Founded in 1869, the City of Seattle is located in the State of Washington on Puget Sound, 113 miles (182 km) from the US-Canadian border. Seattle is a commercial, cultural and advanced technology hub of the US Pacific Northwest and a major port city for trans-Pacific and European travel and trade. The city of Seattle is recognized for its successful experience using technology to make government information and services more accessible to its citizens and businesses. Surrounded by mountains and water, the Greater Seattle area features picture-perfect views and abundant recreational opportunities year-round. To learn more about Seattle, please click here.

Khabarovsk Municipal District is located in southwestern Khabarovsk Krai (Region). The District consists of 27 settlements, including one urban settlement and twenty six rural settlements. The rural population includes 93.4% of the total population of the District. Protected areas occupy 4.4% of the district’s area, including the Bolshekhekhtsirsky State Reserve and Zoological Preserve Khekhtsirsky. The major industries in the district include forestry and timber, building materials, food manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture. Khabarovsk Municipal District is considered as one the best potential areas for tourism development in Khabarovsk Krai. To learn more about the District, please click here.

Delegation Exchange: July 26 - August 4, 2008

While in Seattle, the participants, including government officials and comunity leaders, learned about Seattle’s award winning website and its use of e-government to provide citizens with services. The participants had a unique opportunity to see the demonstration and real life examples of the City’s use of web technology and attend various events and organizations that use technology to transform and improve their communities, including Community Tech Centers, Youth Media Institute, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, Star of Seattle, Seattle Channel, and Yesler Community Center Computer Lab. They learned how the City of Seattle manages municipal information resources and provides pertinent information about local government to citizens. Tourism and recreation development was the other priority area of interest for the Russian delegation. The participants attended seminars at the Seattle Parks Department and Customer Service Bureau. They also visited Earth Corps and learned about environmental conservation techniques and volunteer management, as well as The Daybreak Star Cultural Center to acquire knowledge about educational, social, economic, and cultural programs benefiting local indigenous people. 

Delegates Andrey Ekimenko
& Maria Rogozhko

Partnership Project: Promoting Recreation and Tourism as a Priority Area for Economic Development in Khabarovsk Municipal District
Project Start and End Dates: April 1, 2009 - November 30, 2009 

The Khabarovsk Municipal District considers their area to be one of the best potential areas for tourism development in the region; therefore, the promotion of recreation and tourism was identified as the main priority for their project with the City of Seattle.

In July 2008, a delegation from Khabarovsk Municipal District visited their partner, the city of Seattle, to learn about best practices in local government on tourism and recreation development, and how to use the Internet to interact with and provide services to citizens. As a result, Khabarovsk Municipal District and Seattle, together with the Khabarovsk Center for Local Self Governance, launched a joint project to increase the quality and accessibility of information on recreational opportunities in Khabarovsk Municipal District to further economic development. Based upon consultations provided by the U.S. side, to attract domestic and foreign tourists, the Khabarovsk partners will create and distribute information and promotional materials on tourism and recreation. In addition, the partners plan to publish brochures, create a database and a website focused on recreational opportunities in Khabarovsk Municipal District.