 Baikal has always been popular in Russia and CIS-countries, but for the last few years Baikal has seen an influx of visitors from China and Europe.Lake Baikal faces a series of detrimental phenomenon including the disappearance of the omul fish, the rapid growth of putrid algae and the death of endemic species of sponges across its area.The Baykalsk Pulp and Paper Mill was constructed in 1966, directly on the shoreline of Lake Baikal.