A cluster for the development of extreme tourism is to be created in the Arctic Anabar region of Yakutia, the north of which is washed by the Laptev Sea. This will increase the tourist flow to the district by almost 10 times, Iosif Vasiliev, First Deputy Head of the district administration, told TASS.

'A master plan for tourism development has been prepared together with local entrepreneurs, and a tourism cluster for extreme tourism will be created by 2027. [By that time], two hotels are planned to be built. Two floating cargo-passenger all-terrain vehicles and a hovercraft have been purchased to develop the tourism cluster,' said Vasilyev.

He specified that the approximate amount of investment in the creation of the cluster is about RUB 150 mn. Its commissioning will make it possible to increase the tourist flow to 2,000 people a year. So far, the number of tourists coming to the district on their own is small: 218 tourists visited the area in 2020, compared to 266 the year before.

The Anabar region of Yakutia is home to the Dolgan people, whose main occupation is domestic reindeer herding. They make up almost half of the district's population. Their unique culture and way of life, say the authors of the tourism project, could be a major reason to visit the area.

In addition, the Terpyai-Tumus resource reserve in the north of the district is home to rare animals, such as wild reindeer, arctic foxes, musk oxen and polar bears. Water tourism is also promising in the area—rafting and fishing on the Anabar River, which is the sixth-largest river in Yakutia and the 22nd-largest in the country. There are also unique natural areas in the region, such as the Anabar Plateau, an unexplored land of gorges, rocks and snow with thousands of lakes and hundreds of waterfalls. The area is dissected by river valleys and traces of ancient glaciation. The area is ready to offer its visitors gastronomic tours as well.

The district supports entrepreneurs who are willing to develop tourism. For example, Bogdan Bulychev, a Russian polar explorer, traveller and member of the Russian Geographical Society, plans to launch tours to Cape Paksa, the northernmost continental point of the Far East, in 2022.