry creates an environment in which the preservation of native language, culture and crafts becomes an important competitive advantage. Tourists willingly go to the tundra to visit reindeer herders to experience the unique flavour of real life in the Far North. 



To show how the theory works in practice, the Children of the Arctic project team travelled to visit the Venengo family in the vicinity of Lake Hadata-Yugan-Lor in the Polar Ural Mountains. You can only get there by all-terrain vehicle or on foot—there are no roads. Together with them, experienced travellers took popular bloggers, who experienced all the delights of ethno-tourism.

The Venengo family is engaged in traditional reindeer herding. Year-round they march across the tundra, following their herd: moving north in summer and returning to the conventional south in winter. The family started receiving tourists a few years ago: first, they agreed to the proposal of a local tour operator and then began to organise such trips on their own—helped by the son of the head of the family.

According to the reindeer herders, the visit of tourists is always a joyful event for them. And it is not so much about the traditions of northern hospitality (and guests in the tundra are always welcomed very cordially), as about the opportunity to communicate with new people, discuss news, talk about the native culture and traditions of their people. Travellers are offered to try on the traditional clothes of northerners, are treated to national dishes and, of course, allowed to communicate with reindeer: where else but in the tundra to get this unique experience?



Already in the near future, Arctic tourism may become an important component of the economic stability of the indigenous peoples. Of course, this is not an industry of mass travel—the Arctic will still remain a harsh and wild land, a region with huge distances that have to be overcome by special equipment. This leads to both the high cost of the tours and their special flair: the programme can change due to weather, often requiring equipment and even some preparation. However, there is no shortage of people willing to go on a real adventure today. In 2023, the tourist flow to the Polar Region exceeded 1.1 mn people. According to Aleksey Chekunkov, the Head of the Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, experts researching the degree of satisfaction of Russians with domestic tourism have calculated that 97% of those who visited the Arctic were satisfied with the new experience. 

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