According to a report published in the main state-owned media outlet Tass on 7 June, Yugra, a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous district of Tyumen Oblast, is going to launch a blockchain backed tourism platform.
Agreement Signed
The report says that during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which was held this week, Roman Genkel who is the general director or Yugra’s development fund, signed an agreement with the CEO of a blockchain startup called Universa, Alexander Borodich for ‘launching future-oriented projects in the region.’
In a blog post on 7 June, Universa announced that it will provide its blockchain platform for the implementation of project management services which would help the government establish control over the expenditure of budget funds. Universa claims that ‘tagging the money using distributed ledger technology will protect government grants and investments against misuse.’ Yugra would become more attractive to the investors as the project would ensure investment transparency in the region, the company further asserts.
‘A Combination of All the Players in the Tourism Market’
The firm, in collaboration with Yugra, would also develop a multi-language communication platform. This platform will be a combination of a number of aspects present in the tourism market into a single digital ecosystem– from the tourist products and services suppliers to transportation companies to companies providing accommodation and catering to MSMEs to investors to business support foundations and finally to the tourists themselves.
The project will carry on several functions, including designing tourist routes and promoting them, guiding the activities of the tourism companies and helping to accelerate tourism in the area by various means and ends. Earlier this year, The Pension Fund of the Russian Federation had partnered with Russian Railways in order to use the blockchain technology for tracking passengers that qualify for discounted services.