On October 7, 2019, the awards ceremony for the winners and runners-up of the All-Russian competition for professional excellence among tourism workers, "Best in Profession in the Tourism Industry," was held. The competition is held annually by the Federal Agency The Federal Tourism Agency, in collaboration with the executive authorities of the Russian Federation's constituent entities responsible for tourism and industry associations, presented the awards to the best of the best. Zarina Doguzova, Head of the Federal Tourism Agency, held the ceremony as part of the official opening of the 22nd International Exhibition Project, PIR Expo 2019.
This year, 149 professionals from 56 regions of the Russian Federation—travel agency managers, guides, hotel receptionists, and housekeepers—participated in the federal stage of the All-Russian "Best in Profession in the Tourism Industry" competition. Participants demonstrated their professional knowledge and skills and completed creative work. The contestants were evaluated by industry experts and representatives of the country's leading tourism universities.
In the nomination "Best Hotel Front Desk Employee" the winner was Ekaterina Plomodyalo — Reservation and Accommodation Manager at the Predgorie Kavkaza Sanatorium (Krasnodar Krai). The second place award was received by Maria Filatkina — Senior Administrator of the Avalon Hotel (Komi Republic). In third place — Tatyana Fomina, senior administrator of the reception and accommodation department of the Mercure Saransk Center hotel (Republic of Mordovia).
First place in the nomination "Best Housekeeping Specialist (Maid)" — Olga Ryabova, a maid at the Siberia Hotel (Tomsk Oblast). The experts awarded second place to To Oksana Mironova, a maid at the Volga Hotel (Ulyanovsk Region). Third place went to Olga Grigorenko, maid at the Krasivo sanatorium (Belgorod region).
In the nomination "Best Inbound and Domestic Tourism Manager" took first place Natalia Novoselova — manager of the travel agency "KuMir" (Perm Krai). Second place was awarded to Ekaterina Neustroeva — manager of Delfin Plus LLC (Kurgan Region). Third place was won by Ivan Noskov — Head of the Tourism Department of the Tanai Sanatorium (Kemerovo Region).
Winners in special sub-nominations: “Children's and Youth Tourism Manager” - Svetlana Markova, Director of the Public Organization for the Development of Children's and Youth Tourism "Youth Without Borders" (Irkutsk Region); "Specialist in the field of accessible tourism" - Alexander Popov, head of the Regional Educational and Resource Center "Accessible Environment", deputy chairman of the KMO VORONEZH Region, director of LLC "Accessible Environment" (Voronezh Region).
First place award in the nomination "The best tour guide" received Maxim Taktashev — research fellow at the scientific and educational department of the Astrakhan State Art Gallery named after P. M. Dogadin (Astrakhan Region). In second place Lyudmila Zobkova — head of the excursion department of the Golden Domes travel company (Moscow region). On the third — Maria Shishkina, specialist in artistic activities of the Kirov city branch of the All-Russian creative public organization "Union of Artists of Russia" - Folk art craft "Dymkovo toy" (Kirov region).
The winner in the special sub-nomination "Guide-interpreter" is Olga Syrkasheva, tour guide of the Arkhangelsk State Museum of Wooden Architecture and Folk Art "Malye Korely" (Arkhangelsk Region).
Zarina Doguzova, Head of the Federal Tourism Agency, congratulated the winners and noted the growing interest in the only industry competition in the tourism sector that focuses on high-level specialists who contribute to the industry's development.
"Today, the tourism industry employs over 450,000 specialists of various profiles. Despite the industry's rapid growth, we still see a shortage of qualified personnel. The 'Best in Profession in the Tourism Industry' award addresses several issues simultaneously, including improving the quality of service in the industry, raising the prestige of tourism professions, attracting workers to the industry, increasing the demand for graduates in the labor market, and promoting achievements and best practices.
The tourism industry boasts numerous competitions—corporate, regional, federal, and international—that select the best hotels, projects, brands, events, and routes. But the "Best in Profession in the Tourism Industry" competition highlights the crucial role of frontline staff as the driving force of the industry. "We see not only a growing number of people wanting to participate in the competition, but also a higher level of applications. And this growth is directly correlated with the improvement in service quality across the country," emphasized Zarina Doguzova.
The competition's winners and runners-up received diplomas, souvenirs, and cash prizes. First place in each category received certificates for 100,000 rubles, second place for 80,000 rubles, and third place for 60,000 rubles. Winners in each subcategory also received 60,000 rubles.
The All-Russian "Best in Profession in the Tourism Industry" competition includes two stages—regional and federal. Participation is open to specialists from all regions of the Russian Federation with at least three years of experience in the relevant profession and no disciplinary action.
The first stage involves theoretical and practical competitions at the regional and industry association levels; this year, over 600 specialists participated. The second stage, the federal one, determines the winners in several categories and subcategories, the list of which is approved annually by order of the Federal Agency for Tourism.
Detailed information about the competition procedure is published on the official website of Rostourism and the official website of the competition www.LPPtourism.ru.
Source: trn-news.ru