A new tourist route will open in Land of the Leopard National Park, timed to coincide with the Second Eastern Economic Forum, which will take place in September, said national park Director Tatyana Baranovskaya at a meeting of the Public Expert Council on Tourism Development. The meeting was chaired by Primorye Territory Governor Vladimir Miklushevsky during his visit to the Khasan District on 22 April.

“The national park is four years old and so far has only one eco-trail, Leopard's Lair. Visitors can learn about the ecosystem of the protected natural area, see the feeding sites and salt licks, go into a cave and see pictures of its inhabitants taken by trail cameras. In order to develop this tourism direction, we have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the territory and marked out seven more eco-trails. The opening of one of them, Leopard Trail, will be timed to coincide with the Second Eastern Economic Forum,” Ms Baranovskaya said.

Visitors will learn about the world’s rarest cat and will be shown military history sites preserved in this area, such as the trenches and dugouts from the Great Patriotic War, which will be restored.

The design of all new eco-trails will be unique to Land of the Leopard National Park. The trails will have the same design and will be vandal proof; some of them will be adapted for bicycle and horse riding. Moreover, picnic areas will be set up throughout the park. Construction work will involve senior school students and students from relevant universities.

“School and university holidays will begin soon, and I am sure that students will enjoy working at Land of the Leopard,” Mr Miklushevsky said. “It is great that young people can contribute to nature preservation. I will give relevant instructions to university rectors. We need to think about the right format to attract young people to this sector. We could offer both paid work and internships.” The Governor also said that the development of ecotourism in the territory will be discussed at the Second Pacific Tourism Forum to be held in May.