The Ski Industry Union that brings together professionals in design, construction and operation of ski resorts in Russia will cooperate with French Association Cluster Montagne, which includes travel agencies, trade unions, universities and enterprises involved in the development of mountain tourism industry in France.

Agreement on cooperation and collaboration was signed by Vladislav Subbotin, Executive Director of the Ski Industry Union, and Benoît Robert, Director of Association Cluster Montagne, at the 22nd session of the Franco-Russian Council for Economic, Financial, Industrial and Commercial Cooperation (CEFIC), held in Paris and chaired by Maxim Oreshkin, Russian Minister of Economic Development, and Michel Sapin, French Minister of Economy.

‘France has decades of experience in the development of tourism, and Association Cluster Montagne was established by the French Government to spread our experience and knowledge in the mountain industry. Now the Association unites all French organizations responsible for tourism development,’ Benoît Robert said. ‘We believe in cooperation with the Russian Ski Industry Union and are sure that we have something to share, that we have a plenty of opportunities for collaboration,’ he stressed.

According to Vladislav Subbotin, French experience in development of mountainous areas is of great interest for the Russian ski industry. ‘France developed the principles of year-round mountain resorts management, to ensure the harmonious interaction of ski areas and various summer programs of entertainment, – this is important to solve the problem of seasonal decline in demand. In addition, France today is the world leader in the organization of major united ski areas, and this experience can also be extrapolated to Krasnaya Polyana mountain resorts and the Northern Caucasus’ resorts,’ he said.

Benoît Robert emphasized that members of Association Cluster Montagne work in Russia, including in the Northern Caucasus, already quite a long time, – the first French experts visited Caucasus in 1978, in 1990s they explored the Valley of Krasnaya Polyana and later participated in the development of mountain resorts of Sochi. ‘It's a long story, and it continues. We are very proud of this partnership and are pleased to sign this partnership agreement here in Paris. I wish us long-term cooperation and many real joint projects in subsequent years,’ he concluded.
Vladislav Subbotin also recalled that French partners are involved in the development of the tourist cluster project managed by Joint-Stock Company Northern Caucasus Resorts: as Poma is a major supplier of equipment for ropeways, and Compagnie des Alpes developed master plans for ski infrastructure of Arkhyz ATRC and Elbrus ATRC. Both companies, he stressed, are members of Association Cluster Montagne. ‘The new partnership, this time with one of the largest French associations, which brings together over 200 representatives of the country's ski industry, will attract the best practices and advance experience of France for the integrated development of the ski industry in the Russian Federation,’ a representative of the Ski Industry Union concluded. In particular, it was planned to study and use French experience in the Russian Ski Industry Development until 2030.