Yaroslavl region to merge culture and tourism ministries

Governor Mikhail Yevrayev of Yaroslavl Region announced the merger of the Ministries of Culture and Tourism on 22 January.

«Our task is to make the management of these areas more modern and efficient. The new structure will help more actively implement major projects: preserving cultural heritage, developing museums, supporting folk crafts, and creating new tourist routes. This, in turn, will help attract new investments to the region, boost the economy, and increase the region»s attractiveness,« commented the head of the region.

According to him, the reorganization will take two months. The combined ministry will be headed by Svetlana Kostyshina. Previously, she served as deputy head of the governor«s administration and chief of staff of the regional government.

According to the regional administration, Svetlana organized Region Days in the Federation Council, celebrations for the 600th anniversary of the Godenovsky Cross, the 60th anniversary of the space flight of the first woman cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, and other events.

Svetlana Kostyshina was born on 9 October 1977. She graduated with honors from the St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts with a degree in «historian of world culture, culturologist.» She also has honors diplomas from the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation in «jurisprudence» and from St. Petersburg State University in «advertising and public relations.» In the government of Yaroslavl Region, she oversees issues of culture, tourism, and major investment projects.

Previously, the acting minister of tourism was Dmitry Dobrynin, and the minister of culture was Irina Shirshova.

Recall that in the fall of 2024, the regional government already merged structures. The Ministries of Transport and Road Management, as well as the Ministries of Construction and Housing and Utilities, began working under single leadership.

In recent years, Yaroslavl Region has undergone large-scale reorganization in education, healthcare, and culture. Now, the region has unified hospitals, educational clusters (centers including schools and kindergartens) and other institutions. Museums-reserves, cultural centers, and theaters have also been merged.