Anna Naumova: “It’s a golden time in tourism.”
When you learn about Anna Naumova’s projects, you ask yourself the question: “What about me?” I mean, maybe I will also do something for my places, for other people and our common future? That’s serious. Do you remember this from your childhood? The voice asks sternly: and today what have I done for tomorrow?
That’s it, then without pathos. We will talk about extreme types of tourism, as well as about bison, space and talented children. And this is a small part of the work of Anna Naumova, a participant in the “Pro!” contest from Pyatigorsk.
How the adventure began
Until about the age of 30, Anna lived almost like everyone else. One of the unusual things was that she traveled half the country with her parents as a child, and from the age of 18 she traveled a lot on her own. And so — she studied to be a nurse, then graduated from Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University. She also received a diploma in accounting and worked in this specialty at one of the local colleges. It turned out that this was how she was looking for herself and, unknowingly, was accumulating expertise for her future business. Everything came in handy later. Despite this, Anna tells her younger colleagues and friends: “It’s better to do what you like right away. Look for a profession that lights you up, and go into it without hesitation.”
For Anna herself, all the most interesting things began in 2001. She was then surrounded by climbers and masters of various other extreme sports. She took it and opened the travel agency “Valkyrie” (the name conveys the stormy energy of the creator). She began to offer travelers tours with climbing Elbrus, mountain hikes in the same area and in Dombai district. We worked with foreign guests, mostly Germans. Later, our own, Russian clients also caught up.
“We were positioned precisely as experts in extreme tourism,” says Anna. — At that time, there was not even such a term, as experienced comrades pointed out to me more than once. But my colleagues and I insisted: this is the essence of our activity. We do not focus our clients on sporting achievements, but arrange adventures for them, give them the opportunity to get a new experience. Over time, I have made sure that extreme tourism is included in industry legislation as a special type of activity.”
Anna herself has climbed mountains, skydived, and paraglided… Snowboarding and snowblades were also in her life. The plans include yachts and diving. “I am very curious by nature, I strive to learn and try new things, get different life experiences, and I want to share everything with people.”
Business is at its peak
When the work on organizing extreme tours in Valkyrie was already fully established, Anna Naumova started organizing tours at sea for residents of the North Caucasus.
“It was 2003. Many companies in our region have already driven buses to the coast, but they acted separately, so the load was weak,” she says. — We have formed a pool of 300 travel agencies around us, offered them a good commission and a sought-after product. High-quality transportation on modern buses, with accompanying persons, tourist collection points at all necessary points in the region, disembarkation of passengers in places comfortable for recreation on the coast. Then we added more blocks in the accommodation facilities, package tours. The peak of our activity in this business occurred in 2009: during the 90 days of the beach season, Valkyrie sent 24,000 customers to the sea.”
Now, Anna Naumova is attracted not so much by commercial achievements as by social activities. She likes to look for bright and knowledgeable people from different fields of activity, involve them in collaboration, create useful projects for the region with them. Actually, it’s for the whole country. And humanity.
Shall we clean up in space?
For example, Anna Naumova takes the problem of space pollution very close to her heart: “We managed to litter even outside the planet!”
And what she did. She discovered a special direction in Valkyrie — “Travel with meaning”. These are, in particular, tours of all observatories in the North Caucasus, with an inspection of existing astrophysics facilities, with fascinating lectures by real astronomers. “Maybe some of the young people, inspired by what they have seen and heard, will go into science and make a breakthrough in solving the problem with space debris,” Anna dreams (right here to goosebumps, dear editorial board).
This autumn, Valkyrie has already sent three groups on space tours: travel agent partners and guides, tour operators from the Stavropol Territory and another small children’s company from Moscow.
Anna is also engaged in the popularization of science in her native Pyatigorsk. She teamed up with Anna Naumova, the active and creative hostess of the SunVillage Arkhyz Park Hotel, and spends evenings with her, where talented lecturers talk about the achievements of science in various fields. Guests are offered drinks and some light meals, but, to be honest, they forget about everything: they listen to scientists with bated breath.
Feed 44 bison
Still at Anna Naumova has a project for schoolchildren interested in biology. Valkyrie sends the winners of the All-Russian Olympiads to the Teberdinsky National Park, where a fairly large number of bison live (an almost extinct species listed in the Red Book). 44 individuals.
In order for the bison to come down from the mountains in November and show themselves to the guests, a park employee had specially fed them two weeks before. Can you imagine what kind of work this is?
“Yes, I’m interested in challenging tasks. It’s tours with meaning,” says Anna. — And I definitely won’t do mediocre programs like “transportation + accommodation + meals”. This is a completed stage.”
Anna worries about bison: “Each adult individual needs 1000 hectares of territory for a food base. We don’t have such squares in the park. We need to solve this problem. Let’s go to Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve, establish contacts, share experiences.”
Take it and do it
Space, biology — not everything.
“What opportunities do we have in Stavropol for gastronomic travel, enotourism, industrial tourism …” — lists Anna Naumova.
Plus, there is a lot of social activity. Anna works as an executive director at The National Union of the Hospitality Industry (OSIG) and the representative of this organization in the North Caucasus Federal District. She is also a member of the public council under the Ministry of Tourism and Health Resorts of the Stavropol Territory. Ambassador of Hospitality of the “Masters of Hospitality” project of the Presidential platform “Russia is a country of opportunities” in Stavropol.
By the way, she is called the guiding star of the Caucasus: for generously sharing her ideas, knowledge, and contacts with all members of the professional community. “I was never afraid that competitors would start using my achievements,— says Anna. — On the contrary, I urge you to act together. It’s a great time right now. What we only dreamed of in previous decades is being realized. There has never been so much help from the state. Take it and do it!”
That’s what kind of Valkyrie we have in tourism. An educator.
About the competition
The “Pro!” contest is organized within the framework of the “Know our PRO” project. Its purpose is to introduce those who create domestic tourism today. You can find the stories of all the participants who announced themselves before October 31 on the project, as well as on the Profi pages.Travel.
At the end of December, the organizers of the Know Our PRO project will select three people who will receive additional prizes — the opportunity to present their project/company at the online exhibition “Know Our: Summer 2024” (2 invitations). One of the participants will receive the main prize — 5 days of rest for two at the Sochi Park Hotel from the tour operator Anex.
Photo: from the personal archive of Anna Naumova
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