Bashkortostan: The “Family. Business. Tourism” Festival discussed Legal Aspects of Business and Tourism Industry Development

The conference “Legal Practice in Business and Tourism” was held on 24 October 2026 at the “Bukhta Kila” country club near Ufa. The event was part of the three-day interregional festival “Family. Business. Tourism,” held in Bashkortostan in late October 2026.

The event brought together representatives of government authorities, the business community, and the tourism industry to discuss current issues of legal regulation and measures to support entrepreneurs.

The meeting was held with the support of Andrey Nazarov, Chairman of the State Assembly - Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan and Head of the Representative Office of the World Peoples Assembly in the Republic of Bashkortostan (Russia). The discussion was moderated by Irina Abramova, Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights in the Republic of Bashkortostan, and Ravil Vatolin, Director of the RBC-Ufa media holding.

Opening the conference, Irina Abramova outlined the main problems entrepreneurs raise in their appeals to her. This concerns preserving the very possibility of conducting entrepreneurial activity. As examples, the expert cited the situation with the rental of recreational plots, where payment costs had been unilaterally increased many times over, as well as a case involving protective zones of cultural heritage sites: in that case, the entrepreneur signed a lease agreement and only afterwards learned about the restrictions imposed on his plot by a since-lost object that had previously been located in the neighboring territory.

- We seek clarity and transparency in the documents accompanying relations between the state and business, various registers and databases. Only this gives entrepreneurs the opportunity for long-term and confident planning of their activities, - Irina Abramova summarized.

Aydar Galin, Deputy Minister of Entrepreneurship and Tourism of the Republic of Bashkortostan, spoke about key measures of state support for the tourism industry and the challenges faced by businesses in this sector. According to him, over the past four years the republic has attracted an unprecedented RUB 1.6 billion in federal funds, which made it possible to support more than 200 projects. Today, 47 priority investment projects with a total volume of RUB 58.5 billion are being implemented in the region, and entrepreneurs can obtain land for glamping sites without tenders. At the same time, the deputy minister drew attention to new barriers.

- These are stricter fire safety requirements for lightweight structures, difficulties in converting agricultural land to tourism use, and federal restrictions on construction in coastal protection strips. Our common task is to find legal solutions together with entrepreneurs so that these administrative challenges do not slow the development of the industry, - Aydar Galin emphasized.

Rustem Akhmadinurov, Deputy of the State Assembly - Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan and First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Policy, discussed the features of event tourism development and the nuances of administering the resort fee.

According to the expert, in line with the instruction of the Head of the Republic, each district should organize an event that is important to local residents and capable of becoming a point of attraction for guests. Among such projects, the speaker named the “Kupets 2.0” festivals in Sterlitamak, “Birskaya Starina,” and the Ufa International Marathon. Rustem Akhmadinurov noted that event and social tourism are growth points requiring systemic support, and that the return for the territory directly depends on how business sheriffs work in municipalities.

The deputy paid special attention to the issue of the resort fee.

- In tourist municipalities, these funds go to infrastructure development, but in a number of districts without such a flow of tourists, the fee becomes merely an administrative burden for business. A differentiated approach and a balance of interests are needed here, - the speaker noted.

Venera Akhiyarova, Deputy Head of the Administration of Nurimanovsky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan, presented successful cases of developing and supporting the tourism business. She recalled that Nurimanovsky District has long been one of the popular recreation destinations. Today, 18 year-round accommodation facilities operate there, and in the first six months of 2026 alone the district received 87,000 guests. Forty-three investment projects are being implemented in the territory, more than half of which are related specifically to the tourism industry. The expert explained how the district manages resort fee funds:

- In 2025, RUB 2.6 million was collected. We direct these funds to the improvement of tourist locations: we install lighting and benches and organize waste removal in forest areas.

Venera Akhiyarova also presented to the participants the district’s already known and new points of attraction, which can be divided into three groups:

• natural gems: the famous Red Rocks, the Krasny Klyuch spring, and Lake-Spring Sarva – unique natural monuments that attract thousands of travelers every year;

• infrastructure sites: the Pavlovsky Ski Center and the Pavlovskaya HPP – modern tourism clusters combining active recreation and engineering aesthetics;

• historical and cultural attractions: the men’s and women’s monasteries, unique stone artifacts – the Chandar slabs (“Dashkin Kamen”), as well as the Blucher Crossing memorial, which preserves the memory of important pages of the Civil War.

In a “Question – Answer” session, entrepreneurs discussed current legal situations and successful business practices with the speakers. Participants agreed that further development of the tourism industry in Bashkortostan is possible only with open dialogue between government and business, transparency of legal norms, and a flexible approach to administrative regulation. It is precisely joint work to overcome existing barriers and create a comfortable environment for entrepreneurs that will make it possible to turn tourism into one of the key driver industries of the regional economy.

In addition to the business program, the “Family. Business. Tourism” festival included a rich cultural and sports agenda. Guests were offered creative master classes, face painting for children, a humorous photo booth and a friendly football match, a video contest on the theme “Family,” a karaoke competition, and musical lounges dedicated to Viktor Tsoi’s legacy and bard song.

Additional information is available on the official website of the World Peoples Assembly, on its VKontakte and Telegram accounts, and at media@world-assembly.org.