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Tricks of the Trade By BILL CHOY Ashland Daily Tidings Galina Ilina has been quite impressed with how well tourism has been marketed in the Ashland area. Phoenix Spa owner Jessica Vineyard gives a lesson on business success Wednesday to visiting Russian businesswomen. Ashland Daily Tidings/Denise Baratta "You could see from the very start tourism here is very well developed," she said through a translator as her Russian business group toured Phoenix Spas in Ashland on Wednesday. "I hope to apply this to my own city and help make it more tourist friendly." Ilina and 10 other Russian business people, mainly from the tourist industry, are near the end of a two week trip to the Ashland area to learn how to integrate American business practices in their homeland. The group will go back to Russia on Sunday. The Ashland group is one of hundreds of Russian delegations that have been organized by the Center for Citizen Initiatives in San Francisco. Having the Russians learn American business practices is a chance for them to help accelerate Russia's difficult transition from state-controlled communism to a free market economy, citizen initiative officials said. The delegation has toured several businesses and organizations, including the Bear Creek Corp. in Medford, Southern Oregon University, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Weisinger's (winery) of Ashland. Eric Weisinger, co-owner and winemaker for Weisinger's, was impressed with the Russians' curiosity and interest in American business practices. "They seemed to be generally interested in seeing how we have integrated ourselves into the general industry of Southern Oregon," he said. "It's an opportunity to share our knowledge with an area that's growing like Russia. It's a great compliment for our area that they are interested in our business practices." This is the first time a Russian delegation has come to Ashland. Mariya Dedukhina owns a travel agency in Nizhi Novgorod, formerly known as Gorky, a city of two million people. Dedukhina has been impressed with the practices of the American businesses she has visited. "They have a very nice program," she said. "It's been very useful learning about different ways to attract tourists. We need to do more in Russia to attract people." Natasha Ivanova has been a facilitator with the Center for Citizen Initiatives since 1999. She has taken groups to several locations in the United States including Alabama, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and New York City. Ivanova said she has been pleased with the knowledge and enthusiasm local businesses have shown to her group. "It's been very positive," she said. "Everyone's been open, friendly, warm and sincere." The Russian group - mainly from large cities - was surprised with how much business and tourism a small community like Ashland could generate, Ivanova said. "Ashland is such a small city, but it has some interesting ways to promote its services," she said. "They liked the creativity the businesses displayed to promote the area." The Russian business people have stayed with host families during their stay. They are being sponsored locally by the Ashland Rotary and Ashland Lithia Springs Rotary clubs. Annie Hoy, a member of the Ashland Lithia Springs Rotary Club, and one of the local coordinators of the Russian visit, has been impressed with the fast friendships that have been made between the Russians and those they have met in Ashland. "It's amazing the bonds that have been made," Hoy said. "It opens everyone involved to new experiences. ... It's a people-to-people program." Hoy said Rotary members and host families have been impressed by the group's interest in learning new things and generosity in teaching the Americans about Russian culture. Earlier this week, the visitors cooked a special dinner for their host families and Rotary Club members that included a traditional Russian fish stew, Hoy said. Dedukhina was quite pleased with the number of cultural opportunities Ashland has. She was looking forward to seeing the OSF production of a "Midsummer Nights Dream" on Wednesday night. "I love Shakespeare very much," she said. " It was a pleasant surprise that they have a festival like this here." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -