04.06.2025
Students from the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality of RSUH presented a route titled “Operation Bagration: Following the Great Offensive” and won 2nd place in the “Heirs of Victory” category!
"Following the Heroes: Traveling Across Russia" is a student competition for designing tourist routes dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in WWII and the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland. The competition received over 170 entries from all federal districts.
The RSUH team's project focused on Operation Bagration, one of the largest offensives of World War II, which had played a decisive role in liberating Belarus and western regions of the USSR, beginning on June 23, 1944. Uniquely, the project highlighted the lesser-known early stage of the operation: the liberation of the Smolensk region, often overlooked in public discourse.
This angle made the route truly distinctive. The liberation of the Smolensk region laid the groundwork for Soviet strategic advantage and was a critical factor in the operation’s overall success. This early phase is often absent from educational programs and tourism initiatives, making the project not only informative but crucial in preserving historical memory.
The route includes four key cities: Smolensk, Vyazma, Yelnya, and Roslavl – all sites of intense fighting with rich military and historical significance. However, the project goes beyond traditional guided tours.
“I want to express my deep pride in our students. Their initiative, professionalism, and dedication led to success on a national level. It’s especially valuable that students from all disciplines of our faculty – tourism, hospitality, and creative industry services – joined forces. Through excellent teamwork, they created a well-researched, tech-savvy, and timely route that earned high praise from the judges.
This route exemplifies a modern approach to patriotic tourism — thoughtful, digital, and truly engaging. It combines a deep understanding of history with the use of modern visualization and communication tools. Projects like this not only elevate the University's prestige but also set a benchmark for the domestic tourism industry. I am confident that this achievement will inspire further success,” said Alexander Akramov, Acting Dean of the RSUH Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality and the project’s academic supervisor.
Each location on the route incorporates innovative digital tools to enhance immersion. This makes the tour interactive and emotionally engaging; it is especially appealing to young people. It merges historical storytelling, tourism, and gamification. With technology, it creates an immersive “time travel” experience, turning the tour into a personal encounter with history through emotions, experiences, and digital interaction.
The project is not only about honoring the past but also about reimagining how to engage the younger generation in patriotic and educational initiatives. It demonstrates how modern formats can offer a deeper connection to the country’s historical heritage.
