State Committee of Physical Culture, Sport, and Tourism of the Republic of Karelia

During September 12-13 the TACIS seminar "Tourism Manangement" was held in the settlement of Hiitola, located in Lahdenpohsky district of the Republic of Karelia.

A short cross-border river Hiitola (Kokkolanjoki) serves as natural environment for spawning and reproduction of unique Ladoga population of Atlantic salmon. Most part of the river is flowing over the territory of Lahdenpohsky district, and it creates most favourable conditions for fishing tourism development.

By now the school of salmon had been dramatically decreased, given a lot of factors. To restore and reproduct the valuable species a special TACIS project had been granted. The Eoropean Union and Finnish specialists are going to assist the project. The project will last for 18 months, beginning since March 2001.

Partners: Municipality of Raujarvi (Finland), State Committee of Physical Culture, Sport, and Tourism of the Republic of Karelia, Karelribvod, JSC "Imatra Region Development," Lahdenpohsky administration.

The main objective of the project is to improve the environment in the river Hiitola and to restore and reproduction of unique Ladoga population of Atlantic salmon, to create reacreation tourism and tourist businesses.

Vladimir Gromov