The grand opening ceremony of the Tourist Information Center (TIC) took place in Omsk today. Its presentation is timed to coincide with today's holiday – World Tourism Day. The TIC was opened on the basis of the Omsk Museum of Enlightenment at 3 Museonnaya Street. This architectural monument building has been closely associated with tourism and travel since its inception, because it was here that the West Siberian Branch of the Russian Imperial Geographical Society was located at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The participants of the ceremony were greeted by Vladimir Companeishchikov, Deputy Chairman of the Omsk Region Government. He stressed that the newly opened center is the place where all the information about our projects will be accumulated. Following the regional TIC, tourist information points will be opened both in the city and in the municipal districts of the region. The region will also continue to develop and test new tourist routes, and work on creating a tourist brand for the territory.
According to Anna Statva, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Omsk region, who oversees the tourism industry in the region, the TIC will operate without lunch and weekends from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., on weekends from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents of Omsk and guests of the city will be able to receive consulting and reference services free of charge. TICA staff will provide the most complete information about possible excursions, tours and attractions located in Omsk and the region. The staff of the center will also develop and produce tourist maps, guidebooks, leaflets and other printed materials informing about regional tourist products, excursions, infrastructural, cultural, educational, natural and other objects of tourist importance.
This summer, several new tourist tours were presented in the Omsk region. Tourist routes are already successfully operating in many areas. Muromtsevsky district is famous for its legendary five lakes, Krutinsky is the northernmost colony of curly–haired pelicans in the world, Gorky is a unique geological site "Dravert Coast", Ust–Ishim is famous for archaeological finds, Bolsherechensky is the only rural zoo in Russia and the Starina Sibirskaya museum reserve. One of the most amazing places is the bitter–salty lake Ebeity, which is called the "Dead Sea" of the Omsk region. Some of the routes of the Omsk Irtysh region have already won the All-Russian Route of the Year competition. For example, a weekend tour "In the land of five Lakes" and a week-long rafting trip along the Tara River in the Muromtsevsky district.