Problems of Tourism in Russia

Opportunities for the potential development of the tourism industry, our country is able to impress anyone's imagination. We have everything - from the seas and oceans, mountains and rivers to wonderful historical towns and picturesque villages. What other country in the world can boast of such diversity? But in reality, such rich opportunities are practically not realized. In the rating lists of the world devoted to tourism, the place of the Russian Federation is somewhere at the end of the fifth decade. How did it happen? Let's consider the main problems in the field of tourism in our country.

Unfortunately, one can not single out the only reason for the discrepancy between the level of opportunities and the degree of their implementation, unfortunately. Such - a whole bouquet. Below is the main reason why the absolute majority of tourists in the world do not view Russia as a desirable object for fascinating travel. Moreover, the same factors do not cause a surge of enthusiasm among compatriots.

Transport infrastructure and tourism problems

The huge length of the territory of our country, strangely enough, in the development of tourism has played a negative rather than a positive role. Judge for yourself: the path from the northern to the southern extremity point in our country can take at least seven days of travel by train - not too comfortable in domestic conditions and, frankly, quite exhausting. The cost of railway tickets is not cheap at all, and the conditions, unfortunately, are very far from ideal. This is the reason for many problems of tourism development in Russia.

RZD periodically takes measures to update the train, and yet the state of most of the wagons frightens not only those accustomed to the civilized conditions of Western travelers, but also much more enduring compatriots.

It would seem that you can use an alternative option - air travel. But here things are even more sad. Comparing the prices of air tickets within the country with those that exist in Europe, tourists fall into a real shock. For example, a flight from one European country to another (say, from the Czech Republic to France) will cost 60-80 euros. If you plan to travel from Moscow to Siberia, the cost will triple. Of course, you should consider the distance, but still the prices bite.

We can not be proud of the automobile infrastructure either. The state of our roads is known to everyone. A number of regions are characterized by their almost complete absence, which, of course, does not add enthusiasm to our travelers. And Western tourists, having experienced once and again all the charms of an automobile trip along the roads of Russia, rarely return to this idea again.

On the correct positioning

The tourism industry is the same business as many others. And the problems of modern tourism are solved by the right positioning, which plays one of the leading roles here. But just in this part of our country there are great difficulties. "By ear" tourists - only a few common places to visit. Apart from Moscow and St. Petersburg, it is mainly Sochi - the recognized leader of the southern holiday and the "classic of the genre" - the most picturesque Lake Baikal.

But does this exhaust the list of wonderful places in our country, suitable for recreation? After all, about the same Golden Ring is not always known to every Russian, not to mention foreign tourists. Elementary lack of information about the many beautiful historical cities and places with the most interesting sights affects the most sad way on the possibilities of development of the tourist industry.

We also do not know ...

If a very depressing situation with external tourism is somehow still possible to understand, then what prevents to develop internal? After all, many Russians could travel with pleasure in the beautiful and noteworthy places of their own country. Meanwhile, the indicator of the development of domestic tourism is quite a miserable figure - a little more than 1%. For comparison: the vast majority of civilized countries can boast such in the range of 10 to 12%.

What can solve such problems of tourism in Russia? As in any kind of business, much depends on literate branding. Advertising and more advertising! National attractions must be shown and described, suggestions for their inspection and visiting must be competently prepared and available in every travel agency. People need to explain the advantages of domestic recreation in front of foreign resorts.

Why is no one busy? Perhaps the reasons for this silence include the following factors.

No centralized management

Absolutely every developed country has a separate agency or ministry, whose mission is tourism (problems, prospects). It is in this area that issues that affect the reconstruction of its most significant objects are solved, ways of attracting travelers and methods of advertising campaigns are discussed. In our country, however, the existence of this body is simply not provided.

Thus, tourism remains "useless". Curation of it periodically falls under the jurisdiction of either the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Sport. Affects this at all levels - from federal to regional. If somewhere (an example is the Arkhangelsk region) the tourist niche is mainly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Sports, there you can see serious distortions towards one of its forms to the detriment of other spheres.

In the absence of a unified management base and very weak state support, tourism is actually placed in conditions of survival on the principles of self-sufficiency. Of course, with such data to rely on the rapid development of the industry and the powerful flow of visitors is simply not serious.

Regional tourism: problems and development prospects

Throughout the world, the phenomenon of regional tourism has long and firmly won leading positions in the structure of the industry. Travel to the most interesting places of any country are very popular. Small villages, cozy houses, campsites, mangalas, tourist parking - all this attracts a huge number of travelers. But not with us. State investments in the development of regional tourism in our country has not yet been observed, and the reasons for this can only be guessed.

Meanwhile, the prospects for the development of this type of tourism on the wide domestic expanses are simply excellent. At present they are realized mainly "point-by-point" at the initiative of individuals and individual entrepreneurs. As an example, the village of Vyatskoe located in the Yaroslavl region can serve. Having enlisted the support of the local administration, an enterprising businessman at his own expense opened and contains a number of national museums. Visitors can get acquainted with Russian fun, visit a real bath, etc.

With the proper level of information connoisseurs of such a holiday there would be very, very much. After all, such tourist sites adorn each country. In practice, the project is known only to a narrow circle of connoisseurs.

About profile tourism

What kinds of tourism do not exist in the world! You can tell about eco- and bicycle tourism, its extreme kinds, travel with a camera to interesting places for a long time and interestingly. We have heard about all these exotic destinations. Popular in Russia is only the kind of tourism that is associated with recreation. Meanwhile, in practice, it has been proved that the revenues to the state are brought mainly by its profile varieties. And those who are concerned about the development of tourism business in Russia, it is necessary to think in this direction - what to invent, find, invent to attract bogus travelers? How to solve these specific problems of tourism development in domestic conditions?

About our hotels

In the opinion of Western tourists, Russia has only two types of hotels - either luxurious, but very expensive, or relatively cheap, but at the same time completely uncomfortable. It sounds logical enough. The vast majority of Russian hotels still exist at the level of the Soviet Union. That is, it provides a minimum of service with the absence of those modern amenities that are so familiar to spoiled Western tourists.

Another type is elite hotels with prices starting from $ 800 and above. Of course, this option because of its high cost to most holidaymakers is not available.

An example of an excellent solution to such problems is the Czech Republic. Constantly traveling there are many cozy small family-type hotels, as well as inexpensive hostels. In this direction, with due attention and concern from the state, our economy could also develop.

Information curtain as an obstacle

In the eyes of the Western inhabitants of Russia, Russia has for decades been and remains surrounded by legends and myths of the most fantastic kind. Until now, a certain part of Europeans associate our country with a standard set of bears, balalaika and Russian vodka. Of course, with such ideas, few will venture to go to the wilderness with harsh aggressive inhabitants and an unfriendly climate. This is what the lack of information can lead to!

The modern way of life of our compatriots, the rich cultural traditions of the country, the many interesting places and places of interest that can be seen here - all this remains behind the scenes for the majority of those who live outside the Russian borders. The problems of tourism can be solved only by overcoming the "information blockade".

The negative role of sanctions

The tourist flow to our country has been considerably reduced under the influence of recent political events, in particular because of the introduction of all known sanctions. The disapproval of the foreign policy of our country led to a logical consequence - a refusal to support the Russian economy. In the west continue to impose an artificial image of the aggressor country. Potential tourists are intimidated by the danger of traveling to a militarized state with a complete lack of freedom of speech.

A surprising fact: many westerners seriously believe that under the effect of sanctions in Russia food stalls are almost empty. Tourists are afraid to go to a hungry country - what are they to eat there?

Where do Russians prefer to rest?

Despite the permanent crisis, domestic tourists are difficult to stop. Traveling entertaining and cognitive nature, nobody canceled. True, most trips are made in foreign countries. As already mentioned, domestic tourism in the vastness of the Fatherland is not at all popular, and in the foreseeable future there is no forecast for a change in this sad situation.

But why are the compatriots so unpatriotic? After all, the country's territory has a variety of climatic zones for every taste. For travel around the country, no additional documents and tourist visas are required.

The answer is simple: the whole matter is in the financial issue. According to estimates, decently to relax abroad can be much cheaper than in the domestic resorts.

Here is a typical example. In Moscow, in recent years, the tourist sector is actively developing and being advertised, but most of the Russians the capital of their homeland is still inaccessible. In the last five years, not more than 5% of compatriots visited it as tourists. The reason lies in the exorbitant high cost of living and rest in the conditions of his native capital. Hotels in Moscow can not afford the majority of those coming from the province.

How much does it cost to spend the night in the capital

Even a night in a Moscow hostel will cost you no less than 500-600 rubles. At the same time, you have to huddle in a room for 8-10 people. If you want to reserve a room for 2-4 people, it will cost from 1000 rubles. and higher.

Approximately the same situation in St. Petersburg. The price of the hostel there can reach a mark comparable to the cost of a single room in an average level hotel in Europe (three or four-star).

Traditionally in Moscow, there was such a direction as children's tourism. Schoolchildren were brought centrally for vacations and acquainted with the capital's sights. But in recent years the flow of children coming to the capital has been drying up considerably due to the same financial reasons. Accommodation of small tourists in the capital with an overnight stay is a serious problem. In most cases, they are brought no more than a day - on a winter vacation. Children who spend about 10 hours on the train only have time to get to know formally the main attraction of Moscow - Red Square, and also look at the Kremlin Tree. More detailed acquaintance with the capital is hampered by the same lack of places for accommodation at affordable prices.

How to be?

The whole sounded complex of tourism problems is too serious to be able to talk about any urgent and short-term measures to improve the situation. Overcome the decline of the tourism industry in our country with a pounce does not work. As an example, we can recall the Sochi Olympics. It was expected that the consequence of its conduct will be a grand influx of tourists. In practice, this is not observed.

To bring the tourism industry of our country to a decent level, the problems of tourism must be solved in a complex. It is necessary to take care of raising the image of the country in the eyes of the international community, to regulate the information system, to establish a network of tourist infrastructure, to ensure the proper level of financing for hotels and recreation areas. But, as was said above, achieving this is impossible in the absence of centralized management. It remains only to hope that in search of new ways to improve the domestic economy, the State Duma will still turn its attention to the huge potential opportunities lurking in such a promising and economically attractive industry as tourism - external and internal.