In Buryatia, daring bears inhibited the flow of tourists to Baikal along with expensive gasoline

In August-September 2026, there was a slight decrease in the growth rate of demand for services in a number of regions of Russia, including Buryatia. This also influenced the development of the domestic tourist flow. Market specialists, who talked with employees of the Bank of Russia, made this observation, reported in the republican branch of the Siberian Main Directorate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. This information was published in the review material “Regional economy: comments of GU”, published in October.

Tourist operators note a significant drop in demand for domestic routes. According to local firms, the main obstacle to the development of the industry in the region was the situation on the fuel market.

The owners of tourist centers and guest houses on the Buryat shore of Lake Baikal report a decrease in the flow of tourists from the Irkutsk region, the Trans-Baikal Territory and neighboring territories. Restrictions in the work of gas stations have forced many travelers to reconsider their plans, postpone travel or completely cancel reservations.

Vitaly Ponomarev, Head of the Bank of Russia Branch in Buryatia, said that, according to one of the participants in our monitoring, revenues decreased by at least 30% compared to the previous year.

The situation in which bears often appear near settlements and recreation areas also affected the number of domestic tourists in the country. Due to the fact that animals show increased activity in certain areas, popular routes among travelers are temporarily closed. In Buryatia, the number of such prohibited zones included organized hiking trails in the Baikalsky reserve, as well as in the national parks "Tunkinsky" and "Zabaikalsky".