"Vainin-Visit" with dumping elements

The methods with which the leadership of Chechnya attracts funds for the development of tourist projects scare away businessmen

In the Itum-Kalinsky district of Chechnya, where it is planned to build one of the largest tourist facilities in the North Caucasus, at the invitation of the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, the Minister of Finance of Russia Anton Siluanov has not been for so long.

He held a meeting of the working group of the Ministry of Finance in the highland village of Vedichi. The minister expressed the following assessment:

- The positive changes that have occurred in the republic show that much depends on the organization of the regional management process. I would also like to draw the attention of other constituent entities of the Russian Federation to how you can engage in economics, restore the social sphere.

During the previous visit by Siluanov to the region, in 2012, Kadyrov promised to build in the village of Vedichi the best ski route in Russia, where tourists from around the world would come to rest. Two years ago, a construction was solemnly opened in the mountains.

The Vedichi resort is considered the most expensive investment project in Chechnya, with a budget of 19 billion rubles. The investor is called OJSC "Resorts of the North Caucasus", this organization is engaged in the development of tourist clusters in the south of Russia. However, in Chechnya, the name Vesichi is associated with the name of one person - Ruslan Baysarov . This Chechen businessman, a former son -in -law of the singer Alla Pugacheva, returned from Moscow a few years ago and is often located next to Kadyrov.

“I am sure that if there are guys like Ruslan Baysarov, we will develop resorts, we will build the most powerful educational institutions, we will raise everything to the highest level,” Kadyrov once said.

Baysarov denies the fact that he is the only depositor of the Vedichi project. According to him, he is only one of the investors with a share of 3 billion rubles. The rest is the money of the "resorts of the North Caucasus."

- As for my private investments that I signed up to invest, we are talking about 3.6 billion rubles. “The resorts of the North Caucasus” are attracted by about 15 billion, ”said Baysarov. - Residents of the highland village Vedichi are very thanking this work, because back in Soviet times they lived hard, and now we are beginning to develop mountains. Not like a resident of Chechnya, but as a businessman I want to say that it is very pleasant to work here, because everything develops very quickly.

About how the leadership of the republic attracts Chechen businessmen to the region has long been known. Kadyrov considers investment in the Chechen economy and infrastructure projects to be a direct duty of any Chechen who has money. A proposal, which seems to be impossible to refuse, was received by many large entrepreneurs - natives from Chechnya, but not everyone agreed. Kadyrov calls such businessmen false -patriots:

- We have many Chechens who live in Moscow, outside the republic. When they need, they refer to the fact that they are Chechens, to the Chechen people, to the republic, but when there is a need to invest in the republic, they choose other regions and ask for permission to invest from other governors. Meanwhile, we have all the conditions for investing.

At the first stage of tourism development, we can afford some dumping elements when guests can come and walk around the Chechen Republic at low prices

The unwillingness to invest in Chechnya is understandable, experts are sure. At the beginning of the construction boom - in 2007, after Ramzan Kadyrov came to power, entrepreneurs arrived in the region with their money. However, many of them were faced with non -fulfillment of contracts, and the Chechen side responded to the requirements to adhere to obligations. A striking example is the construction of an ambitious complex of Grozny-City buildings, which was the construction of the Turkish company Bora-Inshaat. In 2011, when the construction was close to completion, the workers stopped issuing a salary, they even staged a rally with the center of Grozny, after which they were locked in a closed room. The leadership of Turkey became aware of this, and the builders were simply taken out of Chechnya. This case scared away many potential investors, and the construction of large facilities in Chechnya was frozen for some period.

Now, in addition to the lining, several more resort areas are being built or have already been commissioned in the republic. Among them are objects on Lake Kazena-am, which should also become a fashion place for tourism, and the resort and health complex of Sernovodsk. According to official figures, these projects are implemented with philanthropists and budget funds. Until 2016, 128 billion rubles were reserved for the development of economic projects in the republic’s budget. Some of them have already been mastered, in 2013, 15 billion rubles were spent on the development of medium and small businesses, in 2014-19 billion. According to the head of the republic, investments are developing medium and small businesses in Chechnya, as a result of which unemployment decreased significantly. Today, according to official figures, this indicator is 18 percent.

It is the development of small and medium -sized businesses that promotes the development of the tourism industry, say local economists. According to the member of the Grozny "expert club" Rashid Abaev , the flow of tourists will allow local entrepreneurs to increase the volume of work . In addition, tourism will help get rid of the stereotype, according to which Chechnya remains one of the most unsafe regions of the country.

Guests come to the republic, the demand for goods increases, which, among other things, are produced in the Chechen Republic

- People are accustomed to associate our republic with Shamil Basayev, it still lives in many minds. At the first stage of tourism development, we can afford some dumping elements when guests can come and walk around the Chechen Republic at low prices. This can attract some part of the tourists, and then the "word of mouth" may work, when some tourists share their opinions and experience with others. This could give a powerful effect. The main thing for the development of the industry is to overcome the negative trend . As soon as confidence in the republic as a full -fledged economic entity will be returned (as it was in the pre -war period) all forms of investment, human, intellectual and financial capital will freely flow to the Chechen Republic, says Abaev.

The main calculation of supporters of the development of tourism in Chechnya is the growth of the popularity of goods and services of "local production". The flow of visitors, if it appears, will provide the region not only with a good reputation. Food, household services, the development of an electronic financing system - all this will come to Chechnya with tourists, optimists in Grozny say. Rashid Abaev continues:

- The tourism industry is a powerful stimulator of other sectors of the economy. This is especially true for the grocery market, essential goods and the services market. Guests come to the republic, the demand for goods increases, which, among other things, are produced in the Chechen Republic. Accordingly, agriculture, the food industry will receive a powerful market if the tourism industry is delivered properly. This is a world experience that would be very useful for Chechnya.

The State Committee for Tourism of the Chechen Republic opened the first tourist and information center. "Vainin-Visit", as the center is called, provides groups of visitors with guides, provides cars, negotiates with hotels. This is what the representative of this center Alina Suleimanova says:

- We increase the interest of the tourist in the region and supply it with information. We have our own magazines, guides in Russian and English. Tourists take this information with them, go home and can share impressions with their friends, acquaintances. Today, not any English -speaking guidebook has information that the Caucasus is safe, that you can travel here. Foreign guides are compiled in absentia. When the Tourism Committee goes to international exhibitions and represents the region there, many experience a cultural shock, because they have an idea of the situation in which the republic is located. Open the Internet, dial the word “Chechnya”, and you will see that 80% of the information contradicts what is happening here. We try to fight this.

Not all residents of the republic agree with the volume of investments in the development of the tourism sector: in the region there are enough other areas for development. The lack of jobs, city -forming enterprises, the lack of housing in thousands of families - this is what you need to pay attention to first. For example, the Vedichi resort - after its opening - will be able to provide 7 thousand people with jobs, but it is not known where to get so many specialists who agree to go to the mountain district. It is doubtful that tourists will agree to pay money for rest in Chechnya. Given the volume of investments and the terms in which it is planned to return the finances spent, rest in Chechnya, on the calculation of economists, will not be the cheapest. For the same money, perhaps even for a smaller amount, tourists can relax in other North Caucasus regions, said a resident of Grozny Maryam Ibragimova :

-It seems to me that such a large investment of funds is unjustified, because there are many other areas that need to be developed: industry, agriculture some enterprises in which people could work and which do not require such giant investments. This would solve one of the most important problems of the region - the problem of unemployment. Developing tourism, it seems to me that this problem cannot be solved. We have the oil industry in decline, we need to restore factories. Many professionals in this area cannot find a job. In addition, there are enough resorts in the North Caucasus , where people can relax for a lower price. As far as I know, a ticket to the Chechen sanatorium Sernovodsk costs about 40 thousand rubles for 20 days. It is too expensive. And it is very difficult to find 7 thousand competent employees for work in Vedicha, since this village is very far from Grozny. You need to somehow attract people there, create them with living conditions. Not everyone will agree to move there to live for work. The investment in the tourism business, in my opinion, is premature and too risky.

Not only experts from other regions of the country express a wary attitude to tourism in Chechnya. It is the local residents who are skeptical to resorts. No matter how hard the leadership of the region is to erase the memory of the war, it is still fresh. It is the fear of the return of the war that does not allow the inhabitants of Chechnya to openly express disagreement with illogical and contradictory decisions made "upstairs." Oil crafts are not restored in the republic, factories and factories are not built, part of the population lives in poverty - but skyscrapers rise and resort projects are growing.

Fragment of the final issue of the Freedom Time program