The experts visited the fishing place Tetrina, a historical and ethnographic complex, a maritime farmstead restored to its former location, where they learned about the life and culture of the Pomors.

They also visited the Pomor village of Olenitsa and learnt about the 'White Sea horns,' the name given to the rare mineral formations called glendonites.

Experts assessed the catering facilities in Umba and the accommodation facilities—guest houses in Kuzrek, Varzuga and Umba.

At the Umba House of Culture, they took part in a master class on making twisting dolls, looked at souvenirs and took part in a folklore programme called 'Pomorskaya Vechera' (Pomor Evening). There was also a meeting with business representatives of the Tersky district at the House of Culture.

'It is important that the group of experts included those who regularly take tourists to the White Sea. But even they were discovering many new ideas for forming tours. There are more and more legitimate businesses who are willing to negotiate blocks of seats, contracts, group prices, etc. with tour operators and this is an important indicator. Thanks to the work of the front office of the Tourist Information Centre in Umba, joint work is now easier to build,' stressed Alexander Eliseev, chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Murmansk Region.