What Kaliningrad is betting on despite sanctions
Despite the obvious troubles associated with the trade and transport blockade organized by Lithuania, the Kaliningrad region looks confidently into the future and actively stimulates the development of tourism and business in the region.
Svetlana Nizhegorodova, the Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights in the Kaliningrad Region, spoke about this in an RT report during a conversation with State Duma Deputy Vitaly Milonov, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"I think our tourism sector will grow faster than all others at the moment. The pandemic has shown how much potential we have in this regard. Many people didn't know about Kaliningrad when foreign tourism markets opened. When people come to Kaliningrad in the summer and see our history, the hotels and infrastructure we've built, the sea, the sun—I think tourism will grow. It's more tangible in terms of sanctions. If planes are flying, tourists can [ come here – ed. ] and have a great vacation.
There will also be investments in tourism. It’s more difficult, of course, with the export and import history and production facilities that we have always had. We have an OECD - a special economic zone - which has always been focused specifically on export-import relations. There are, of course, difficulties here, we felt them right away. But I know that enterprises are forced to reorient themselves to different markets,” she is convinced.
Nizhegorodova emphasized the intensity of acquisition of real estate in Kaliningrad by regular guests of the city. In her opinion, the region may be no less attractive for entrepreneurs.
“Look at the tourist flow, which is getting bigger and bigger every year. You can calculate the right business plan that will work. Tourism always brings with it the story of buying real estate. If a tourist likes to relax here, then very often a decision is made to buy real estate here. We see how this happened and is still happening. Speaking of investments. Why don’t the same developers try this story here in Kaliningrad?” – suggested the ombudsman.
In turn, the governor of the Kaliningrad region, Anton Alikhanov, confirmed that at present, compatriots are purchasing housing in the city with great enthusiasm.
“We have seen very serious demand in recent years. I can say that this is already annoying for many locals, because this has not happened before, but nevertheless, more than half of the real estate that was purchased in the past 2021 was purchased by nonresidents. We are a very attractive region and we hope that it will remain so in the future. Indeed, we have wonderful nature, wonderful weather, sea. Come, buy a home and move,” Alikhanov urged.
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