Fighting Terrorism with Tourism

Russia has had problems with terrorism in North Caucasus. This is due to the Islamic fundamentalism and separatist aspirations. Russia has tried using military actions to stop the violence in this area, but it has not worked. So, they have turned to tourism. Russia has an $18 billion plan to build seven ski resorts and a $4.6 billion plan to develop three beaches on the Caspian Sea. The Russian government has given $2 billion to sponsor the Northern Causcasus Resorts. The government plans to begin decelopment and start looking for investors. There is skeptism regarding this plan due to safety issues. Last year, three Russian tourists were killed in the area. So far this year, 574 violent deaths have been reported. While, this IS down from the 1,030 in 2009. Russia states that this could produce up to 300,000 jobs. Another issue that has people questioning, is the fact that no one will want to go to these resorts. While the area is beautiful, that might not be a strong enough reason for people to visit the Northern Caucasus Resorts. Alexei Malashenko, an expert on the North Caucasus at the Carnegie Moscow Center, says "If I wanted to go to skiing, I would go to Austria." Russia claims that by year 2020 twenty percent of Russians will be middle class. Gernot Leitner, an Austrian architect, skier, and sports professional, says, "That mean 300 million people with money to spend on vacations."

By Abigail Van Hook

Russia backs ski resorts to stem terrorism