On the Question of History and the Current Situation of Cruise Tourism on Lake Baikal

Abstract

The article examines the history of the development of cruise tourism on Lake Baikal, provides data on the current situation with the cruise fleet. The largest owner of vessels of all categories is the East Siberian River Shipping Company. It operates on Lake Baikal and the Angara river and has two components such as a cargo fleet and a high-speed passenger fleet. In 2003, the first cruise company on the Baikal was registered within the framework of the Eastland Group of Companies and the first three-deck motor ship Nikolay Yeroshchenko went on its first cruise in 2004. This activity is quite capital-intensive and labor-intensive with a lot of restrictions and difficulties associated with regulatory authorities, with a short navigation period, and with the need to resolve the issue of "wintering" of ships during the freezing over of the lake. Nowadays, the fleet on Lake Baikal has more than 200 large and about 11 thousand small vessels. In addition to specially-designed for tourist purposes, there is also a category of research vessels. Special attention is paid to the difficulties with providing personnel for the crew and maintenance personnel, since the work has a prominent seasonal character. The authors draw attention to the impact of this type of tourism on the environment and emphasize the main types of impact. The problem of cruises is not only that there are not enough ships or they are outdated, but in the absence of comfortable berthing facilities throughout Lake Baikal.