Yaroslavl Region Unites Ministries of Culture and Tourism

On January 22, the head of Yaroslavl Region, Mikhail Yevrayev, announced the creation of a single ministry by merging the departments of culture and tourism.

«Our task is to make the management of these spheres more modern and efficient. The new structure will help more actively implement large projects: preserve cultural heritage, develop museums, support folk crafts, create new tourist routes. This, in turn, will help attract new investments to the region, give impetus to the economy, and increase the region»s attractiveness,« the governor explained.

Two months have been allotted for the reorganization.

Svetlana Kostyshina has been appointed head of the united ministry, previously holding the position of deputy head of the governor«s administration and chief of staff of the regional government.

Her professional experience includes organizing key regional events, such as Yaroslavl Region Days in the Federation Council, the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the Godenov Cross (a revered Orthodox relic), and the 60th anniversary of Valentina Tereshkova«s space flight (the first woman in space).

Svetlana Kostyshina was born on October 9, 1977.

She has a diploma with honors from St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts in the specialty «historian of world culture, culturologist». She also graduated with honors from the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation in jurisprudence and St. Petersburg State University in the specialty «advertising and public relations».

In the regional government, she oversees issues of culture, tourism, and major investment projects.

Before the merger, Dmitry Dobrynin was acting minister of tourism, and Irina Shirshova worked as minister of culture.

This is not the first such reform in the region: in autumn 2024, the Ministries of Transport and Road Infrastructure were already merged, as well as the Ministries of Construction and Housing and Communal Services.

In recent years, Yaroslavl Region has been undergoing a large-scale reorganization in the social sphere. United hospitals, educational clusters have already been created, and there has been a merger of museum-reserves, cultural centers, and theaters.