A tourist zone is a certain territory that does not have clear boundaries and does not have common specific tourist resources that can arouse sustained interest from a certain category of tourists.

Russia has an exceptionally huge amount of diverse natural, climatic, ethnographic and anthropogenic resources that can satisfy the interests and tastes of the most discerning tourists. In accordance with the methodology adopted by the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation, there are 13 federal tourist zones in the Russian Federation.

Main types of tourist areas in the Russian Federation

Western tourist area. It includes the Kaliningrad region, where tourist resources are represented by historical monuments, as well as tourism opportunities on the Baltic Sea coast, especially in the area of ​​the Curonian Spit, declared a National Natural Park.

North-West tourist zone. It includes: St. Petersburg, Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Vologda regions; Republic of Karelia. Tourist resources are represented by the most interesting cultural and historical monuments in St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Pskov, Vologda, monuments of Valaam and Kizhi, opportunities for cruise travel and ecological tours, treatment at the resort of marcial waters, amateur hunting and fishing. Of particular interest to tourists are the possibilities of organizing this winter recreation and entertainment area. In this zone, state nature reserves “Kivach”, “Kostomushkinsky”, “Nizhne-Svirsky”, as well as the Valdai National Natural Park have been created and operate.

Central tourist area. It includes: Moscow, Moscow, Vladimir, Kaluga, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, Yaroslavl regions. This zone is distinguished by the largest number of diverse tourist resources, including the cultural and historical values ​​of Moscow, historical monuments of the cities of the Golden Ring, as well as the cities of Smolensk, Ryazan, Kaluga. This zone is also rich in natural resources that can satisfy the diverse interests of nature lovers, hunting, fishing. Just like in the Northwestern zone, the Central tourist zone has good opportunities for organizing winter tourism. This zone includes the Oksky (biosphere) and Prioksko-Terasny state reserves, national parks: Meshera and Smolensk Poozerie.

South Russian tourist zone. It includes: Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Penza and Tambov regions, as well as the Republic of Mordovia. In past years, insufficient attention has been paid to tourism development in this area. Therefore, many of its historical monuments did not receive much public attention. However, many cities have left a big mark on the history of Russia and therefore can show quite interesting historical and cultural monuments, memorials dedicated to the history of the formation and development of the Russian state, the history of the Second World War. On the territory of the South Russian zone there are quite a few natural conditions and attractions that can interest Russian and foreign tourists. In this zone there are such state nature reserves as: “Bryansky Forest”, “Voroninsky”, “Forest on Vorskla”, “Volga Forest-Steppe”, “Central Chernozemny”, as well as the national natural park “Oryol Polesye”.

Volga tourist zone. It includes: the republics of Kalmykia, Tatarstan, Mari El, Udmurtia, Chuvashia, as well as the Astrakhan, Saratov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Volgograd, Kirov, Kostroma and Nizhny Novgorod regions. The main tourist attraction in this area can be considered the great Russian river Volga, with which many historical events of our country are connected. There are many cultural and historical monuments in the cities of the Volga region. For Russian foreign tourists, a visit to the hero city of Volgograd is of particular interest. Tourists can also get acquainted with the ethnographic features, traditions, customs and folklore of local peoples. The rich nature of this zone makes it possible to organize various forms of ecological, adventure tourism, and travel according to specialized programs. In this zone there are such state nature reserves as “Bolshaya Kokshaga” (Mari El), “Volzhsko-Kama” (Tatarstan), “Kerzhensky” (Nizhny Novgorod), “Nurgush” (Kirov region), as well as national natural parks “ Mari Chodra", "Lower Kama", "Khvalynsky", etc.

Ural tourist zone. It includes: the Republic of Bashkortostan, as well as the Orenburg, Perm, Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions. The Ural ridge, which separates Europe and Asia, passing through this zone, is in itself an attractive object of tourist interest. This zone is rich in a wide variety of natural and climatic resources, represented by flora, fauna, finds of modern paleontology and geology. There are also good opportunities for organizing eco-tourism and adventure tourism. This zone includes such state nature reserves as Basegi (Perm), Visimsky and Denezhkin Kamen (Sverdlovsk region), Orenburgsky, Shulgan-Tash (Bashkiria).

Priazovskoye - Black Sea tourist zone. It includes: Krasnodar Territory and Rostov Region. The main tourist resources in this area are the Black Sea coast, with the famous resort cities of Sochi, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Adler and the balneological center of Matsesta, as well as resort places on the coast of the Azov Sea. The mountainous region of this zone has unique natural resources that can satisfy the most diverse interests of nature lovers. This is where the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve and the Sochi National Natural Park are located. tourist zone industry russia

Caucasian tourist zone. It includes: Stavropol Territory and the Republic of Adygea, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Chechen, Kabardino-Balkarian, Karachay-Cherkess, North Ossetia. The main tourist resource of this zone is the Caucasus mountain range with exceptionally rich flora and fauna. Numerous national republics included in this zone, representing national traditions, customs, and folklore of local peoples, have attracted and continue to attract large groups of Russian and foreign tourists. Of particular importance for this zone are the resort centers of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, which have extremely valuable balneological resources. Numerous mountaineering and mountaineering routes pass through the territory of the North Caucasus. There are such state nature reserves as Dagestansky, Kabardino-Balkarian, North Ossetian, Teberdinsky, as well as the Elbrus region national natural park.

Ob-Altai tourist zone. This zone covers the Altai Republic and Altai Territory, as well as Kemerovo. Novosibirsk, Omsk. Kurgan, Tyumen and Tomsk regions. In this zone there are such state nature reserves as “Altaisky” and “Kutunsky” (Altai), “Verkhne-Tazovsky”, “Yugansky” and “Malaya Sosva” (Tyumen), “Kuznetsky Alatau” and “Shorsky” (Kemerovo) . The presence of such reserves and natural parks testifies to the abundance of natural and climatic resources in the Ob-Altai tourist zone, capable of satisfying the interests of travelers for a variety of types of tourism.

Yenisei tourist zone. The territory of this zone covers the republics of Tuva and Khakassia, as well as the Krasnoyarsk Territory. This zone is also distinguished by a large number of natural reserves and parks, including the following reserves: “Azas” (Tuva), “Chazy”, “Maly Abakan” (Khakassia), “Taimyrsky”, “Stolby”, “Sayano-Shushensky”, “ Central Siberian" (Krasnoyarsk).

Baikal tourist zone. It includes the Republic of Buryatia, as well as the Irkutsk and Chita regions. The main tourist attraction of this area is the deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal, with its extremely unique flora and fauna. The main natural and climatic attractions are concentrated in the natural reserves and parks created in this zone: Baikalsky, Barguzinsky, Vitimsky, Daursky, Dzherginsky, Sokhondinsky, Zabaikalsky, etc.

Far Eastern tourist zone. It includes: Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, Amur and Sakhalin regions, Jewish Autonomous Region. In terms of its natural - climatic, ethnographic and anthropogenic resources, this zone is not inferior to other eastern territories of the Russian Federation. The country's largest nature reserves and national parks have also been created and are actively operating: Bolshekhehtsirsky, Botchinsky, Bureinsky, Dzhugdzhursky (Khabarovsk), Zeysky, Khingansky (Amur), Lazovsky, Sikhote - Alinsky", "Khankaysky" (Primorye), "Poronaisky", "Kurilsky" (Sakhalin). Along with these reserves, this zone has many natural conditions for organizing sports and adventure tourism, amateur hunting and fishing, and getting to know historical monuments, customs and folklore of local peoples.

Russian North. This is the largest tourist area, stretching along the entire northern border of our country. It covers the republics of Komi, Sakha, the autonomous okrugs of Chukotka, Taimyr, Khanty-Mansi, Evenki, Yamal-Nenets, the regions of Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Kamchatka and Magadan. In this zone, the most interesting state nature reserves and national parks have also been created and operate: “Big Arctic” and “Putoransky”, “Magadansky”, “Kronotsky” (Kamchataka), “Magadansky” and “Wrangel Island” (Magadan), “Pinezhsky” (Arkhangelsk), “Pechero-Ilychsky” and “Yugyd Va” (Komi).

The most developed part of this zone is the European north: Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, which have regular sea communications with the countries of Northern Europe and host foreign cruises. This zone attracts tourists with its natural and climatic features: polar night, northern lights, white nights, exceptional conditions for adventure tourism, winter sports, northern fauna, ethnographic features of local peoples.

The process of tourist regionalization. The most fundamental reason for regional formation is the development of territories. These processes are long-term in nature even in the case of determining tourist specialization, which, as a rule, does not play a significant role in the economy and does not dominate even in the recreational areas themselves. According to D.V. Nikolaenko, the process of tourist and recreational area formation in an extremely general form can be described as follows 1.

First stage. The existence of an undeveloped but strategically important territory with potential tourism and recreational resources .

Second phase. The new area begins to grow rapidly. The mass consciousness affirms the idea that its tourist resources are unique. Recreation and tourism attract a large number of people who settle in the new area and remain to live there permanently. Powerful funds are being invested in the region, a specialized tourism and recreational infrastructure is being created, aimed at serving the population of the entire territory.

Third stage. The area reaches a high level of sociocultural development; a period of decline in its tourist popularity begins. A highly specialized tourist and recreational area is being transformed into a multifunctional one. Recreation begins to destroy recreation in it. The region has enough other economic functions, and even the disappearance of recreation and tourism will not destroy its economy. The region is becoming self-sufficient.

Fourth stage. Stabilization and reorientation of the tourist area. Tourist areas very rarely completely lose their original functions, and developing multifunctionality never displaces recreation and tourism. The number of tourists in the area is decreasing, their flows are stabilizing. The preserved tourist specialization reaches a high level of development. The area is becoming a sustainable tourist center.

The peculiarity of tourist and recreational area formation is that it affects both natural and social phenomena and objects. In general, this is an integral process that occurs at their junction: certain prerequisites in the form of favorable natural conditions are superimposed on the corresponding social and economic needs of development, which, under certain conditions, leads to the formation of a tourist and recreational area.

The main factor in this process is determined by the needs of territory development. The development of tourist and recreational areas is significantly influenced by many other factors, for example, the level of economic development of the territory, transport accessibility, a sufficient number of labor resources, and the existence of a settlement system. These are real factors in the specific process of development of a tourist area.

Recreational zoning division of the territory according to the principle of homogeneity of characteristics and the nature of recreational use. Its main features are the level of recreational development of the territory and the structure of recreational functions (therapeutic, health, tourism, excursion). Recreational zoning is a type of private, sectoral zoning that reflects only one aspect (recreation), which can be adequately described on a fundamental basis. Recreational zoning is an important scientific and practical procedure.

Consequently, regional formation is, in its essence, a process that often does not depend on the will and consciousness of man. Zoning, in turn, is a procedure, the nature and purpose of which is determined by the subject from whose position it is carried out. Depending on the tasks set by the researchers, various characteristics can be taken as area-forming characteristics. Their choice also depends on the scale of the territory under study (district, republic, state). However, each of them reflects only the particulars that determine the development of tourism in a particular region.

At the same time, to assess the state of modern tourism and the prospects for its development, a comprehensive analysis of the recreational use of the territory is required, which forms the basis of recreational zoning. In this case, the general geographical principles of zoning must be observed: objectivity, multidimensionality, hierarchy and constructiveness. Objectivity means that area-forming characteristics must reflect specific characteristics. Multidimensionality (complexity of assessment) is due to the variety of types of tourism included in the tourism industry. Hierarchy makes it possible to divide the territory into zones, subzones, districts and subdistricts, which are in clear mutual connection and subordination. Constructiveness is determined by the clarity of the tasks set during zoning.

Unlike the traditional economic approach, which considers only one function of the area - serving tourists, in recreational zoning the area is defined as a territory that is homogeneous in the nature of recreational use, therefore, it must differ in a set of characteristics. In recreational zoning, the following were chosen as area-forming features: the structure of recreational functions depending on the predominant use recreational resources ; degree of recreational development of the territory (developed, moderately and underdeveloped area); level of openness of the area; development prospects.

In the domestic practice of recreational division of territory, a five-stage system of taxonomic units of recreational zoning is used: zone, region (region, republic, district), district, locality, microdistrict. Recreational areas are allocated depending on the density of concentration of long-term recreation enterprises and developed recreational resources. At the next stage of zoning, attention was paid to the predominance or combination of the leading functions of recreational enterprises: medical, health, tourism, excursion. These formations were called districts. Under recreational area is understood as an integral territory, characterized by a combination of natural conditions favorable for recreation, having recreational facilities and specialization.

Within the districts there are recreational areas, characterized by common features of geographical location, homogeneous natural resources and a narrower opportunity for specialization of recreational institutions. They can serve as the necessary base on the basis of which a resort, recreation and tourism area will be formed. Under recreational microdistrict is understood as a set of recreational institutions and various related industries located in a compact territory and interconnected by a system of engineering and household support with centralization and cooperation of service units.

Tourist zoning the process of dividing a territory, in which areas are identified by the presence of special recreational features and tourist areas are distinguished, differing from each other in the set and degree of expression of features. UNWTO celebrates five major tourism regions of the world: Europe, the Americas, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania, Africa, and the Near and Middle East.

Tourist zoning of a territory is quite an important task, since its solution makes it possible to use certain territories for people’s recreation and the development of their culture with the greatest efficiency, as well as with minimal impact on nature. The development of scientific principles of tourist zoning and their further development make it possible to identify new recreational resources and other prerequisites for the development of tourism in still undeveloped places; identify and create new tourist areas of various types; correctly determine their tourist specialization, transfer the experience of tourism development from one area to another with similar conditions; differentiated treatment of tourist areas with diverse conditions.

Yu. A. Khudenkikh identifies seven basic principles of tourist zoning 2 .

1. Integrity  the tourist area is a single and indivisible natural and public space.

2. Dominance of certain types of tourism activities.

3. Gravity towards the cores  identification of organizing centers of the region.

4. Closedness of tourist routes  the main routes should lie within the boundaries of the region.

5. Hierarchy of tourist territories.

6. Levels of development of tourism infrastructure.

7. Historical community of economic and recreational development.

These principles require some comment. For example, the fourth point is quite difficult to implement in practice, since the most popular tourist routes In Russia, several tourist areas pass through the territory - river cruises on the Volga, the Golden Ring of Russia, etc. According to the authors, when identifying tourist areas, one should first of all be guided by three fundamental provisions.

Firstly, the tourist area must be integral in administrative and territorial terms. If possible, one should strive to ensure that administrative boundaries coincide with the boundaries of tourist areas. This facilitates statistical recording and comparison of regions with each other. The existence of two unrelated territories within one tourist area is completely excluded.

Secondly, tourist areas should have a certain specialization in specific types of tourism activities. It can be either pronounced, which leads to the formation of specialized single-industry areas, or diffuse, which leads to the formation of multi-industry areas. However, in any case, the area should have one or two priority tourism areas. For example, the Central region specializes in the development of educational and business tourism, the North Caucasus - medical tourism, the Mountainous Caucasus - sports tourism, etc.

Thirdly, within the framework of a tourist area, a specific type of its territorial structure is formed - a combination of areal, linear and point elements. The functions of the organizing cores of the region should be performed by tourist centers, since they serve as the basis for planning tourist routes and the formation of hierarchical structures of a higher level.

Consequently, tourist zoning is not an easy task. Its complexity lies in two aspects: the territory of the entire world is considered, that is, very different areas that are not similar to each other; zoning should cover places where there is practically no tourism or it is poorly developed, but there are certain prerequisites for it.

To the number area-forming factors in international tourism include:

 the main features of the geographical location from the point of view of tourism (position in relation to tourist markets and host regions, to politically unstable areas and “hot spots”, relationships with neighboring countries, as well as with those states through whose territory they pass communications used by the majority of tourists);

 the nature of nature, the level of comfort of climatic conditions, the wealth and diversity of recreational resources, the possibility and convenience of their use;

 the saturation of the territory with natural, cultural and historical attractions, their interaction and position in relation to the main zones and centers of tourism;

 degree of attractiveness of natural, cultural and historical attractions for the bulk of tourists and promising clientele;

 level of accessibility of the area in terms of communications;

 level of necessary costs in time to arrive at the destination and return home;

 the general level of financial expenditures by tourists to travel;

 level of development of tourism infrastructure (equipping the territory with accommodation facilities, communications, transport, catering establishments, trade, etc.);

 level of service and qualifications of personnel serving tourists;

 capacity of the territory for receiving tourists;

 stability of the internal political situation;

 level of safety of tourists in terms of crime and environmental situation;

 level of general economic development, provision of labor resources, material resources and financial opportunities for the creation and further development of the tourism and hospitality industry;

 territory from the point of view of its place in the tourism market, i.e. the volume of tourist flows and prerequisites for the formation of such flows in the future;

 structure of foreign tourist clientele coming to the area;

 main features of tourism in a given area (seasonal rhythms, duration, predominant types of tourism, main purposes of visiting, etc.);

 attitude of authorities and local tourism bodies to tourism problems;

 the economic role of tourism for a given area (amount of budget revenues from tourism, costs for the development of tourism infrastructure, the place of tourism among other sectors of the economy and the relationship with them, the impact of tourism on the employment of the local population, the overall economic effect of tourism);

 prospects for the development of tourism in the area.

The importance of all these factors in the formation of tourist areas is different. Their action manifests itself in a wide variety of combinations. It should be noted that the zoning of many countries from the point of view of domestic tourism usually does not coincide with that in terms of international tourism, since an area that is interesting and accessible to its citizens may be of little interest or difficult to access for foreign tourists. Or, conversely, places that are attractive to tourists do not always arouse interest among the local population due to their everyday life. Therefore, it is always necessary to specify what kind of tourism we are talking about - domestic or international.

Tourism zoning of the foreign world is based on the following system-structural approach: the region is taken as the largest territorial unit, i.e. the following geographical development zones: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central and East Asia, Africa, Australia, Oceania. The next unit of tourist zoning is the country. It is necessary to consider each country separately, since we are talking about international tourism, i.e., the exchange of tourists between countries. In addition, all statistics in international tourism are carried out by country. It should also be noted that the impact of tourism on the economy is also considered by country. Due to these factors, the country acts as the most important taxonomic unit when zoning in international tourism.

Quite often, tourist zones are identified in tourism-developed countries rich in tourism resources. This term is used for those areas where tourism is well developed, i.e. most of the territory is intensively visited by tourists. It should be noted that, having a great influence on the level and structure of the economy of both individual territories and entire countries, as well as their landscape, the life of the population, consumption and protection of recreational resources, etc., tourism seriously affects the appearance of these territories, often changes their specialization, changes their economic ties, and therefore acts as an important regional-forming factor.

According to A. Yu. Alexandrova, the most unified requirements for a holiday destination, as well as those directly influencing the development of this industry in any area of ​​international tourism, are the following:

 natural and climatic attractiveness;

 cultural and historical resources;

 quality standard of hotels and tourist accommodation facilities, catering and all services, compliance with international standards of the tourist infrastructure available in the area, availability of cultural, entertainment and excursion programs ;

 operational transport and information accessibility;

 political stability in the region and guarantee of personal security;

 international fame and prestige of the place (image of the territory).

Currently, when zoning tourists and assessing the degree of development of tourist territories, it is advisable to distinguish three types 3:

1) territories with the most valuable and diverse tourist resources, widely used for organizing recreation during mass holidays;

2) territories with a variety of resources for vacation, vacation and holiday recreation;

3) territories with limited resources, on the basis of which tourism and recreation can develop depending on the existing needs for the organization of recreational facilities, including on the initiative of local authorities in order to accelerate the socio-economic development of the regions.

Zoning, both recreational and tourist, reflects the essence and general patterns of spatial differentiation. IN tourism The concept of “tourist space” is actively discussed, as well as issues of its structuring. Tourist space is the most general concept, including both the concept of a tourist region and tourist sites. His can be viewed from a geographic and economic perspective. According to economics, tourism space is an economic space characterized by a variety of objects and entities specializing in tourism and recreation.

The tourist space from the point of view of tourism covers three main elements: the territory of formation of demand for consumers of tourism and recreational services; territory of service offering (“ tourist destination ", "tourist region", "tourist area") and the connecting territory between them. Thus, the tourist region is part of the tourist space, its constituent element. Consequently, the tourism space in the expanded sense is a set of regions in which demand for tourism products is formed; demand is satisfied; acts as a link between them.

So, any tourist space is formed by elements of three main types:

1) areal (areal) tourist zones and areas;

2) point (discrete) tourist centers and, partly, destinations;

3) linear (continuous) tourist routes.

Tourist region: concept , signs and development cycle.The territory where a range of services is offered does not always have clearly defined boundaries. It can be part of the region, or a tourist center, where there is all the necessary material resources for organizing recreation and accommodating tourists. Such a territory can cover any region, country, or even a group of countries that a tourist chooses as the goal of his trip. There are several approaches to defining a tourist region, related to the answer to the following questions: how to determine the territory that a tourist has chosen to travel, and what size of the territory is perceived by various market segments as the purpose of travel?

UNWTO defines a tourist region as a territory that has a large network of special facilities and services necessary for organizing recreation or recreation. From this definition it follows that a tourist region can be considered independent if it has all the necessary facilities for tourists to stay in it. That is, it is defined as a place that has tourist facilities and services that are selected by a tourist or a group of tourists and that are sold by the service provider. Thus, the tourist region is the purpose of travel and the tourist product at the same time.

L.V. Kovyneva defines a tourist region as a separate territorial unit that is in unity with nature and has certain physical-geographical, ethnic-historical, ecological-economic, political-administrative and legal properties that ensure its functioning. Tourist region is an intranational category that may correspond to an administrative-territorial division (for example, Buryatia), occupy part of an administrative-territorial division (for example, Khabarovsk) or represent a territory located within several administrative-territorial units (Zolote ring, Baikal region) 4.

A slightly different definition is given in the work “Planning for a Tourism Enterprise”: “A tourist region is understood as a separate territorial unit based on a commonality of natural, cultural, historical and architectural resources, united by a common tourist infrastructure and perceived as an integral object” 5 .

A tourist region can be considered taking into account the requirements of the vacationers themselves. With this model, four parameters are identified, based on which the vacationer, having once arrived at the vacation spot, wants to fulfill his tourist motives again. Depending on the experience, motive of the trip and distance from the place of residence, the vacationer identifies the following parameters: housing, location, landscape, excursions.

Yu. D. Dmitrevsky, linking common interpretations of the tourist territory, proposed the concept of “ potential tourist area", which, having certain resources, becomes a truly tourist area only after the creation of the necessary infrastructure. It defines tourist area as a territory with certain characteristics attractiveness and provided with tourism infrastructure and a tourism organization system.

A number of works use the concept “ tourist and recreational area", representing a territory formed by tourist and recreational demand, possessing tourist and recreational resources, conditions, the necessary degree of development of tourist and recreational infrastructure and differing from other areas in its specialization in certain types of tourism and recreation.

In administrative and economic practice, tourist and recreational areas are usually called territorial (regional) tourist and recreational complexes (TTRC), based on the fact that tourism and recreation are based on the integrated use of the economic potential of many sectors of social production, such as trade, transport, healthcare, culture, education.

Under tourist area is understood:

 part of the national territory in which there are two or more centers for receiving tourists with at least 5 thousand places of residence;

 territory with priority development of tourism infrastructure;

 the territory in which display objects that attract tourists, as well as other tourist facilities (hotels, sanatoriums, boarding houses, etc.) are concentrated.

The lowest level in the system of tourist territories is tourist center city, natural object, area of ​​terrain where a complex of tourist and excursion services has been created on the basis of concentrated tourist resources. It consists of tourist accommodation facilities, catering establishments, sports facilities, retail and other service enterprises.

So, tourist area a territory that has certain attributes of attractiveness and is provided with tourist infrastructure and a tourism organization system. Tourist areas are distinguished by the following characteristics:

 time of origin, historical features of formation;

 natural, historical, cultural, socio-economic and population prerequisites for formation;

 level of development of tourism infrastructure;

 tourism specialization.

However, not any region can become a tourist region, but only one that has:

 quality services necessary for receiving tourists ( transfer , accommodation and meals with an appropriate level of service);

 attractions to attract tourists, generating people's interest in the region and creating competition with others;

 information systems  an important means of functioning of the region in the tourism market.

Any tourist region in the process of formation goes through a certain development cycle (Fig. 3.5). Initially, the main motives for people coming to the region are visiting relatives and friends, as well as business trips. Then there is an interest in the natural and cultural attractions of this region. Such needs are easily met by existing services, and visitors leave with a positive experience.

Rice. 3.5. Development cycle of a tourist region

At this stage of tourism development, only a small part of the available infrastructure depends on the number of arrivals and the length of their stay. But gradually information about quality service and attractions is spreading, helping to increase the flow of tourists. This is responded to immediately tourism enterprises , developing specialized services for visitors.

Thus, the region begins to acquire the characteristic features of a tourist region: new accommodation facilities, food and entertainment establishments, etc. appear. Investments bring greater profits, and, naturally, new additional opportunities arise to attract tourists and serve them. In turn, visitors change the way of life of local residents, introducing their traditions and culture. There is a need for management, the main goals of which are to promote the region in the market to attract the required number of tourists to support the tourism business at a high level, as well as to select tools that ensure the development of financially profitable forms and types of tourism. At this stage, the tourism management body makes decisions on what types of services to develop and how to satisfy the ever-changing tastes of visitors.

In addition, there is a constant influx of new labor into the region, resulting in a gradual assimilation of local residents, which often leads to the loss of local culture and the formation of a new one, but no longer characteristic of the region. This is followed by irreversible environmental changes, due to which the region loses its attractiveness, the number of tourists decreases, accommodation facilities are empty, and profits are reduced. It is important to immediately respond to these changes: improve tourism development policies by developing a new program.

The model for the development of tourist territories, developed by Yu. A. Vedenin and supplemented by Yu. A. Khudenkikh, is also widely known (Table 3.2).

Lecture 12. Spatial organization of tourism.

1. Tourist regions and zones.

2. Stages of development of a tourist area.

Tourist region- the purpose of travel and the tourist product at the same time.

L. V. Kovyneva defines tourist region as a separate territorial unit that is in unity with nature and has certain physical-geographical, ethnic-historical, ecological-economic, political-administrative and legal properties that ensure its functioning.

Tourist region- an intranational category that may correspond to an administrative-territorial division (for example, Buryatia), occupy part of an administrative-territorial division (for example, Khabarovsk) or represent a territory located within several administrative-territorial units (Golden Ring, Baikal region).

Yu. D. Dmitrevsky, linking common interpretations of tourist territory, proposed the concept "potentially tourist area" which, having certain resources, becomes a truly tourist area only after the creation of the necessary infrastructure. It defines tourist area as a territory that has certain signs of attractiveness and is provided with tourist infrastructure and a tourism organization system.

A number of works use the concept "tourist and recreational area" representing a territory formed by tourist and recreational demand, possessing tourist and recreational resources, conditions, the necessary degree of development of tourist and recreational infrastructure and differing from other areas in its specialization in certain types of tourism and recreation.

Under tourist area is understood:

Part of the national territory in which there are two or more centers for receiving tourists with at least 5 thousand accommodation places;

Territory with priority development of tourism infrastructure;

The territory in which display objects that attract tourists, as well as other tourist facilities (hotels, sanatoriums, boarding houses, etc.) are concentrated.

The lowest level in the system of tourist territories is tourist center- a city, natural object, area of ​​terrain where a complex of tourist and excursion services has been created on the basis of concentrated tourist resources. It consists of tourist accommodation facilities, catering establishments, sports facilities, retail and other service enterprises.

So, tourist area - a territory that has certain signs of attractiveness and is provided with tourist infrastructure and a tourism organization system.

Tourist areas are distinguished by the following characteristics:

Time of origin, historical features of formation;

Natural, historical, cultural, socio-economic and population prerequisites for the formation;

The level of development of tourism infrastructure;

Tourist specialization.

However, not any region can become a tourist region, but only one that has:

Quality services necessary for receiving tourists (transfer, accommodation and meals with an appropriate level of service);

Attractions to attract tourists, generating people's interest in the region and creating competition with others;

Information systems are an important means of functioning of the region in the tourism market.

Tourist zoning– the process of dividing a territory, in which areas are identified by the presence of special features and tourist areas are distinguished, differing from each other in the set and degree of expression of features. The WTO identifies five major tourism regions of the world: Europe, America, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania, Africa, and the Near and Middle East.

Tourist zoning of a territory is a rather important task, since its solution allows for the greatest efficiency, as well as with minimal impact on nature, to use certain territories for people’s recreation and the development of their culture. The development of scientific principles of tourist zoning and their further development make it possible to identify new tourist resources and other prerequisites for the development of tourism in still undeveloped places; identify and create new tourist areas of various types; correctly determine their tourist specialization; transfer the experience of tourism development from one area to another with similar conditions; differentiated treatment of tourist areas with diverse conditions.

Yu. A. Khudenkikh identifies seven principles of tourist zoning:

1. Integrity - the tourist area is a single and indivisible natural and public space.

2. Dominance of certain types of tourism activities.

3. Gravity towards the cores - identifying the organizing centers of the region.

4. Closedness of tourist routes, which should run within the boundaries of the region.

5. Hierarchy of tourist territories.

6. Level of development of tourism infrastructure.

7. Historical commonality of economic and tourist development.

In the domestic practice of tourist division of a territory, the following system of taxonomic zoning units is used: zone, district, locality, microdistrict, center, object (enterprise). Under tourist area is understood as: a part of the national territory in which there are two or more centers for receiving tourists with at least 5,000 places of residence or a territory in which display objects that attract tourists, as well as other tourist facilities (hotels, sanatoriums, boarding houses, etc.) are concentrated. . In geographical science, the concept of “tourist zone” has a wider scope and represents the largest territorial accounting unit in the field of tourism.

At the next stage of zoning, attention was paid to the predominance or combination of the leading functions of tourist enterprises: medical, health, tourism, excursion. These formations were called districts. Under tourist area is understood as an integral territory, characterized by a combination of natural, historical and cultural resources favorable for tourism, having tourist infrastructure facilities and specialization.

Within the districts there are tourist areas , characterized by common features of geographical location, homogeneous tourism resources and a narrower opportunity for specialization of tourism institutions. Tourist areas can serve as the necessary base on the basis of which a resort, recreation and tourism area will be formed. Under tourist district is understood as a set of tourist establishments and various related industries located in a compact territory and interconnected by a system of engineering and household support with centralization and cooperation of service departments.

A separate group of taxonomic units of tourist zoning consists of tourist centers and objects, as well as their complexes. In modern science tourist center is defined as an area that, in addition to tourist resources, has the appropriate infrastructure (transport, accommodation, catering, service, entertainment) to serve significant tourist contingents, and also attracts tourists due to the presence of specific tourist resources, convenient transport-geographical location and information available to tourists about him. Tourist site should be considered a special urban planning education, focused on providing tourists with a given volume of services and implementing specialized tourism programs.

Quite often, tourist zones are identified in tourism-developed countries rich in tourism resources. This term is used for those areas where tourism is well developed, that is, most of the territory is intensively visited by tourists. It should be noted that, having a great influence on the level and structure of the economy, both individual territories and entire countries, as well as their landscape, the life of the population, consumption and protection of recreational resources, etc., tourism seriously affects the appearance of these territories , often changes their specialization, changes their economic ties, and therefore acts as an important area-forming factor.

The most unified requirements for a holiday destination, as well as those directly influencing the development of this industry in any area of ​​international tourism, are the following: 1) natural and climatic attractiveness; 2) cultural and historical resources; 3) the quality standard of hotels and tourist accommodation facilities, catering and the entire service sector, compliance with international standards of the tourist infrastructure available in the area, the availability of cultural, entertainment and excursion programs; 4) prompt transport and information accessibility; 5) political stability in the region and guarantee of personal security; 6) international fame and prestige of the place (image of the territory).

Tourist region: concept, characteristics and development cycle.The territory where a range of services is offered does not always have clearly defined boundaries. It can be part of the region, or a tourist center, where there is all the necessary material resources for organizing recreation and accommodating tourists. Such a territory can cover any region, country, or even a group of countries that the tourist chooses as the destination of his trip.

As Yu. P. Kovalev believes, among the main spatial features of tourism projected onto the specifics of tourist regions, it is necessary first of all to highlight the following:

Ø The tourist space covers three main elements: the territory of formation of demand and recruitment of tourists, the territory of supply of services (“tourist destination”, “tourist region”, “tourist area”) and the connecting territory between them, since the remoteness of the territories of demand and supply leads to the need use of means of transport.

Ø Tourism is a sector of the economy that produces mainly services that are carried out only in the relationship “client - seller of services” and only at the time of implementation of the agreement. This has enormous spatial significance, since the tourist must find himself in a place where tourist values ​​are offered in the form of tourist and recreational services.

Ø There is a strong change in the spatio-temporal and structural flows of travelers. The presence at the same time of significant general, cultural, entertainment, health, and relaxation potential can lead to a variety of positive and negative changes in economic conditions, economic and social structure, and technical equipment of attractive destinations.

Ø The role of tourism as a factor of change is the most important for territories that are attractive from the point of view of tourism development, which are defined as tourist regions. The genesis of demand territories and connecting territories differs markedly from the genesis of tourist regions, despite the fact that they are a necessary component of the spatial tourism system. It is important to identify differences between the external environment and the content of a tourist region, as well as the characteristics of the tourist space as a whole, in which the tourist region is only a constituent element.

Ø Tourist values ​​are heterogeneous. Some of the original tourist values ​​are of a natural nature, the other part is created by man. They have different “geographies”. In the first case, it is determined by the little-changed natural environment, in the second - by the artificial environment. The boundary between these two groups of objects is not sharp, since there is a group of attraction objects that was created as a result of changes in the natural environment by human activity. The localization of initial tourist values ​​determines the formation of territories with tourist specialization.

Ø A characteristic feature of the functioning of the tourist region is strong seasonality. This is explained by uneven opportunities to use natural values ​​throughout the year and strong fluctuations in the use of free time under the influence of natural factors and social organization.

Ø The tourism region is an industrial and functional region. The presence of conditions that could possibly become tourist products (if there is a demand for them) does not mean that the territory will automatically turn into a tourist region. In this case, we can talk about areas of potential tourism development.

Ø The tourist region is tangible, since some of its parameters and features can be measured. Creating an image of a region is impossible if it is impossible to show its differences from others. The smaller the unit used, the more important its use will be in spatial planning, marketing, etc. Conversely, larger units have less practical significance, but their informational role increases.

Ø One of the features of tourism is the existence of specialized tourist regions, which have little importance in spatial planning, but are an important testing ground for the activities of tourist entities. The tourist region as a form of ordering series and spatial classification of tourism has enormous informational and didactic significance. This is its main value for consumers of tourism services.

Let us review the main points of view on the concept of “tourist region” and define it conceptually. WTO determines tourist region as a territory that has a large network of special facilities and services necessary for organizing recreation or recreation. A tourist region, in order to be considered independent, must have all the necessary facilities for tourists to stay in it, that is, a tourist region is defined as a place that has tourist facilities and services that are chosen by a tourist or a group of tourists and that are sold by the service provider. Thus, a tourist region is the purpose of travel and a tourist product at the same time.

L. V. Kovyneva defines tourist region as a separate territorial unit, in unity with nature and possessing physical-geographical, ecological-economic, ethnic-historical, political-administrative and legal properties that ensure its functioning. A tourist region is an intranational category that may correspond to an administrative-territorial division (for example, Saratov region, Primorsky Krai), occupy part of an administrative-territorial division (for example, Kirov, Perm) or represent a territory located within several administrative -territorial units (Kuban, Russian North).

Under tourist region is often understood as a separate territorial unit based on a community of natural, cultural, historical and architectural resources, united by a common tourist infrastructure and perceived as an integral object. A tourist region can be considered taking into account the requirements of the vacationers themselves. With this model, four parameters are identified, based on which the vacationer, having once arrived at a vacation destination, wants to fulfill his tourist motives again. Depending on the experience, motive of the trip and distance from the place of residence, the vacationer identifies the following parameters: housing, location, landscape and excursions.

Yu. D. Dmitrevsky, linking common interpretations of a tourist territory, proposed the concept of a “potential tourist area”, which, having certain resources, becomes a truly tourist area only after the creation of the necessary infrastructure. Tourist district he defines it as a territory that has certain attributes of attractiveness and is provided with tourist infrastructure and a tourism organization system.

In turn, under tourist and recreational area, is understood as a territory formed by tourist and recreational demand, possessing tourist and recreational resources, conditions, the necessary degree of development of tourist and recreational infrastructure and differing from other areas in its specialization in certain types of tourism and recreation.

E. A. Kotlyarov, in development of the views of V. S. Preobrazhensky, developed the concept recreational and tourist complexes, which he defined as a combination of recreational facilities and related infrastructure enterprises, united by close functional and economic ties, as well as the joint use of the geographical location, natural and economic resources of the territory occupied by the complex. In this interpretation, the tourist and recreational complex is considered as the basis for the formation of a special territorial and sectoral formation - a tourist and recreational area.

Tourist areas are distinguished by the following characteristics: a) time of origin, historical features of formation; b) natural, historical, cultural, socio-economic and population prerequisites for formation; c) level of development of tourism infrastructure; d) tourist specialization.

However, not any region is capable of becoming a tourist region, but only one that has: a) the quality services necessary to receive tourists (transfer, accommodation and meals with an appropriate level of service); b) attractions to attract tourists, generating people's interest in the region and creating competition with others; c) information systems, which are an important means of functioning of the region in the tourism market.

Any tourist region in the process of formation goes through a certain development cycle (Fig. 7.5.). Initially, the main motives for people coming to the region are visiting relatives and friends, as well as business trips. Then interest arises in the natural and cultural attractions of the region being visited. These needs are easily met by the existing service sector, and visitors leave with a good impression.

Rice. 7.5. Development cycle of a tourist region

At this stage of tourism development, only a small part of the available infrastructure depends on the number of arrivals and the length of their stay. But gradually information about quality service and attractions is spreading, helping to increase the flow of tourists. Tourism enterprises immediately respond to this by developing specialized services for visitors.

The region is beginning to acquire the characteristic features of a tourist region: new accommodation facilities, catering establishments, entertainment, etc. are appearing. Investments bring greater profits and, naturally, new additional opportunities arise to attract tourists and serve them. Visitors change the way of life of local residents, introducing their traditions and culture. There is a need for management, the main goals of which are to promote the region in the market to attract the required number of tourists to support the tourism business at a high level, as well as to select tools that ensure the development of financially profitable forms and types of tourism. At this stage, the tourism management body makes decisions about what types of services to develop and how to satisfy the constantly changing tastes of visitors.

There is a constant influx of new labor into the region, as a result of which there is a gradual assimilation of local residents in their environment, which often leads to the loss of local culture and the formation of a new one, but no longer characteristic and not characteristic of this region. This is followed by irreversible environmental changes, due to which the region loses its attractiveness, the number of tourists decreases, accommodation facilities are empty, and profits are reduced. It is important to immediately respond to these changes by improving tourism development policies through the development of a new program.

E. V. Loginova divides the development cycle of a tourist region into four stages:

First stage– discovery and initial development. This stage is characterized by slow growth in the number of visitors, poor contact with the local population, lack of facilities and very little pressure on the environment and resources. So-called “wild” and sports tourism can effectively develop here, but this requires the presence of beautiful landscapes, without significant changes by human activity and a minimal presence of socio-economic tourism resources.

Second phase- development. It is distinguished by the rapid growth in the number of visitors, the emergence of special organizations and tourism and recreation services (hotels, bars, parking lots, etc.), increased contacts with the local population, for whom serving tourists is becoming an important source of income. The impact on the environment increases sharply and can become negative.

Third stage– maturity or stagnation. Here the limit of the territory's capacity is reached, the state of the environment becomes unsatisfactory, the local population begins to have a negative attitude towards tourists, the growth in the number of tourists slows down and then stops.

Fourth stage- decline or renewal. This stage occurs depending on whether new resources for entertainment and tourism are discovered or not.

Control questions

s What types of space do you know?

s Which group of spaces does the tourist space belong to?

s What approaches exist to defining the concept of “tourist space”?

s List the most important features and elements of the tourist space.

s Concept and types of tourist areas.

s Describe the model of the evolution of tourist territories by Yu. A. Vedenin.

s What is the essence of the doctrine of territorial recreational systems?

s Draw a schematic model of the recreational system.

s Why has the TPC doctrine been criticized by many scientists lately?

s List and describe the main subsystems of TRS.

s Define the concept of “tourist route”.

s What types of tourist routes do you know? Give examples.

s List the main factors in the formation of tourist centers.

s What types of tourist centers do you know? Describe one of them.

s Give examples of different types of tourist centers.

s What is a “tourist destination” and what are its characteristic features?

s What types of tourist destinations do you know?

s Identify and characterize the main stages of the destination life cycle.

s List the features and principles of tourist zoning.

s The essence and characteristics of a tourist region.

s Identify and characterize the main stages of development of the tourist region.

Without a doubt, Europe beyond the borders of the CIS is the most important territory of the globe in terms of tourism. In fact, the first centers of tourism in the ancient world arose here, organized tourism began here in the 19th century, and the most visited states by tourists are located here. And this is no coincidence: Europe is a very diverse territory in terms of natural features - here a tourist can get acquainted with almost all zones of the cold and temperate zone, right down to the Mediterranean subtropics, which are especially popular in tourism. There are many seas here, with which Europe is literally cut up, large lakes, rivers very different in length and water regime, among which there are international ones, flowing through several countries (Danube, Rhine, etc.). The relief of this part of the world is varied: more or less extensive plains alternate with high mountain areas, where vertical altitudinal zonation is clearly expressed. The system of European highlands is crowned by the Alps system with the highest point of Europe on the border of France and Italy - Mont Blanc (4807 m above sea level). Thus, Europe is highly attractive due to the wide differentiation of its natural conditions.

The ethno-confessional makeup of different regions of Europe is also very diverse. Most of its inhabitants belong to peoples who speak languages ​​of the Slavic, Germanic, and Romance language groups. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of them profess Christianity in its various forms, among which a particularly large role is played by Catholicism, united by the Pope (in the Vatican), various forms of Protestantism (Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism, etc.), Orthodoxy (like Protestantism, not having a single center in foreign Europe). There are adherents of Islam living in a number of countries. All this greatly affected not only everyday life, lifestyle, but (and this is perhaps especially important for tourists) and religious architecture.

Civil architecture was greatly affected not only (and not so much) by ethnic differences, but by the complex history of European countries. The constant redrawing of the map of Europe led not only to the emergence of new states and the disappearance of old ones, but also to the formation of new cities, the network of which is very dense here. Moreover, these cities are of different types, which is reflected in their area, population, and appearance. Here the images of cities are very different, which often merge with each other, with rural settlements, forming both urban agglomerations and megalopolises.

In modern Europe, tourists are especially attracted by the monuments of ancient Roman and Greek culture, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance era.

birth. Modern buildings, often unique (for example, the Eiffel Tower in Paris), are also of great interest.

Europe has been a complex of states for many centuries, concentrating most of the world's intelligence. It is no coincidence that there are many higher educational institutions, scientific institutes, museums here, scientific forums are constantly held, and therefore scientific tourism is developing. It also includes festival tourism (including sports). Of course, business tourism is also very important in European countries.

Thus, we can safely say that almost all types of tourism (named and not named in the previous lines) are typical for Europe, which explains its scale.

In Europe, based on its historical, socio-economic, natural and some other prerequisites, it is possible to identify (outside Russia and the CIS) four recreational and tourist zones: Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Southern Europe.

I. The Eastern European zone was until recently an integral part of the “socialist camp”: the countries of this zone were part of both the CMEA and the Warsaw Pact organization. This circumstance left a big imprint on the development features of the Eastern European states after World War II, and these features, of course, could not be erased over the last decade. Therefore, wariness has remained towards everything coming from Russia, including in terms of tourism ties. Of course, the picture here is quite complex: the intellectual part of society in Eastern European countries understands that ordinary Russians are not responsible for the affairs of their rulers, and treats tourists from Russia with understanding and attention. But ordinary residents of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and other countries in this zone can hardly forget those negative (and often tragic) events that were associated with the actions of their great eastern neighbor; Nor can they treat with respect the countless “shuttle” tourists from Russia and other CIS countries. And hence a certain chill towards tourists from the territory of the former USSR, the desire to attract as many foreign tourists as possible from other regions of the world. (However, this trend existed in the pre-reform years.)

The Eastern European zone, in addition to its common post-war history, has one more feature that unites it into one whole: the majority of its population (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Bulgarians) are Slavs. Only the Romanians are among the Romance peoples, and the Hungarians are among the Finno-Ugric peoples. Three faiths predominate in the zone - Catholic (Poland, Hungary, Slovenia), Protestant (various types), Orthodox (Romania, Bulgaria). The same confessions are also characteristic of the Baltic countries, which until recently were part of the USSR.

As for natural conditions, they change greatly from north to south. A tourist moving from the Baltic countries to Bulgaria sees a gradual change in landscapes - from forest in the north and center, steppe in western Romania and Hungary to subtropical in southern Bulgaria. At the same time, in Romania and especially in Bulgaria (to a lesser extent in other countries), the altitudinal vertical zonation in the mountains (Carpathians, Balkans) is well defined. So the natural attractiveness in this tourist area is undoubtedly higher in the south, where, moreover (and this is very important!), there is the Black Sea with its excellent beaches in Bulgaria and Romania.

As for the historical and cultural attractiveness, then, as they say, every country has something to boast about: after all, all the states in this zone have an interesting history, the traces and monuments of which are the most interesting tourist sites.

1. The Baltic includes the territories of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The main attraction of the area lies in its coastal location and the associated resort recreation. Two large complexes were formed here - Palanga (Lithuania) and Jurmala (Latvia), and the Estonian seaside complexes of Pärnu and Haapsalu were somewhat less important.

But nature, and especially the sea with its beaches, is not the only factor in the tourist attractiveness of the area. Many cities with their historical monuments of the Middle Ages and Modern times are of great interest here. In this regard, the capital cities are attractive - Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius.

Thus, the Baltic can be considered as an area of ​​recreational, educational, as well as scientific tourism. At the same time, the main directions of tourism are sufficiently provided with the appropriate infrastructure. However, after the collapse of the USSR, it remains largely unclaimed, because the main flow of tourists from the republics of the USSR was interrupted, and Western tourists do not show much interest in the tourist Baltic.

2. Poland. Its tourist resources are determined, in addition to the picturesque nature (sea, rivers, forests, mid-altitude mountains), the opportunity to engage in summer and winter sports, as well as a large number of historical and cultural monuments of different eras, the country's musical traditions, etc.

Natural attractions are distinguished primarily by the north of the country with its Baltic coast and the south, where part of the Carpathian mountain system is located. As for the historical, cultural, historical and architectural attractiveness, it is possessed by the main tourist center of the country and its capital Warsaw, as well as Krakow, famous for its historical, architectural and cultural monuments. Gdansk, Szczecin, the birthplace of Copernicus - Toruń and Wroclaw are also very attractive. Among the resorts one can name the “Riviera of the North”. Sopot on the Baltic (with its traditional festivals), Krynica - the pearl of Polish resorts in the south of the country.

3. The central macro-region includes the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Having no access to the sea, this area, due to its Central European location and great historical, cultural and natural attractions, attracts a large number of tourists, the number of which grew rapidly in the post-war years.

The nature of the region is very diverse: medium-high mountains in the east and west, a plateau in the center, a lowland in the north, the great European Danube River, the “Hungarian Sea” - Lake Balaton, forests of different composition, steppes (Hungarian Pushta), healing mineral springs... Numerous historical and cultural monuments, architectural ensembles of different eras, museums - all these are important elements of the area's attractiveness. To this should be added a fairly developed tourist infrastructure, often exotic (a large number of tourist hotels are located in medieval castles in the Czech Republic).

In the Czech Republic, the main center of tourist attraction is the capital of the country, one of the most beautiful cities in the world - “Golden Prague” with such attractions as Wenceslas and Old Town Square, the town hall with the famous chimes, Prague Castle with the Cathedral of St. Vita and palaces (a kind of Prague Kremlin), Charles Bridge, museums of the great Czech composers Smetana and Dvorak and much more. Among the tourist areas of the country, it is necessary to mention the western Czech Republic with the famous resorts of Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne, whose fame owes to its healing mineral springs, and mountain resort recreational areas.

In Slovakia, the west of the country is an area of ​​educational tourism (the main center is the capital of the country Bratislava), the middle part (due to its natural diversity and high degree of natural attractiveness) is a natural recreational area, the east is a region of mountain tourism (different in different seasons) .

In Hungary, the main center of attraction for tourists is the capital Budapest with its bridges over the Danube, the parliament building, the citadel with a place of recreation, sports and entertainment - Margaret Island, numerous mineral springs, including hot ones (in and around the city). Tourists who come to the country for educational purposes are also attracted by other large, medium-sized and small cities where there are fortresses, castles, and cathedrals. There are also interesting natural objects of various types. And, of course, the main one among them is the lake. Lake Balaton, to whose shores holidaymakers flock.

4. Black Sea region. Romania and Bulgaria can be included in it. Both countries are characterized by access to the Black Sea with its beaches, a combination of mountainous areas with plateaus, plains, wide valleys, and vertical zonation of vegetation cover. Hence its diversity. All this makes the area attractive in terms of its natural attractiveness. But it is also characterized by important elements of historical-cultural, historical-architectural attractiveness. Despite many common features of attractiveness, Romania and Bulgaria, being Orthodox states, differ in their ethnic groups (mainly Slavic in Bulgaria, Romanesque in Romania), and many national traditions. In addition, within these countries themselves there are many internal differences, not only natural and socio-economic, but also ethnic (it is enough to recall the Turkish minority with its language and religion in Bulgaria, the Hungarian minority with its language and Catholicism in western Romania - Transylvania or about the German minority in the Romanian Banat). We must not forget that the political map of this area even in the 19th-20th centuries. rebuilt several times.

The Black Sea coast, the Danube Delta and other natural factors make the southeast the main tourist mesoregion of Romania with its numerous resorts - Black Sea beaches and the organizational center of the city of Constanta. An important tourist area is the capital. In Bucharest, which the country’s rulers wanted to turn into “little Paris,” there is a large number of historical monuments from different centuries (including Orthodox churches), monuments, pompous buildings for various purposes, and museums. All this makes Bucharest an interesting, although very diverse, excursion destination. In other areas of Romania, recreational tourism (varies in different seasons) is common, including in the mountains (mid-altitude). It is combined with elements of educational tourism - corresponding objects are found in different parts of the country - and balneological. Like any capital, Bucharest is a center of business, scientific, and festival tourism.

Located to the south, Bulgaria is one of the most developed countries in Europe in terms of tourism. And this, of course, is no coincidence: the diverse nature, cultural monuments of different centuries - all this makes the country extremely attractive for tourists. At the same time, several tourist meso-districts stand out quite clearly.

The Black Sea region of Bulgaria contains a large number of seaside resorts, famous all over the world. Tourists are attracted by the sea, beaches, and well-developed infrastructure. There are also objects of educational tourism, including ancient monuments. There are also exotic natural and archaeological sites.

The capital of the country, Sofia, is an important area of ​​educational tourism (temples, monuments, interesting buildings of civil architecture). Near the city there is the Vitosha massif tourist complex and some other objects.

In the southwest of Bulgaria there are the Rila, Rhodope, and Piria mountain ranges that attract tourists with their nature, resorts (mountain air, numerous mineral springs), and monasteries. Here, unlike other regions of the country, tourism is less seasonal, since in winter the alpine skiing type is developed. The mountainous region of central Bulgaria - the Balkans (Stara Plapina) and the gradual descent to the Danube located to the north attract important educational and tourist sites, monuments of the ancient world and the Middle Ages. But, perhaps, the numerous monuments of Russian-Bulgarian friendship of the 19th-20th centuries are of particular interest. - These are various monuments from the era of the Russian-Turkish wars and World War II. It is enough to name the temple-monument in the village of Shipka, where you will create a tourist center. Among the cities of the central-northern region we should name Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Rusa, the famous city of Bulgarian wits, Gabrovo. It is impossible, of course, not to mention the famous valley of roses - Kazanlak, located inside the Balkan mountain system.

II zone of Northern Europe includes a group of Scandinavian countries united by the proximity of history and languages ​​(Sweden, Norway, Denmark and its possession of Greenland, Iceland), as well as Finland, which is historically and territorially close to them.

Northern Europe is distinguished by its natural attractions, and of a special kind: the natural environment of the northern European countries is very unique, although, by ordinary standards, it is very harsh; it (the environment), in comparison with other regions of Europe, has retained its virgin, pristine character to a greater extent (although, of course, not everywhere).

The ever-increasing tourist demand for visiting the northern countries has led to the fact that they “began to build modern accommodation facilities for tourists - hotels, boarding houses, motels, campsites, bungalows, fisherman’s houses, sportsmen’s houses, etc. Means of transport and roads are being modernized.

Sea cruises are organized to the Arctic Circle with dog sledding and bird and animal hunting. Arctic safaris with hunting of polar animals, including polar bears, are also organized in Greenland.

The Nordic countries as a whole are more of a supplier of tourists, but are still constantly striving to increase the influx of tourists into their tourist area. It should be taken into account that many tourists coming to Northern Europe visit several countries at once, partly because the number of objects of historical and cultural educational tourism in most of them is quite limited.

Each of the Northern European countries is a tourist macro-district.

1. Denmark is the southernmost country in the zone. Its natural attractiveness lies in the original combination of the Jutland Peninsula, a number of large islands, straits and seas washing the country. The main historical and cultural center is the capital of the country, Copenhagen, with cultural and architectural monuments of the 15th-18th centuries. There are also older monuments outside the city. In one of the ancient cities of the country, Helsingor on north of Zealand is home to the famous Kronborg Castle, steeped in the legend of Prince Hamlet. At the same time, the completely non-legendary, magnificent sculptor B. Thorvaldsen, whose museum is located in the capital, and the famous storyteller G.-H. lived and worked in Denmark. Andersen. In many areas of Denmark there are climatic resorts using And the delights of sea beaches.

Norway and Sweden are located on the Scandinavian Peninsula. 2. Sweden attracts tourists with its austere nature: sea beaches, numerous lakes (Veneri, Vättern, Mälaren, etc.) and small fast-flowing rapids rivers, coniferous, mixed, deciduous forests. Natural water bodies are complemented by artificial canals, including the Goethe Kapa l; the result was a waterway about 500 km long from Stockholm, the country's capital, to its second city, Gothenburg.

The capital of the state is, at the same time, its main historical and cultural center with corresponding structures and buildings, the age of which dates back even to the 13th century. There are a lot of museums, including outdoor ones. Near Stockholm there are hundreds of small islands - vacation spots for the capital's residents. Gothenburg attracts tourists with museums, theaters, concert halls; the north of the country of Lapland attracts tourists with its unique circumpolar nature and the way of life of the aborigines. There are many resort places in Sweden with a high level of infrastructure. Among the recreation areas there are many winter ones that enjoy considerable success.

3. Norway is very exotic with its elevated plateaus (fjelds), deep and long bays-fjords, and high temperatures for its latitude (due to the warm current). Like Sweden, Norway is a country of ancient Scandinavian culture, and historical and architectural monuments often date back to the 12th-14th centuries.

The most attractive cities for historical, architectural and historical and cultural educational tourism are Oslo (the capital of the country) and Bergen, as well as Trondheim. These three cities, as well as the fjords, attract foreign tourists. Both along the coast and in the interior of the country there are many resorts with first-class tourist infrastructure, providing tourists visiting the country of the great travelers R. Amundsen and F. Nansen, composer E. Grieg, and playwright G. Ibsen.

4. Iceland has many specific features. Firstly, it is a huge island, located a long distance from the mainland.

Secondly, it is a country with unstable weather, the birthplace of many cyclones; It’s not without reason that they say that the weather in Europe (especially Western) is born in Iceland. Thirdly, this is a typical country of nature-educational tourism, famous for its glaciers, volcanoes (including active ones, including Hekla), and geysers. The capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, has many museums and monuments.

5. The attractiveness of Finland lies in its nature, combining thousands of lakes, channels connecting them, and well-preserved temperate forests. In addition to the general natural environment and individual natural objects, the country has a number of cities that attract the attention of tourists with their historical and cultural sites. Among them are the capital of the country Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Hämenlinna (where the house-museum of the great Finnish composer J. Sibelius is located). Many tourists are attracted to the shores of the country's largest lake. Saimaa and the north of the state - Lapland with its winter tourism. In general, Finland is a fairly typical naturally attractive country with appropriate tourism and good tourist infrastructure.

III. Western European zone- one of the most popular tourist areas in Europe. It attracts tourists with its very diverse nature and many historical, cultural, historical and architectural sites. At the same time, it has a well-developed infrastructure, reflecting the generally high level of labor in Western European countries. It is this circumstance and a largely common, albeit contradictory history that unites this zone, despite natural contrasts, into one whole. At the same time, within the zone there are such great differences in natural conditions that they primarily determine the division of the zone into macro-regions: British, Alpine, Germany and Benelux countries, French region.

1. The British tourist area is characterized by the following main features: “the predominance of educational tourism (especially for Ireland, host large flows of “transit travelers” from North America; weak development of resort tourism, which is explained by unfavorable climatic conditions for this purpose:

An important place in the flow of cruise travelers making sea trips around Europe, along the Atlantic, etc.;

The predominance of air transportation of domestic and foreign tourists over road transport."

The British Isles, primarily Fr. Great Britain presents tourists with a wide range of historical and cultural monuments located in cities or in the foyer of well-kept nature.

Of course, the main center of educational tourism in the area is London (founded in the 1st century), the capital of one of the great states - the city

Palaces, museums, monuments and parks, mansions (Tower Fortress, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square with the monument to Admiral Nelson, etc.) and still surviving slums. Today, London is connected to the mainland by the newly built Channel Tunnel.

In addition to London, seaside resorts (Brighton, Bournemouth, Dover) are attractive to tourists. Some resorts also use mineral springs. So, in general, resort tourism here is only relatively underdeveloped.

Within Great Britain, which seems to have approximately the same natural conditions, there are many tourist meso-regions that differ in the nuances of nature and historical and architectural monuments. M. A. Ananyev identifies the following: London; Thames River Basin; South coast of England in the counties of Cant, Sussex and Hampshire; Brighton; Bournemouth; Dover; Winchester (north of Southampton); Canterbury (the religious center of the country, the residence of the head of the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury, with a cathedral of the 12th-15th centuries); South West Coast of England; Midland; East Anglia; Resort islands of Jersey and Guernsey; Isle of Wight; Isle Of Man; Wales; North of England; "Lake District"; Scotland; Shetland Islands; Northern Ireland (Ulster) 1. In addition, the Republic of Ireland (Eire) is a separate meso-region.

2. To Alpine microdistrict includes Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and the adjacent alpine regions of neighboring countries (France, Italy, etc.). It is a very long-standing tourist host area. At the same time, the area has a large number of tourists not only in summer, but also in winter, during the period when the necessary snow cover is available in the mountains accessible to tourists. For a long time, the leader of alpine tourism was Switzerland with its mountain beauties: peaks and peaks, glaciers and valleys, lakes, mountain rivers, forests and alpine meadows, with its relatively small but historically and culturally interesting cities. Switzerland, even without tourists, is a multinational country (with 4 official languages ​​- German, French, Italian, Romance), and with tourists its appearance at times resembles an ethnographic map of the world. The most interesting cities for tourists are Geneva, Zurich, Bury (the capital of the country), Basel, Lucerne, Lausanne, Lugano, and many mountain resorts (recommended especially for pulmonary patients).

In the last decade, Austria has overtaken Switzerland in terms of the number of tourists: it attracts T not only the Alps, but also the outstanding center of world culture - Vienna - with its palaces and temples, museums and theaters, concert halls with their rich musical life. Many great composers lived and worked in Vienna (L. Beethoven, I. Haydn,

W. Mozart, F. Schubert, I. Strauss, etc.), to whom special museums are dedicated. In addition to Vienna, Mozart's birthplace, the city of Salzburg, attracts attention.

The Alps also extend to the southeast of France, where, among other mountain sports resorts, Grenoble and Chamonix are especially famous.

Alpine Italy attracts tourists to a lesser extent.

In general, the Alpine region (which includes the “dwarf” state of Liechtenstein) is distinguished by a well-developed tourist infrastructure, which uses the slightest reason to attract tourists to this or that region, to this or that point of the Alps. It is no coincidence that the Alps are visited by more than 60 million tourists a year 1 .

3. A special tourist macro-region of the Western European zone is Germany with the adjacent Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg). It is located in the center of Europe and is well provided with communications, especially overland, which facilitates not only intra-regional tourist migrations, But and pan-European. It is no coincidence that many tourists on their voyages, traveling through this area, often capture neighboring ones (which has been made easier in connection with the Schengen Agreement) 2 .

The area is characterized by attractive nature. In the south there are medium-high mountains, then there is a descent to the north to the North and partly the Baltic Seas. Some lowlands (in the Netherlands) are located below sea level and are protected by dams and dikes. The climate also changes from south to north. It is most favorable for recreation in the valleys of southern Germany, which led to the development of resorts there, including those using healing waters. There are, of course, seaside resorts. But the areas attract tourists not only for their nature: in four countries that have experienced many historical ups and downs, a large number of cultural monuments from different eras have been preserved. They are located both in capital cities (Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, The Hague, Amsterdam, Luxembourg) and in provincial cities. Among them we can mention Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen (Malines) in Belgium, Rotterdam (the largest port of Western Europe), Utrecht, Groningen in the Netherlands, Munich, Hanover, Hamburg, Bremen, and the world famous resort of Baden-Baden in Germany. Thus, the area appears as an example of integrated tourism.

4. The French macro-region includes the territory of France without its Alpine regions and the Mediterranean coast.

Flat over most of its territory, a region of medium altitude in the French Massif Central, cut through by the large river arteries Seine, Rhone, Loire, Garonne with their tributaries and numerous picturesque river valleys, facing the Atlantic in its western part and possessing a huge number of historical monuments and museums of various eras (from ancient times to the present day), the French region is one of the most attractive not only in Europe, but throughout the world, as evidenced by the number of tourists arriving here every year.

Of course, the main tourist area is Paris - the “Mecca” of all tourists in the world. Its attractions are well known (Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe, the Invalides with Napoleon's tomb, the Père Lachaise cemetery, the suburban Versailles, etc.).

They are complemented by a well-developed tourist infrastructure, different for different social groups of tourists. But aside from Paris, which is said to be worth a mass, the French District has a wealth of attractions literally everywhere. We can say that the whole area is filled with history, architecture, and legends. This also applies to such an important meso-region as the French part of the Pyrenees, where the Basques live. Their main city here is Baiona, southeast of which is the city of Lourdes, one of the very important centers of pilgrimage for Catholics.

IV. A very important tourist area - Southern Europe. Located on three southern European peninsulas washed by the Mediterranean Sea (Iberian, Apennine, Balkan) and adjacent territories, the zone is distinguished by the attractiveness of the Mediterranean coast, Mediterranean climate, subtropical vegetation, largely cultivated and, no less important, very a complex history that has left a great many cultural and architectural monuments in this area. The ethno-confessional composition of the population is also varied here. So we can say that the attractiveness of the zone is great and varied.

It is no coincidence that the European shores of the Mediterranean Sea attract 100 million recreational tourists every year.

Within the zone, tourist macro-regions are quite clearly distinguished: Adriatic, Iberian, Appepiio-Maltese, Southern France.

1. The Adriatic region includes the territory of the former Yugoslavia and Albania. Moreover, before the events of the last decade, Yugoslavia was one of the largest incoming tourist countries. The nature of the Adriatic region is very mosaic, but it can be argued that tourists were attracted mainly by areas on the Adriatic coast and the largest cities with their historical and cultural

attractions. Within the zone, four categories of tourist areas can be distinguished:

1) resorts of the Adriatic coast;

2) mountain, mainly ski centers;

3) other inland areas with climatic resorts;

4) resorts with thermal mineral springs."

Among the seaside resort centers are Dubrovnik, Opatija, Portoroz, Pula, Split, Rijeka; among the lake resorts are Bled, Ohrid; among the mineral spring resorts is Vrijačka Banya. Among the cities that attract representatives of educational tourism are the capital of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Belgrade, the capital of Croatia, Zagreb, and the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana (famous for its festivals, opening days, and museums).

Albania, which is relatively undeveloped in terms of tourism, is located to the south - and this is its climatic advantage over the lands of the former. Yugoslavia.

Further south is Greece; it attracts with its climate, the sea with its beaches, but first of all, naturally, with its great history and its traces, imprinted in architectural monuments. These monuments are found in all tourist areas of Greece: Central Greece, Northern Greece, the Peloponnese, numerous islands (the most fashionable resort area of ​​the country is the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea).

The main organizational center of tourism in Greece is its capital Athens. There is also the famous Acropolis with the Parthenon, the temples of Zeus, Nike and other monuments of antiquity. In the northern part of the country, such a center is Thessaloniki, near which Mount Athos is located, as well as the legendary Olympus, “the abode of the gods.”

2. The Apenno-Maltese region includes Italy (except for its Alpine regions), two dwarf states of the Vatican and San Marino and the island state of Malta.

Like other areas of Southern Europe, the area is at least doubly attractive: because of its blessed nature and magnificent monuments of world culture.

There are 6 meso-regions in Italy:

1) Rome and central Italy, attracting tourists mainly
sights of the Italian capital - the “eternal city”. Per
High settlements existed here in the 10th century. before i. e. Nowadays, among the monuments of antiquity, a round temple on the river is distinguished. Tiber, the ruins of the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Triumphal Arches of Titus, etc. Among the very large number of monuments of the Renaissance is the Cathedral of St. Petra.

2) Naples and southern Italy, the attraction of which is in the monuments of Naples, the ruins of Pompeii, the smoking Vesuvius and many others

attractions. There are many of them on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and

throughout the southern part of the Apennine Peninsula. Among the resorts the famous Sorrento on the shores of the Gulf of Naples should be mentioned.

3) Florence and northern part of Central Italy. Florence -
this is a genuine museum city, collecting wonderful architectural monuments and works of painting from the Renaissance.

4) Lombardy in the north of the country is attracted primarily by Milan with its historical and architectural monuments and the famous La Scala opera house.

5) North-west Italy - first of all, a wonderful resort area - the Ligurian Riviera. Greater role in tourism
also plays one of the oldest cities in the country - Genoa, with its
numerous historical and architectural monuments. Interesting and
another large city is Turin.

6) Northeast Italy, where the main center of attraction for tourists is Venice with its canals, gondolas, gondoliers,
numerous palazzos. Other cities are also interesting - Padua,
Bologna, Verona with numerous ancient monuments.

The small state of Sai Maria, located inside the peninsula, is the most ancient republic in the world, and the Vatican, located inside Rome, with its St. Peter's Cathedral, is the residence of the Pope. Malta (with its capital La Valletta), known for its monuments of the past and its unique architecture, is also popular among tourists.

3. The Iberian macroregion includes Spain, Portugal and little Andorra. This area is very attractive to tourists and has enjoyed exceptional tourist demand over the last decade. This is quite understandable: the combination of the sea coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea with their beaches with a Mediterranean and similar climate, internal differentiation of natural conditions (high-altitude and mid-altitude regions, plateaus and lowlands - from very wet to arid, corresponding diverse vegetation), ethnic exoticism and especially the historical and cultural heritage make this area highly attractive. In addition, over the past decades, a lot of work has been done to equip the area with a variety of tourist infrastructure. Moreover, here, as in the previously mentioned Czech Republic, tourists are often accommodated in ancient castles or historical buildings, which gives tourism additional charm.

Spain is especially popular, where you can travel through the high Pyrenees, and through the arid Aragon, through Old and New Castile in the center of the country, through Andalusia in the south, relax and enjoy the benefits of the sea on the coasts. You can get acquainted with the life of the Spaniards, who differ from them in certain features

Catalans and freedom-loving Basques. You can see fiery Spanish dances and bullfights.

But, of course, tourism in Spain also means visiting the capital of the country, Madrid, with the famous Prado art gallery, historical buildings and monuments. There are many of them in Barcelona. Seville is extremely popular, its foundation dates back to the 7th century. BC Seville has a huge number of historical and cultural monuments for secular and ecclesiastical purposes. The same applies to the city of Granada, which was greatly influenced by Muslim architectural traditions. It is no coincidence that the fortress-palace of the Moorish rulers, the Alhambra, attracts tourists so much. A visit to Seville and Granada makes one involuntarily recall A.K. Tolstoy and P.I. Tchaikovsky (“From Seville to Grenada...”). In the south of Spain there is one of the oldest cities in the country, Cordoba, with numerous historical and architectural monuments from many eras. It is worth mentioning here that many buildings in the cities of Spain and other Romanesque countries are distinguished by their special external luxury, which is the basis of certain traditions that were later transferred from Europe and overseas to Latin America.

There are a lot of resort towns and villages on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Among them, a special place is occupied by the third most populous city in Spain - founded in the 2nd century. BC Valencia, with a rich, centuries-old history and relevant historical and cultural monuments. The area of ​​​​seaside resorts in Spain continues on the Balearic Islands that belong to it (200 km from the Iberian Peninsula). Among the islands of the archipelago, Mallorca (with the most famous resort of Palma) is especially famous.

Portugal's tourism opportunities are significantly smaller. However, in addition to its vibrant nature, this country also has many educational tourist sites. Most of them are in the capital Lisbon (starting with architectural monuments of the 7th century, religious buildings, monuments, museums). Of interest is a visit to cork oak plantations, a visit to the area adjacent to the second largest city in the country, Porto (Oporto). This area is the birthplace of port wine. There are also purely resort and recreational facilities.

Tourism has become an important source of income for a small mountain state in the Pyrenees - Andorra (the capital of Andorra la Vella). Tourists who come here along the only highway connecting France with Spain are attracted by the mountain landscapes, the unique way of life of the “children of the mountains,” and individual historical and architectural monuments. A certain infrastructure has been created to serve tourists.

4. In the zone of Southern Europe, the role of the southern coast of France is great. The coast from Marseille to the French border with Italy is especially famous for its favorable conditions for recreation and treatment. This is the French Riviera. The sixty-kilometer stretch from Cannes to Menton is remarkable - the Côte d'Azur, protected from the northern winds by the Maritime Alps. This entire coastline has long been popular among recreational tourists from around the world. Representatives of the Russian aristocracy before the revolution, and representatives of the Russian emigration after it, and now - representatives of the “new Russians” lived here often and for a long time.

Near the very border with Italy is the Principality of Monaco, famous for its wonderful oceanographic museum, and even more so for the world-famous casino in Monte Carlo, to which many Russian and foreign writers have dedicated their stories and novels.

Self-test questions and tasks for independent work

1. Make a diagram of the tourist and recreational zones of Europe (outside the CIS) and the tourist macro-regions included in them.

2. Using the examples you have chosen, show the hierarchy of tourist zoning (tourist and recreational zone, tourist macro-, meso-, microdistricts).

3. Make a tourist profile of one of the European capitals (outside the CIS).

4. Compose (optional) a brief tourist description of a sea cruise from Gdansk to Valencia; from London to Venice.

5. Write (optional) a brief description of a river trip along the Danube or Rhine.