May be Ural is really known a little in other countries?

Hello everybody !

I need your advice:
Several years ago I lived in South Altai (East Kazakhstan).
My friends and I organized eco- and adventure tours about South Altai.
Today many people all over the world who are fond of eco- tourism know
Altai mountains.
You can see more on www.ukg.kz/altai-es

But what about Ural region?
What do European people know and think about Ural (the Ural mountains,
the border between Europe and Asia)? If European people were in
Ekaterinburg, what would be interesting for them to see?
Can Ekaterinburg be known only as the place where the last Russian
Tsar and his family were killed by the communists? It's so
notorious... And I don't like it at all !
How can I find people who have been to Ural once at least ? Does it
more interesting to travel about South or Pre-Polar Ural? What are
curious places? What difficulties did you meet with?
Are there any tourist agencies in Europe, (in France, Germany,
Italy,.....) which are interested in traveling about Russia? What
places in Russia are the most popular with European tourists?
May be Ural is really known a little in other countries?
But it is the place where the European largest national park
(Yugid-Va) is situated. There are many caves, geological objects,
attractive landscapes, memorials of Russian history, culture and
nature....
My friend from Mississippi said that many people who were interested
in Russia and fond of traveling preferred to communicate with people
that knew places of interest and could show them, not with tourist
agencies. (??)

Now I live in Ekaterinburg.
And I'm interested in such information as I have organized a small
tourist company in Ekaterinburg. Ekaterinburg is the third Russian
city in size after Moscow and St. Petersburg.
This year we have prepared several journeys and excursions about the
Ural (from the South to the North). And now I'd like to know if these
programs are of interest for foreign tourists.

If possible please also write to


Oleg Demianenko