Comments re: Center for Promotion of Saint-Petersburg

CONCEPTION OF ESTABLISHING | CONCEPTION PRESENTATION | COMMENTS

1. "Pulkovskaya" hotel. Peter Tichy, General Manager.
We are "pro" establishment of such a center, but it should not be dependent on city administration. The staff should not be more than 5-6 people. The Center should concentrate not only on promotion of Saint Petersburg abroad, but also on attracting Russian tourists to the city. Beside already mentioned potential founders, it should include Saint Petersburg navigation companies. The set-up fee should be around 0,5% of annual turnover, which is about $50 000-100 000. Part of the fee might be given by hotel rooms. The candidate for the working group is Valeria Raitz, the commercial director. However, I myself am ready to participate whenever time allows.
2. "Saint Petersburg" hotel. Pavel Kuranov, Executive Director.
We are "pro" establishment of such a center that must work in a close cooperation with many institutions, organizations, state services and enterprises for coordination of resolving all problems and inconveniences that tourists who come to Saint Petersburg encounter (prices regulation, road and communal services improvement, protection from violence, etc.). The main strengths of the Center will be in the unity and unified resolving of specific problems. I am not ready and am not authorized to specify the set-up fee. In order to figure this out we need to have the complete documentation for projected budget, which will be considered at a Board meeting, and from there will follow suggestions as to the specific rate of the fee. But the fee must only be paid by money, because we'll have to support the office and organize various events. The center must not be selling rooms - there are corresponding services in the hotels for that. The candidate for the working group is Olga Abramova, head of Sales department.
3. "Ost-West Association". Natalia Tibaeva, director of "Saint Petersburg" restaurant.
We do need a managing and coordination organization, but not like the Information center that exists with the Committee for tourism - that nobody knows about and nobody knows what it does. We need a center that anybody could go to when needing any information concerning tourism in Saint Petersburg. We have not yet figured whether the Center proposed by Korneyev will do just that. It was hard to understand anything at the meeting. We always support useful and reasonable events that take place in the city. But before we make any decision re: foundation of the Center, we need to understand specifically what it is for and what it will be doing. What is the goal - general promotion of Saint Petersburg abroad and in Russia? I think the contact point for all involved is quite general. We need to find 2-3, maybe 4 specific contact points for all stakeholders and concentrate functioning and financing of the Center on those.
4. "Conti" corporation. Eduard Maletski, Director.
We fully support establishment of the Center. We are very happy that finally somebody is doing that. We are always ready to participate in events that promote our city where we live and work. But we would like to understand what the Center will be doing and how. How it will be helping us to solve problems with our clients? For example, we have the problem of taking money out of the country. In the gambling business, $10 000 that tourists are allowed to take out of the country is a very small amount. The question is - how a foreigner is supposed to take with him the money that he won? We would also like to see a list of categories of tourists and see if "our" tourists are there. I mean, before promoting the city and inviting additional tourists, we have to see whether the city is receiving all interested tourists. As far as I know, it does not. Why? Maybe then it is too early to establish such a center? We would like to have the answers before we make the decision of becoming the founders of the center. We would like to see the business plan and approximate budget. To begin with, we need to define - how much money is needed and for what, then - how many participants will be and how much we all need to chip in. If I was an organizer of the Center, I would have found some money (in the city Administration or elsewhere) to design the complete documentation (business plan, staffing, list of questions to be covered by the Center, program of initial actions and investments, expected effect and so on), and after that would begin to invite partners. We are "pro", but we need more clarity.
5. Mariinsky Theater. Svetlana Ostanina, Deputy Director.
So far it is not very clear as to what the center will be doing, and what good it will be to us. We are "pro" establishment of such a Center if we get help from it. For example, we have participated in the "White days" and offered great discounts, while the hotels where our artists were staying have offered none. Perhaps the Center could coordinate such questions as well. That is why we want normal cooperation, and not yet another request for money. As far as the set-up fee goes - so far we are unable to come up with a suggestion.
6. "Petergof". Vadim Znamenov, General Director.
Our participation among co-founders of the center does not make sense. We report to the Ministry of Culture and not the city administration. We are fed up with the calls to "stand up for the common interest" since the Communist time. We have lots of tourists anyway. You need us, and not the other way around. That is why payments for the Center establishment should not even be mentioned. However, if you need any business help, business participation in any projects - we are ready to discuss and help. For example, you can use our printed materials in Center's work.
7. "Tsarskoe Selo". Victor Rozov, Deputy Director.
Yes, we need such a Center, and I already said that at the meeting. We are ready to participate as co-founders with a reasonable fee. As you understand, museums are not rich. We are waiting for a specific proposal from the Organizational Committee concerning the size of the payment that we'll discuss with our management. For the working group we are recommending the head of Excursions and Methodology Department Natalia Zhukova.
8. "British Airways" Maria Krasilnikova.
Center for promotion of Saint Petersburg is a good idea, and we are ready to support it business-wise, but specific tasks of our office are contrary - to promote the United Kingdom in Russia and to attract people to our airlines. Concerning the fees - the 2003 budget has long been approved, and it is impossible to add more expenditures to it. The budget for the next year will be forming until April 2004. It is possible to discuss the fees with our management, but we need to have a reasonable basis. I agree to participate in the working group whenever possible.
9. "Pribaltiyskaya" hotel. Andrey Yakunin, executive director.
The idea of proposed center is very interesting for us. It is necessary to elaborate on its structure and specific tasks. It is clearly an organizational structure, meaning that it will be hiring contractors for specific tasks. I think it must accumulate funds paid by the co-founders and re-direct those funds to events and actions that will be profitable for majority of members of the partnership. The board of directors must decide, how much money should be paid. The center itself does not need to have numerous staff. Concerning the size of the set-up fee, I object to it being a percentage of annual profit or based on number of rooms. I believe that we need to come up with a fixed sum for everybody. Those may be different: for example, for partnership members with a vote it will be one amount, and for members who participate just nominally and just use the name, brand and materials, the fee would be different. I myself will be participating in the working group.
10. The Russian Museum of Ethnography. Vladimir Grusman, director.
The museum, no doubt, will be participating in establishing of the Center, and I already have several suggestions for its program. One of the suggestions is return to once popular specialized tourism. There is a lot of yet not realized ideas for tourism development in Saint Petersburg, which is exactly what the new Center should be doing.
11. "Grand Hotel Europe" Andrey Mikeshin, general director.
We are absolutely interested in the project for promotion of Saint Petersburg and are ready to participate. Right now we find it reasonable to create a small working group to work on the project. We might recommend to include in the working group:
• A representative from leading hotels (a foreign general manager);
• A representative from incoming tourism agencies;
• A representative from gambling industry;
• A representative from "Pulkovo";
• A representative from middle-class hotels.
I myself am ready to participate in events of the working group or render help to its functioning.
12. "Institute of Cultural Programs" Andrey Zonin, director.
I have following suggestions for the Center:
• When elaborating on functions and objectives for the Center, it is necessary to concentrate on such aspects of the project development as working priorities and plan of actions for a year.
• When forming the working group, it is very important to consider professionalism of the participants - representatives from organizations that have an experience of work with programs of tourism development.
13. The State Hermitage. Olga Arkhipova, head of tourism department.
Since Mr. Piotrovskiy has left the question of participation in the activities for me to decide, I consider it reasonable to be included in the working group, without making a final decision about the museum's participation in the project. I hope that in the future, maybe with the Center's help, we'll be able to work out an effective scheme of cooperation, that would be acceptable and perspective for both sides.
14. "The Palace of Congresses" Jury Filatov, general director.
Hypothetically, we are "pro" establishment of such a center and participation in it. However, it is necessary to understand details and specifics. For the meeting on August 8 I delegate Igor Kozhevnikov, head of Service department.