In the Russian Federation, great attention is paid to summer recreation and the development of children. Children’s tourism is developing and is considered as part of a project to educate and develop a proper lifestyle for young people.
The state has established the GOST R 54605-2011 standard, which defines the possibilities of children’s and youth tourism. With government funding, programs are being implemented that allow school students to travel around the country for free.
Goals and features
According to the classification adopted by the National Standard, children’s tourism includes organized excursions or trips of groups of children aged 7-14 years.
Youth tourism — trips have the following goals:
- educational;
- recreational;
- physical education and sports;
- educational;
- wellness programs.
A group of children must be accompanied by a supervisor at the rate of 1 adult per 10 minors. The manager must have special training and skills. There is a concept of youth tourism for young people aged 14-18, and student tourism for children aged 18 to 35.
Within the framework of the format of children’s tourism, recreation and recreation in children’s camps, entertainment trips, cultural, sports or educational events, tourist gatherings, as interregional or international exchanges are distinguished. Children’s tourism includes hiking, rafting, cycling, climbing of various categories of difficulty.
Excursion or travel programs for children are developed by tour operators licensed for this type of activity. The program should correspond to the characteristics of age groups and ensure the safety of children.
Children’s tourism gained global development several years ago in the form of a new global project called “More than a Journey”. This state program is aimed at secondary school students, from grades 5 to 9.
Previously, under this program, only gifted young people who won contests and declared themselves through public events could travel around Russia.
Now the state program, which has received an expanded audience, is aimed at broadening the horizons of students, helping children to study the history and culture of their native country more deeply. The format of trips usually involves 1-day, sometimes 2-3-day trips with overnight stays. In the first year, 500 million rubles were allocated for the implementation of the program, in 2023 the government of the Russian Federation provided the regions with 1 billion rubles. to co-finance trips.
In 2023, over 900 travel programs were offered to schoolchildren, created with the participation of about 100 tour operators included in the register of the Russian Federation. 200 thousand people from different parts of the country were able to see Russia as part of the children’s tourism project in 2023.
In the coming years, the government of the Russian Federation plans to increase the financing of the children’s and youth tourism project to 7 billion rubles and expand the geography of the project
What is included in the program
The program “More than a trip” was created as an incentive for young talents and promising leaders and usually contained 2 elements: the excursion block included trips to the sights, and the informative block included lectures and socially useful actions.
Recently, the scope of the project has been expanded: now trips have been offered to all students of grades 5-9 who have applied. Travel programs are approved by regional authorities who have selected local tour operators to implement travel.
The following options remain mandatory in the routes: the presence of an excursion and educational block, in case of an overnight stay, a hotel of at least 3 * is provided, if the program includes meals, it is provided by a certified participant.
For example, in the Saratov region in 2023, tour operators have prepared 4 versions of two-day programs that allow you to explore the regional attractions. One of the programs is dedicated to the legacy of Empress Catherine II, the other tells about the history of the Saratov region.
As part of their travels, children visit the villages of Khvalynsk, Balakovo, Lokh, the tour includes overnight stays in 3* class hotels, quests and excursions accompanied by experienced guides.
Children’s tourism in Adygea made it possible to improve the health of over 1300 children in 2023. Schoolchildren from different municipalities visited the vicinity of the village of Hadjoh, visited the sights and workshops. In the Altai Territory, 5 million rubles were received in 2023. for organizing school trips. Over 1,000 students in grades 5-9 were able to travel in the fall.
Kamchatka has developed 5 educational and tourist tracks that are interesting for schoolchildren:
| Track type | Description of the programs |
| Patriotic | It includes a story about the navigation of V. Bering, a visit to the museum of local lore, a master class in navigation and a quest. |
| Environmental | It covers the natural attractions of Kamchatka: Ostroya Hill, Kainyran village, Camel and Kultuchnoye Lake. |
| Scientific | Research on the interaction of 4 elements when visiting Country springs and Gorely volcano. |
| Cultural | He introduces the children to the culture of the aborigines of Kamchatka, and career guidance is also provided. |
| Sporting | It consists of a hiking trip to the Pacific coast with an overnight stay in an eco-village, as well as passing the TRP standards and surfing. |
In the Kaliningrad region, 12 tour operators have prepared 36 excursions for children of grades 5-9. The programs consist of visits to attractions, master classes, and interactive entertainment. All trips are carried out on comfortable buses, 2 meals a day are required.
In 2023, 4,200 schoolchildren from the Kaliningrad Region applied for participation in the children’s tourism program.
In Bashkortostan, 188 million rubles were received from the federal budget for the children’s tourism program, another 75 million rubles were allocated from the regional budget. Quotas were distributed by districts in proportion to the number of students of the appropriate age.
In Bashkiria, 46 routes were prepared, they included visits to such places:
- sights of Ufa;
- Yangan-tau Geopark, Idris Cave and Kurgazak spring;
- ascent to Toratau and visit to the Museum of D. Imendyashevo;
- Krasnousolsky Resort;
- Sterlitamak, Shikhany and Trolleybus Depot Museum;
- S.T. Aksakov House Museum in Belebeyevsky district and Ufa;
- Ufa University;
- the city of Birsk;
- Iglinsky district (Indian Territory);
- ski center “Bannoe”;
- St. George Monastery “Holy Bushes”;
- Pavlovskaya HPP;
- the largest water source is Krasny Klyuch.
During the 2-day tours of Bashkiria, the children attend master classes where they mint coins, shoot arrows, engage in horse riding, rock climbing and 3D modeling, learn to play national musical instruments and cook Bashkir dishes.
In which regions?
In 2023, children’s tourism expanded the boundaries of the implementation of the state program from 18 to 29 regions. The Moscow and Leningrad regions, as well as St. Petersburg, took part in the travel program for schoolchildren. In the south of the country, Adygea and Stavropol Territory joined the program, in the north – Karelia.
Trips were provided to schoolchildren in Kamchatka, in the Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk Territories, in the republics of Bashkortostan and Chuvashia, in Yugra. The project is being implemented in the Kaliningrad, Saratov, Pskov regions, Perm Krai, Altai and Sakhalin.
The national project has also received support from local authorities in the following regions of Russia:
- Novgorod;
- Belgorod;
- Kostroma;
- Ulyanovsk;
- Vologda;
- Kursk;
- Novosibirsk;
- Orenburg region;
- Samara;
- Chelyabinsk region;
- Yaroslavl.
The regions independently determine the financial conditions, schedule and routes of school trips. The route is usually based on historical, cultural, and natural attractions of the region or region.
Various organizations are developing their own routes for children’s tourism
The regional authorities, depending on the budget, determine the quota of the project: in 2023, the Saratov region organized a vacation for 18 thousand schoolchildren, the Kaliningrad region – over 4 thousand children.
The government of the Russian Federation allocates fixed assets for the implementation of the children’s tourism program, the authorities in the regions partially subsidize it depending on the financial situation: in Yugra, almost 13,000 rubles are allocated for 1 child, in the Vologda Region – 7,000 rubles, in Altai – 5,000 rubles.
Who can go?
Children’s tourism is a program aimed at teenagers studying in grades 5-9.
If until 2023, only particularly distinguished children who proved themselves in scientific competitions, sports, music or dance competitions received vouchers, then from 2023 everyone could apply.
There are no restrictions on social categories in this project. However, there are nuances: this program must be supported by the regional authorities, and the child must study in grades 5-9.
The transfer of students from grade 4 to grade 5 is made out in educational institutions in early June, so it is impossible to apply before this deadline. The situation is similar with those who graduated in grade 9 – as long as there is no order to enroll in the next grade or enter college, the child has the right to travel.
Regions may introduce their own additions to the rules for obtaining a certificate, and in many areas, students who have shown high achievements in studies, sports, and scientific research have received priority right to travel.
This is exactly what the authorities of the Novgorod region and the Republic of Adygea did. The authorities of the regions where the tourism project is being implemented independently announce the deadlines for submitting applications for participation.
Children’s tourism is trips by schoolchildren in groups, the management of which is entrusted to specialists. With 10 children, 1 adult must go on a trip, and the trip is also free for him.
Where can I get a ticket?
A special certificate is a document confirming the right of a student to travel paid for by the state within the framework of a children’s tourism project. This type of document is personal, so it is impossible to change it, give it to someone, buy it for money or sell it.
The child has the right to receive such a document only 1 time during the period allotted for the implementation of the project. There is 1 trip per year for 1 student. The certificate confirms the right to a free trip, allowing you to independently choose a tour from those presented in the region where the student lives.
Parents or guardians of children should not pay for such a trip in full or in part, funding is fully provided by the state.
Obtaining a tourist certificate is carried out on the portal of public services through the option of a personal account.
The algorithm of how the application is submitted:
- It is necessary to choose a service, it passes as a certificate in the field of tourism.
- Fill out the application, specifying the child’s data (birth certificate or passport of the child, and a certificate confirming that the child is studying at a comprehensive school). Passport details of one of the parents or guardian and a document confirming their authority are also required.
- The accuracy of the specified information is checked – phone numbers, e-mail and passport information.
- From the list provided, select the municipality in which the child lives and studies, as well as his educational institution.
- Choose a tour if there are several options.
The application must be submitted before the deadline for accepting applications specified in the region. If there are several schoolchildren of the appropriate age in the family, a separate application is submitted for each of them.
The consideration of submitted applications takes place within 10 days, after which the response message is sent to the cabinet on the state portal or e-mail.
In case of refusal, the information provided should be rechecked and, if the deadline for submitting applications has not yet been completed, the prepared package of documents should be sent again. If the decision is positive, a message is sent to the cabinet (e-mail) that a certificate has been received.
However, the certificate is only an opportunity to go on a free trip. The next step will be for the parents or guardians to conclude a travel agreement with the regional tour operator specified in the program.
The certificate acts as a guarantee of payment. To do this, you will need to go to the office of the tour operator indicated on the portal and present documents (parent’s passport, passport or child’s birth certificate, certificate). After that, the specialist of the travel agency will issue the documents for the trip.
When the trip is completed, it is necessary to sign an act at the travel agency confirming that the public service has been received. Accurate information about the region’s participation in the children’s tourism project, dates and number of places can be obtained from the regional tourism department, on the platforms of the IFC or on the information portals of the regional authorities.
The first region to participate in the children’s tourism program was the Moscow Region, in 2022 over 100 million rubles were allocated for these purposes in the Moscow region. The pilot project has shown the importance of developing children’s and youth tourism, so in 2024 a program for students is being implemented, during which young people can visit different cities of the Russian Federation.
During the trips, the children travel around the region, explore iconic historical and cultural sites. Such a project has become another way of patriotic education of the younger generation.
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