Tourist facilities in the Arkhangelsk Region have been included on the map of the ATOR: Inclusive Tourism portal, a project aimed at assisting people with disabilities in travelling across the country. This is the first stage in adapting the region to modern requirements for the accessibility of cultural sites and events and one of the few existing precedents in the Arctic. It is widely believed that the Arctic is unforgiving to ordinary people, let alone to visitors who require extra care and attention. However, as urban environments and infrastructure develop in the regions of the AZRF, the possibilities for adapting and transforming these areas are also evolving.

First, a team of experts from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) arrived in Arkhangelsk to assess the region's readiness to welcome guests with special needs. In the report on the study, experts noted that all representatives of the tourism industry, Tourist Information Centres (TICs), museums and other establishments were enthusiastic about expanding their capabilities to accommodate people with disabilities. Given sufficient funding, they are ready to make the environment as inclusive and welcoming as possible. Thus, Sergey Nikulin, Head of Pomor-Tour, announced his readiness to retrofit the paddle steamer Gogol to meet the needs of the project. According to experts, the 'bottleneck' is the transport infrastructure—there are very few vehicles in the Arkhangelsk Region that can transport people in wheelchairs, and public transport and sidewalks are poorly adapted for independent mobility. As a result, ATOR experts marked all the features of the tourist sites in Arkhangelsk on an interactive map, which will assist people with disabilities in planning the most convenient routes. Additionally, a roadmap for adapting the region to inclusive tourism was developed for the Ministry of Tourism and the Centre for Tourism Development in the Arkhangelsk Region. However, there are still some sights to see today. The national tourist route 'Arkhangelsk: Here Begins the Arctic' has been included in the inclusive tourism map and recognised as suitable for people with limited mobility.

If the pilot project in Arkhangelsk proves successful, its experience could be replicated in other major cities of the Arctic region. The focus is primarily on creating infrastructure and further improving the environment—accessible tours in the Arctic do exist today, albeit in limited quantities and for a fortunate few. In 2024, a series of excursions under the Step and Listen project took place in Murmansk for teenagers with hearing and visual impairments. Guests from St. Petersburg arrived accompanied by specialists to immerse themselves in the military history of the polar city. A year earlier, Yulia Shumova, Head of the Inclusive Yachting School, organised participation in an Arctic expedition for people with disabilities. On board the vessel, they set off for the North Pole, observing whales, the northern lights and other Arctic wonders. There were 14 people in the group. Last year, an inclusive expedition was organised by the Accessible Latitudes youth club of the Russian Geographical Society and the Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation 'Centre for the Implementation and Development of Inclusive Technologies.' The event was held in conjunction with the Potential of Inclusive Tourism in the Murmansk Region Forum. Of course, it wasn't without some extreme. In 2018, Murmansk resident Andrey Zelanov, who lost the ability to walk as a result of an accident, embarked on a snowmobile journey across the Kola Peninsula. Together with the Kola Expeditions tour operator, he aimed to set a precedent—it is indeed possible to organise extreme tours for people with disabilities! Over six days, as part of a group of ten people, Andrey covered 600 km from the White Sea to the Khibiny Mountains.

All of the aforementioned initiatives are currently separate efforts aimed at drawing attention to the existing task of establishing a fully-fledged tourism sector for people with disabilities. A comfortable urban environment, along with infrastructural and possibly legal innovations, will enable guests in the regions to undertake journeys independently, without the support of activists and charitable organisations, just like the majority of citizens in the country. The ATOR project is aimed at a systemic solution, marking a new milestone in the development of the tourism industry in the Polar region.

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