Siberian Federal University: SibFU Launches Student Tourism Program
Siberian Federal University was included in the list of 15 universities to become a pilot site for the federal student tourism program and is ready to accept student travellers from other cities providing accomodation at affordable prices. The program, prepared by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, starts on 15 July and will last until 25 August 2021.
The program aims to develop Russian tourism and provide students with affordable, safe recreation opportunities through the delivering infrastructure of campuses and dormitories of universities.
“We live in a beautiful country with a rich history and broad territories. Our students should be able to travel around Russia easily. Currently, on behalf of the President, we create a network of world-class campuses and allocate funding for major repairs and reconstruction of existing dormitories and campuses. Therefore, there will be more and more options for comfortable recreational activities for student tourists from year to year. To date, 15 Russian universities have joined the project,” said Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.
Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov signed the regulations on the program for providing university students travelling in Russia during the holidays, the opportunity to live on campuses and hostels of universities, and the list of universities acting as pilot sites for the implementation of the program.
“Student tourism program means not only travelling across Russia. The project will strengthen interuniversity ties, introduce students to their peers from different regions, and give impetus to personal and scientific cooperation. The brightest memories of youth and new ideas are born during travel, which can quickly grow into joint scientific and technological projects. Universities will create all the necessary conditions: provide students with accommodation and take care of their leisure. Student tourist clubs and self-government bodies will be involved in this,” said Valery Falkov, head of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
In 2021, 15 Russian universities entered the pilot program. In addition to Krasnoyarsk, students would be able to stay at university campuses in St. Petersburg, Moscow Region, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Vladivostok, Rostov-on-Don, Kaliningrad, Tomsk, Veliky Novgorod, Barnaul, Taganrog, Vladikavkaz, Simferopol, Ufa, and Irkutsk.
Siberian Federal University has become the base platform of the national program in Krasnoyarsk. According to SibFU Rector Maksim Rumiantsev, the University has all the competencies to solve any issues contributing to the development of students domestic tourism.
“This project is an attempt to create an attractive student-oriented touristic product – affordable, informative, safe – and a unified system for organizing student travel. We feel enthusiastic about this project due to its scale and objectives. When we decided to join the program, we formulated the following argument for ourselves: availability of rich infrastructure base and accumulated intellectual capital for every Russian student is a worthy objective for a federal university,” noted Dr Rumiantsev. “Though, the most valid argument became SibFU campus itself. Hosting the World Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk in 2019 allowed us to create one of the best campuses in the country. With a total area of about 800 thousand square meters, it is located in an ecologically clean area of the city on the border with the forest. Within the campus, comfortable dormitories, a restaurant, business and tourist cluster facilities are located in close proximity. The School of Gastronomy and School of Physical Education, Sports and Tourism train experts in the hospitality industry, which allows us to increase service competencies. Thus, SibFU today is a place that can positively contribute to student domestic tourism.”
SibFU has developed three unique routes for the guests. Hello Student! project provides 5 excursions. As part of the tour, students will be able to stroll around the modern university campus, as well as plunge into the youth life of the city: get acquainted with thematic centres, open spaces, the youth palace and the Regional Student Centre. Four excursions within The Student Sports Capital tour involve visits to sports facilities built for the World Winter Universiade and acquaintance with the reigning world champions. The Centre of Russia tour consists of two excursions and two hikes: Krasnoyarsk Rock Pillars National Park and other comfortable nature trails to choose from. Immersion in the history of the Krasnoyarsk Territory will provide a visit to Krasnoyarsk Museum of Local Lore and Ploschyad Mira Museum Centre.
The platform студтуризм.рф is created to facilitate the search for accommodation options while traveling to the regions participating in the pilot project of the program. There students can indicate a date of the intended trip and apply for a reservation. In addition to standard information about the accommodation facility, its characteristics and location, the website will provide an overview of the tourist program of each specific territory and a set of additional services offered by the host university.