The presentation of the high-speed motor ship and the first excursion flight from Kaluga to Polenovo, Tula Region, took place on August 31 with the participation of tourism specialists from Kaluga and Tula regions, the Kaluga City administration, the management of the Polenovo Museum Reserve, tour operators and media representatives.
The interregional river route was realized thanks to the investment project "Summer on the Oka". After the successful navigation seasons of the Ivan Tsipulin motor ship, the investor acquired a new vessel suitable for long-distance voyages. The high-speed motor ship, bearing the space name Altair, is equipped with an air cushion to easily navigate through shallow water. The opening of the interregional river route was the first jointly implemented project under the cooperation agreement signed in spring 2022 between the Agency for Tourism Development of the Kaluga Region and the Agency for Tourism Development of the Tula Region.
The opening flight was preceded by a round table "Expansion of investment and tourism directions at the interregional level", which was organized by the regional Agency for Tourism Development. Dmitry Denisov, Mayor of Kaluga, Elena Sergeeva, Acting Head of the Kaluga Region Tourism Development Department, Tatiana Kaledina, General Director of the Kaluga Region Tourism Development Agency, Tatiana Moiseeva, founder of Leto na Oka LLC, and a representative of the Agency participated in the discussion of the possibilities and prospects for the development of navigation along the Oka River and the Summer on the Oka tourist project. Alexey Sokolov, Director of the V.D. Polenov State Memorial Museum of History, Art, and Nature Reserve, Natalia Polenova, and other representatives of the Kaluga City Council, the tourism sector of the Kaluga and Tula regions, tour operators, and the media.
– In 2020, when Ivan Tsipulin revived passenger navigation in Kaluga, it seemed that it was impossible to develop the Summer on the Oka project to an interregional route. But, as Tsiolkovsky said, "what is impossible today will become possible tomorrow," and this is tomorrow for us, said Tatiana Kaledina. It was with the active support of the Kaluga Region Tourism Development Agency that the Summer on the Oka investment project was implemented. In 2020, under all pandemic conditions, more than 1,500 people rested on the Ivan Tsipulin motor ship. During the full-fledged navigation season of 2021, more than 10,000 Kaluga residents and guests of the city have already taken an excursion along the river. In the summer of 2022, the Kaluga City Council joined the support of the Summer on the Oka project.
– The project turned out to be bigger than we initially expected, – admitted Tatiana Moiseeva. – The need to launch the second ship was due to the possibility of an emergency situation on the Oka. Now, after a long period without rain, due to the critically low water level in the river, Ivan Tsipulin can no longer operate flights. The Altair is much lighter and has less draft, and can reach speeds of up to 35 km/h. In 2012, this ship underwent a global modernization: the interior was replaced and a new engine was installed. More recently, the ship was equipped with a navigation system and electricity, which made the Altair as comfortable as possible for tourists.
The author of the photo: Vitaly Vereskun
For reference:
Information about the Summer on the Oka tourism investment project can be found on the Unified Tourism Portal of the Kaluga Region at https://visit-kaluga.ru/catalog/entry/leto-na-oke-rechnye-ekskursii/.
The Kaluga Region Tourism Development Agency is a development institute established in 2018. Its tasks are to support and support projects in the field of tourism in the region, create the most comfortable business environment for their implementation, develop the tourism industry in the Kaluga Region, and attract investment in the tourism sector of the region. The agency is designed to provide free services to entrepreneurs: to assist in the promotion of projects, conduct market research, provide advice on obtaining government support measures, and support turnkey projects.
