On Friday, June 11, 2021 the acting Govervor speaking at an expanded session of the Legislative Assembly stated that the Penza Oblast historical and cultural sites should become attractions for visitors from the whole Russia.
"I see the development of domestic tourism as one of the key tasks for the near future. We are working on this issue as the President of the Russian Federation ordered to extend the programme of support for regional tourist destinations until the end of the year. Moreover, the Penza Oblast has already prepared to implement this programme," the acting Governor said.
"Our native region has a good tourist potential. Over the past 10 years, the number of people visiting the Penza Oblast has grown significantly. Last year, 335 thousand people came to us despite all the difficulties that you are well aware of: this figure was even higher before the pandemic. More than half of them head to the "Tarkhany" museum-reserve - the pearl of the Penza Oblast and our other wonderful literary estates that belonged to Belinsky and Radishchev. Tourists come from all over the country. Many of them come from abroad, too. I am really proud of this," he stressed.
However, in his opinion, it is also a huge responsibility to preserve and increase the spiritual wealth of the native land. And not just to preserve, but to cultivate this reverent attitude in our children for it to be kept in future generations.
"It depends entirely on our efforts. We must take the preservation of our monuments seriously. I draw the attention of the Ministry of Culture to the condition of the Belinsky estate and other monuments – it is necessary to develop consistent steps to restore these sites," Oleg Melnichenko emphasised.
He thinks that in addition to event tourism, which is already developing quickly in the Penza Oblast, it is necessary to open display objects.
"The creation and subsequent development of the Zolotaryovsky tourist and recreational cluster, which includes "Zolotaryovskoye settlement" that is a unique historical and archaeological monument, can qualitatively change the tourist attractiveness of the Penza Oblast," Oleg Melnichenko informed.
"We have begun the restoration and reconstruction of the world's only planetarium, located in a wooden building that is a monument of history and culture of regional significance. Within three years, 350 million rubles will be allocated for its reconstruction," he said.
The acting head of the region instructed to analyse the programme for the development of domestic tourism once again, finalise and submit it by September 1 of this year.
