The paper is devoted to the issue of tourism infrastructure funding in the Russian Empire at an early stage. There was practically no modern transport infrastructure in Russia by the middle of the 19th century, which mostly hindered inbound tourism. It negatively affected the country’s external account resulting in the need for extra loans. The decision to build a railway from Saint-Petersburg to Moscow was made in the conditions of lack of money in the country, that is why several loans were taken to finance the project. These financial operations contributed to transport infrastructure development in the Russian Empire and made prerequisites for tourism growth.

The paper focuses on the objects of historical and cultural heritage of Turkey, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The purpose of the research is to draw attention of travel agencies to the centuries-long history of Turkey to include some monuments unknown to Russian tourists into the tourist destination area.

The paper examines the history of formation and development of social tourism in the regions of Western and Eastern Siberia in the 1950s – 1960s. The author emphasizes the activity of regional trade unions for social insurance. The author reveals the advantages and disadvantages of the Soviet system of distributing the state social insurance budget. The author cites numerous archive sources which have not been published earlier, revealing the system of distribution of the state social insurance budget in the USSR in the 1950s – 1960s.

The paper analyses the perspective ways of cultural, informative and ethnographic tourism development in the Republic of Khakassia. Within this research the authors reveal the problems and offer solutions to preserve the cultural heritage of the region. The paper shows the importance of the national epic in new tourist products development. The researchers characterize tourist projects of Russian and foreign regions based on national epic motives and plots. The paper gives the analysis of ethnographic tours offered by the regional tour operators and characterizes the ethnographic excursion programmes realized in the republic. The development of new excursion programmes within this research is based on the display of yurt museums and epic materials. They are Gold Hitching Post, White Yurta and Alyp's Wedding. The literary basis of the excursions are the works of the Khakass heroic epic supplied with detailed historical, linguistic and musicological materials. The research of the epic has shown abundance of the plots, a variety of heroes and ethnographic features which can enrich regional excursion programmes, thereby to promote public awareness of ethnographic tourism in the Republic of Khakassia.

The biggest location of the animals remains in Russia, which are dated by the Early Cretaceous, is situated in the neighbourhood of the village Shestakovo in Chebulinsky area of Kemerovo Region. In 2013 Kemerovo Region Museum of Local History created the programme, which was approved by the Department of Culture and National Policy of Kemerovo Region. The programme includes: excavation of dinosaurs location of Shestakovo-3, organization of the paleontologic laboratory for cameral processing of field materials, exposition and exhibition activity and excursion route to the place of excavation. The paper sums up the results of the first period of this programme realization. The large-scale excavation was carried out by the expeditionary group of Kemerovo Region Museum of Local History and the the staff of the Paleontologic Institute named after A. A. Borisyak of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The richest paleontological material was uncovered – fossilis of at least 12 Psittacosaurus sibiricus and other animals of the Early Cretaceous. The exposition section “Deep in times for a dinosaur” of the Nature Division was issued. The excursion bus route to the place of excavations was organized.

The research focuses on the recreational and geographical position of Novosibirsk. The logical analysis of the city’s recreational and geographic location is important for determining its competitive position in the regional tourism market. By means of logical analysis of recreation and geographical location the authors assess the positive and negative determinants of tourist attractiveness of Novosibirsk regional tourism market. In the research the authors developed and used the model-map “recreational-geographic location of Novosibirsk”, which allows setting the location of the city and the region in the tourist market of Siberia, as well as evaluating the tourist potential of the area and potential strategic risks by the loss of leading positions. The authors proved that a significant share of the tourist flow and the tourism market of Novosibirsk is due to the favorable geographical location of the city. The growing risks of decrease in the tourist attractiveness of the city are identified. The main activities for maintaining the tourist flows on the territory of Novosibirsk Region are proposed.

The paper presents an analysis of the development of tourism in the socio-cultural development of the territory of Altai region, which allowed distinguishing several periods in recreational activities that differ in many ways: the main motive, the number and the range of participants, the nature of the organization, the degree of mobility, the method of transportation and others. These periods of recreation development are correlated with the stages of socio-cultural development of the territory. The author disctovered that most of the tourist centres retain their value over several stages being quasi-stationary (Lake Teletskoe, Lake Aya, Lake Manzherok, Chemal village; some centers) and attract tourists only in some periods.

The paper considers the issues of emergence and the basic stages of propagation of slums in the world. Slums have become quite common in the 19th – early 20th centuries in the major cities of the industrialized countries of Europe and North America. Slums are residential areas of spontaneous development of high population density in urban areas consisting of dilapidated, substandard and uncomfortable dwellings. In the second half of the 20th  century slums became widespread in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The formation of slums in developing countries was due to rapid urbanization, migration of rural population to the cities, unemployment and poverty. The most popular destinations of slum tourism are in Brazil, India and South Africa. The motivation of ‘slum’ tourists is largely due to the specific characteristics of the attractiveness of slums. The growth of slums in the world contributes to the development of slum tourism in the future.

The paper addresses the main trends in training professionals for the Tourism industry; the development of vocational training under modern conditions; the features of training competent professionals within the system of multilevel education and industry-oriented curricula. The authors provide a model for developing students’ competence according to their major and the demands of the employers in Tourism industry and the labour market.

The paper reveals the significance of the geographical component in vocational training of professionals for the sphere of tourism. The author proves that geographical knowledge is necessary for studying Tourism discipline and for the students’ future professional activity. The paper analyses the essence of the geographical component in higher Tourism education, basing on the example of the 100400.62 Tourism curriculum (Kemerovo State University), the author considers the competences that students acquire in the course of studying geographical disciplines within this major and that will be useful for their further professional activity. The author focuses on the reasons of the decrease in the level of geographical knowledge of modern secondary schools graduates. The author emphasizes that is the school training in the field of Geography that is the base of formation of an adequate picture of the world and geographical thinking, and also the development of interest to tourism industry professions.

Basing on an analysis of recreational resources, the paper describes the prospects for development of eco-tourism in the Barguzinsky Reserve. The paper emphasizes the importance of competent territorial planning and management of specially protected natural territories. The author describes the priority objectives for the reserve staff, and the challenges that must be addressed taking into account the risk of ecological tourism development. The paper presents examples of projects to develop tourism infrastructure and emphasizes that the development of eco-tourism in protected natural areas, subject to the competent territorial planning and management, can make a significant contribution to: 1) the protection of natural systems; 2) socio-economic development, and 3) increasing the general level of environmental education and culture of tourists and the local population. It is noted that the concept of a competent use natural resources, based on the principles of minimizing recreational impacts on the natural and socio-cultural environment, enables preserving the integrity of natural systems and ensuring the balance of recreational, ecological, economic and social interests.

RETRACTED ARTICLE

The paper is devoted to development of the conception of the archeology exhibition hall at Demidov Museum of Mining Industry Development History. The authors give a brief description of the funds of the museum and the history of their formation, analyze the composition of the archeology collection hall, reveal the major problem areas of the existing exposition and find the ways to resolve them, create a graphical floor plan of the archeology hall and determine the main directions of further exposition development. While working with the exhibits several significant shortcomings were revealed. The main problem was a mismatch of the exhibits with the chronology, as well as technical deficiencies in the design: the lack of labeling on individual exhibits, the fragmentation of the same archaeological era exhibits into several storefronts, an excessive amount of auxiliary (illustrative) material. Thus, the conception of the archeology exhibition hall at Demidov Museum of Mining Industry Development History was developed. As a result, we have found and corrected errors of the exposition, archaeological material was classified and arranged according to the eras, the exposition was significantly improved with new archaeological materials, the auxiliary text was created and the topographical plan was developed.

The paper considers the forms and methods of work which the teaching staff of foreign languages departments uses in the educational process to enable students majoring in Tourism to acquire professional competency. The authors describe some interactive techniques in studying. They are to help students master a foreign language and at the same time allow them to obtain initial experience in solving possible professional problems thus forming students’ professiona lcompetency.

The research focuses on professional competence of Service and Tourism majors graduates and the principles of its formation in higher education. The aim is to identify personal competencies as the basis of professional competence and, on that basis, to identify the promising directions in the development of the departments of higher education institutions in Siberia. The author describes the principle of complementarity, which is applied to the field of higher education. In studying the professional competence of graduates the method of comparative analysis of competencies and their compliance with the requirements of the market of services in the spheres of service and tourism was used. The results revealed the problems of vocational training; to solve them, the author suggests using the principle of complementarity, the essence of which is the connection of the three main core competencies (communicative, cultural and creative) in the educational process. The author proposes some possible forms for the realization of this principle in extracurricular activity: the use of project technologies; engaging students in practical service activity with expansion of the spectrum of the higher education institution’s additional services; expansion of the forms of university departments’ cooperation with the business-association and employers. A basic conclusion consists in the following: the use of that principle will give positive results in forming the professional competence future specialists in the spheres of service and tourism.

The paper deals with an overview of the main characteristics and patterns of using historical and cultural heritage sites in tourism. The historical facts of emergence of particular models and examples of the heritage use in different kinds of tourism in Russia and abroad are demonstrated. Selection of the particular model must be determined by the national and regional peculiarities.

The paper discusses some issues of teaching English to Tourism students, which arouse as a result of introducing new educational standards, and discusses the ways to form students’ general cultural competences by using some elements of CLIL (content and language integrated learning) and PBL (problem-based learning) approaches in order to meet the requirements of those standards. It shows the effectiveness of the said methods in terms of meeting the students’ needs and high school requirements.

The paper discusses the issues of training qualified specialists for the sphere of Service and Tourism. The authors emphasize that the development of multi-level system of professional education in this sphere is necessary for solving the key problems. The central element in the current system is training specialists within higher professional education. The authors emphasize that for ensuring a high level of training and retraining of specialists in this sphere, besides theoretical education it is necessary to use such forms of teaching as workshops, seminars, professional competitions, professional societies diplomas etc.

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the process of creation and functioning of the Russian tourist portals linked with the use of technologies of augmented reality (qr-codes). Since the early 2012 various regions of the Russian Federation have seen the start of the projects on creation or modernization of tourist portals connected with the application of qr-codes plates on the objects of historical and cultural heritage. The analysis of mass-media messages about the emergence of similar projects shows that process of creating convenient information-navigating service on local history and lore has captured about 50 Russian cities. The reasons of the ‘boom’ in qr-coding of historical and cultural heritage, the dynamics of progress of the projects connected with making navigating tourist portals, the target audiences of projects, the influence of projects on the progress of tourism infrastructure are analyzed in the paper. Problems of stagnation or closing of projects are mentioned, and prospects of further projects development with recommendations on their improvement are considered.

The paper focuses on the history of establishment and development of tourism standardizing and certifying in the Russian Federation. The source base of the paper includes the contemporary National Standards and other legal documents regulating tourism activity. The changes that took have taken place in this sphere since the 1990s are described and analyzed, the trends and perspectives of standardizing and certifying the tourism business are marked. In addition, the author convincingly proves the significance of studying the National Standards and mechanisms of touristic services quality validation, using voluntary certifying for the Bachelor’s Degree students majoring in Tourism.

The relevance of this study is related to the integrated assessment of tourism and recreational resources of Tomsk Region and the activities aimed at the promotion of regional tourist product on the Russian and international tourist markets. Assessment of geographical conditions, historical and cultural heritage, scientific and educational features of the Region gave the opportunity to identify the promising types of tourism: congress, educational, cognitive, hunting and fishing, environmental etc. Their development can contribute to strengthening the tourism sector of the region and allow considering tourism a branch of the economy. Currently the government, commercial and public organizations of Tomsk Region are making joint efforts for the development of programmes and PR events aimed at attracting tourists to Tomsk Region. The analysis allows us to conclude that Tomsk Region has favorable conditions for promotion of the regional tourist product.

The author considers the problems and prospects of ethnic and cultural tourism development in Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and analyzes the objects of ethnic and cultural tourism, which include heritage villages and parks; ethnographic, natural history and historical museums; conducting ethnic festivals and cultural events. The paper highlights the major factors affecting the development of ethnic and cultural tourism in the Autonomous Region. Analyzing the ethno-cultural potential of the region arouses theissue of the prospects of ethnic and cultural tourism and the preservation of ethnic and cultural heritage of indigenous peoples living in Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

The paper presents the results of research on the possible development of extreme tourism in the archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. The authors suggestb their own definition of the term ‘extreme tourism’ as an independent type of tourism, since in is impossible to classify the tour as an extreme one within the classifications that had been intro¬duced by other authors. Extreme tourism is the active form of tourism, including travel of different specialization with an increased risk to human health, a necessary condition is a high degree of ensuring the security of the tourist. To simplify the classification of the tour, criteria of extreme tourism were developed, and if the tour meets two or more of the criteria, it is extreme. The paper presents the security criteria for extreme tourism in the studied area. A comprehensive assessment of Novaya Zemlya as a destination for the development of this type of tourism was per¬formed. For this purpose, the bioclimate of the studied area is considered within the following parameters: insolation, wind and temperature, atmospheric circulation; the relief of the archipelago and its unique and amazing wildlife are considered as well. All this leads to the conclusion that Novaya Zemlya is a perspective direction for the develop¬ment of extreme tourism.

The paper discusses the relief of Tomsk administrative area of Tomsk Region as an important tourist and recreational resource. It aims to carry out a recreational and ecological assessment of the Tomsk area relief. The assessment algorithm is defined by of E. V. Kolotova’s (1999) methodology of recreational assessment with the author’s additions and specifications. The ecological condition of a relief is supplemented by the following criteria: existence and expansion of modern erosive and accumulative processes (landslides, ravines). The author used the materials from the funds of Tomsk Region Department of Natural Resources and Environment Protection and the cartographic materials of A. E. Tyabyaev (2004) and O. V. Hromykh, V. V. Hromykh (2011). The recreational and ecological assessment showed that the relief of Tomsk area is rather favourable for the organization of tourist and recreational activity, which, in turn, is defined by the physiographic features of the territory and not always a safe ecological state of the environment. The stated theoretical generalizations and algorithm of recreational and environmental assessment of the relief can be used in the development of programs for the development of recreation in the specially protected natural territories. This work can form a basis for a similar assessment of the relief of other administrative regions of Russia for effective tourist and recreational activity.

The authors use the example of the educational standard 072300 "Museology and Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage", Bachelor’s Degree, to consider the possibility of resolving the contradictions of the disparity between the results of training future Bachelors and the norms substantiating the trends of the development of the profession. The paper analyzes the competences listed in the educational standard "Museology and Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage" and the knowledge, skills and practical abilities in accordance with the accepted professional standards in the field of Museology. On the basis of these documents, competence, ontological and profile models of competency allowing to train competitive, highly skilled Bachelors-Museologists was developped.

Conceptual studies are intensively developing area of research nowadays. They are aimed at considering such fundamental problems as structures of representation of knowledge about the world and ways of the conceptual organization of knowledge in language. The central term in research of a linguistic world-image is the concept, which draws attention of research workers in various areas of science. In the article the significant concepts of German culture: MOBILITÄT, AUTOLIEBE, ORDNUNG, SAUBERKEIT, DISZIPLIN, FLEISS, SPARSAMKEIT, GESETZ, WILLE, GEIST, PERFEKTIONISMUS, IDEALISMUS, HAUS etc. are considered, which are necessary for the bachelor of tourism studying German as a second language to form such competence as the ability to communicate effectively with customers of tourism product.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, restructuring of the system of tourism (earlier oriented exclusively on natural tourist and recreational resources) began in Altai Kray, where the first tourist centers had appeared in the late 1930s. After the emancipation of Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region, the Kray lost its popular natural tourist resources and the main objects of the tourism industry. At this time, the regional executive authorities were given the power to make independent use of local tourist resources and promote the organization of tourist activities on public-private partnership. It triggered the active development of new sectors of the economy – tourism, the establishment and development of tourist and recreational destinations of Altai Kray as a key element of recreation to attract and meet the needs of various group of tourists and holidaymakers, the formation of its positive image and brand. A special economic zone of touristrecreational type “The Turquoise Katun” and the gambling zone “Siberian Coin”; three tourist and recreational clusters, which are included in the Federal Programme “Development of domestic tourism in the Russian Federation (2011 - 2018) were established. The created brand routes “Small Golden Ring of Altai” and "Big Golden Ring of Altai" embodied the idea of uniting the natural, cultural, historical and socio-cultural sites of tourist interest and tourism market under a single brand that characterizes (identifies) the tourism product as distinct from the other, forming a favorable impression of the consumer and the desire to purchase among the many similar. This experience has spread to the creation of inter-regional cross-border and international routes, such as thre cultural and educational cross-border route “The northern branch of the Silk Road” in the framework of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the cooperation of the Altai region with Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and Russia.

Today, tourism acts as a complex socio-economic phenomenon of modern society, in this regard, the scientific community has generated a variety of definitions of this concept. The paper presents the author’s approach to the analysis of modern definitions of tourism. The author distinguishes six groups of definitions that reveal the essence of this phenomenon in the modern society (economic and managerial, legal, recreation and leisure, geographical, cultural (socio-anthropological), systematic). Special attention is paid to the sociological analysis of tourism, revealing its social nature and the establishment and development of the Russian school of sociology of tourism.

The paper makes an attempt to review the implication of the resource potential in the development of the tourism industry of the region. The paper focuses on the problem of the preservation of the opportunity to use natural and principal economic resources for tourism and recreation in the long run. The review is based on the example of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region of Stavropol Territory of Russia and is aimed at revealing this experience to the territories that only initiate the development of tourism industry.
The paper presents the mechanism of joint use of natural resources and ways of its implementation, worked out by the author. The paper shows some stages of this mechanism on the example of the tourist region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. The author suggests some social and economic activities to develop the potential of modern workforce for tourism industry and brings up the problem of the required facilities. It indicates the tasks for the creation of legal foundation for economic relations for the effective use of the resources. All results of the study can be applied. The will enable stakeholders (businesspeople and authorities) in tourist regions and resorts to apply the proper approach to forward management in the industry.

The current problems of the regional economy development in the form of «productive entrepreneurship” based on the production and implementation of innovations are uncovered in the paper. The methodological basis is W. Baumol’s approach, which examines the impact of different types of entrepreneurship (productive and rent-seeking) on the development of the economic system. Tourism industry is selected as the object of research, which has a high multiplier effect, smoothes out regional disparities, and development prospects are directly linked to the predominant type of business. The purpose of the study is to assess the prospects of development of productive entrepreneurship in the tourism sector in the resource type region. The paper discusses possible scenarios for development of the tourism industry.
The possible scenarios for development of the industry related to the choice of strategies to support the industry by the regional authorities are disclosed in the paper. The first one is traditional strategy and is associated with increased state regulation of tourist activities; the positioning of Kemerovo region as a region favorable for the development of tourism; attraction of investments in the tourism industry. The second strategy is the target-oriented development scenario based on the cluster approach and the mechanism for the integrated development of tourist and recreational zones. The author concludes that it can contribute to the growing clustering of "productive entrepreneurs" in the tourism industry in the region, as purposefully focused on the production and innovation. The best conditions for the development of tourism infrastructure as well as the scope of related services may be realized as part of the tourism and recreational cluster, based on science-based solutions, as well as the use of public-private partnerships.

The paper presents the analysis of different researchers’ theoretical views on competitiveness of tourist destinations. Three main directions of researching tourist destinations competitiveness are outlined. The differentiation of the tourist destinations comparative and competitive advantages is the most important point for the research and practical application of tourist markets conceptual models. Two key attempts to improve G. I. Crouch and J. Ritchie’s model are analyzed in this research. Practical application of the conceptual models allows to increase the competitiveness of the tourist product and to improve the efficiency of tourist destination competitiveness management. Adaptation of this model to the specific tourist market and service diversification can help to develop sustainable tourism at different levels. The more update the model is, the higher attractiveness and competitiveness of a tourist destinations are.

As a result of crisis conditions in the Russian economy which influenced significantly the outbound tourism market development, the problem of activating the efforts on the inbound tourism market with the purpose of strengthening its competitive position has become more important lately. Tourism clusters have been created actively since 2010 – 2011, and tourism industry has been managed at the regional level by means of results-based approach. In Altai Kray 11 specialized tourism clusters have been outlined, and in 2010 a results-based tourism development programme was accepted.
The paper aims at conducting an analysis of results-based planning experience in the sphere of tourism clusters development, the problem issues in the process of results-based programme implementation are outlined at the regional level, especially in connection with the monitoring process of the key indicators of the programme. The author proposes the measures for improving the method with consideration of such specific features of tourism clusters as objects of results-based planning.

The paper addresses the role of destination community as a key actor of tourism system and highlights the necessity of its participation in the process of tourism product creation. The specific features of tourism destination have been considered: attractions, tourist facilities and infrastructure, accessibility, human resources, image, price and destination management organization. The resident-tourist relations have been observed and approaches to management of social and cultural impact of tourism (limitation, «front stage» and «backstage») have been analyzed. The research methods are: system approach, analysis and synthesis, comparison and analogy. The results of the research could be applicable in the process of elaborating the strategic documents and projects devoted to regional tourism development in Russia.

The paper gives grounds to the necessity of planning territorial tourist recreation complexes. The requirements for the incorporation of an enterprise into a tourist recreation complex are suggested. Reasons for complex approach to planning of tourism infrastructure are given.

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the prospects of religious tourism development in the regions of SouthWestern Siberia. Peculiar features of religious tourism as a tourist product are considered , excursion basis for developing this niche is studied. The author analyses the objects of religious worship belonging to the world religions as well as to religious beliefs of Siberian indigenous peoples. Possibilities of their usage within excursion activities are estimated.
Predominance of orthodox churches is marked, other confessions are presented at a much less degree. Besides, the paper notes predominance of present-day buildings over undestroyed monuments of pre-revolutionary Russia that can be referred to as historical and cultural heritage of the regions.
The author concludes that the existing excursion basis allows development of religious tourism in South-Western Siberia regions, though this niche, as well as other domestic types of tourism, has its challenges that can be overcome with common efforts of local authorities, church organizations and businesses.

The paper presents the marketing project of forming the image of Sevastopol tourist territory as a tourism area able to provide high quality year-round tourist and recreational services, the welfare of the local population and the preservation and restoration of tourist resource potential
The project aims at creating the image of the tourist territory of Sevastopol in order to optimize the use of appropriately organized tourist resources, generating significant revenue potential, which may be spent on improving the city’s living conditions and promoting the welfare of its residents.
The project includes the development of the concept of tourist area image formation for the Administration of Sevastopol; elaborating medium and long-term marketing programmes for the tourist areas for the Administration of Sevastopol and tour operators and travel agencies, shopping malls, sports federations, committees and other structures localized on territory. To strengthen the project, Sevastopol Tourism Infornmation Centre is being designed as a coordinating and organizational core for a series of activities.
The main effects of the project, expected in the future are economic (growth of tourist flows, investment, infrastructure development, actors of the hospitality industry, businesses that use territorial brands and appellations of origin) and social (raising the level and quality of life, including well-being).

The paper discusses the change of the state policy in the area of assessment of vocational qualifications by the sector of national economy and role of the National Council for professional qualifications under the President of the Russian Federation in the process. The author assesses the condition and describes the prospects of developing the activities of the Council Branch for the hospitality industry in the implementation of the state policy on standardization of activities and certification of qualifications of the employees in catering and hospitality as well as tourism. The paper also provides recommendations for improving the training for the tourism industry and hospitality through the use of professional standards.

The paper presents the experience of networking of museums, universities, experts in the field of paleontology and geology of Kemerovo region as a form of development of the activities of Shestakovo Complex due to the global archeological finding – the remains of dinosaurs (Psittacosaurus). The activities on the conservation and development of Shestakovo Complex include: the creation of an original museum-reserve, the organization of a natural park "Kiyskiy" or a natural-archaeological park. The main requirement for the development of such a complex object is a comprehensive approach and the need to address all the scientific developments made by different research groups, the establishment of a real process of interaction between the groups of researchers. The suggested approach – the development of a network educational programme – will allow providing the interaction between both the working paleontologists and the stakeholders interested in the development of Shestakovo Complex. The educational programme is expected to provide field sites and include archaeological excavations for the practical training of specialists from museums, students of geographical faculties, university and school teachers. In turn, this interaction will allow including archaeological findings into museum and educational programmes and sharing the information among experts. It is equally important that local history museums could have networking skills that will help them to develop their public awareness activities, and create new programmes of exhibitions and excursions. The authors do not only describe the expected shape of the Shestakovo Complex territory, but also suggest a form of interaction between museums, university, and the Paleontological Society to develop the territory and the tourism industry.

There is a sufficient tourist potential for development of event tourism in Kemerovo region. It is promoted by rich natural resources, existence of organizational experience and initiative groups of professional tourists. The tourist festival is an effective form of the organization of event tourism. The paper describes the experience of the organization of the tourist festival “Siberian Quest – 2014”. The festival was held in September 2014 on the bank of the lake near the village Starye Topki. The author shows the development of the concept of network interaction in the organization of this festival. The combination of sports competitions with a musical programme, historical reconstruction and a military show became the feature of the Festival. The paper describes the technological process of the work of the organizing committee. The sports and competitions programme is presented. The text contains the analysis of the factors of further development of sports tourist festivals in Kuzbass. The author positively estimates the acquired experience and hopes for continuation and development of tourist festivals. Further challenges and prospects of development are specified, namely: information support, development of a brand and corporate style, search of investors. Another important aspect is the programme of supportting amateur sports tourist clubs. The correct organization and consolidation of efforts of all subjects will promote the successful solution of the problems of the region’s tourist image formation.

The paper examines the destination image within the high level of territories global completion. Marketing approach to tourism regions development is the main methodological approach of the author’s analysis. Destination image is defined as a complex of beliefs, ideas, impressions, expectations, emotions which tourists associate with the territory; what tourists “see” and “feel” when reflecting of this territory as a possible product to “purchase” for tourism. The presented model of destination image reflects the specificity of image formation process, cognitive and affective components as well as different objective and subjective factors. The model can be used both as a methodology for current destination image analyses and for new image building campaigns.

The paper is devoted to public and private partnership as the main mechanism of the support and the development of tourism in Altai Kray. The authors conducted the research of interaction of the main stakeholders interested in the development of the region as a tourist destination for the purpose of identification of the opportunities, threats and challenges facing the cooperation of the parties, direct or indirect participants of tourist activity. The research was conducted on the basis of questioning, interviewing, the analysis of reporting and technological documentation of three actors in each of the four groups of stakeholders: authorities, business, education, cultural institutions. The revealed opportunities, the threats and challenges facing the development of the cooperation of the main stakeholders will be analyzed and considered more deeply and in details when developing the mechanism of public and private partnership for the purpose of the development of the tourist destination "Altai Kray".

The paper considers the with prerequisites of SPA tourism market formation. It is shown that the growing offer of various SPA programmes with different duration and the place of supply is an objective reaction of recreation services market to the needs of a contemporary person. The paper presents the segmentation of SPA tourism market from the viewpoint of consumers’ motives which are dominant when choosing a SPA as the main aim of traveling, as well as the segmentation from the viewpoint of consumers’ interests which determine the geography of SPA tourism. The growth of opportunities in this market in relation to the peculiarities of tourism in Russia is analyzed. Conclusions are drawn about the prospects for the development of local (suburban) SPA-tourism.

The relevance of the study is determined by the growth of rapid and significant changes in the competitive tourism market as a result of contemporary processes of globalization and worsening of the world financial crisis.
The paper considers the organization problems of travel agency activities including the widespread erroneous viewpoints based on the lack of adequate professional education or experience in the face of fierce competition and the restructuring of the tourist market. The paper gives examples of the possible management decisions in this sphere of activity.

The paper is devoted to the development of the tourism cluster “Kuzbass”. The purpose of the paper is to characterize the “cluster initiative” content and its role in the implementation of the diversification policy of the economy of a ‘resource type’ region. The methodology of the paper is based on the use of tools and models of comparative institutional analysis and the theory of clusters. The paper highlights the alternatives of the ‘resource type’ regions development in contemporary Russia, i.e. ‘enclave dual economy’ and ‘integrated regional economy’. The necessity of the transfer of these regions on the trajectory of ‘integral development’ is grounded. It is shown that the implementation of such strategy includes the measures to diversify the regional economy with expanding the range of competitive sectors on the national and global markets as an integral component. The search for the potential new ‘growth poles’ in the ‘resource type’ regions became a top priority for the regional and federal authorities. For Kemerovo region economy tourism is such a potential ‘growth pole’. However, the realization of this potential requires the regional authorities to develop and implement the special incentives in the form of the tourist industry ‘cluster initiative’. It is substantiated that the optimal strategy is the development of the tourism cluster “Kuzbass” as a complex structure consisting of four subclusters. This strategy would provide a comprehensive development of the sector by focusing on the four subclusters on different segments of the tourist services market.

The paper is devoted to the problem of correspondence of the techniques of providing information on cultural and historical resources of the region to the customers’ needs and the level of information technologies development. One of the most important areas to enhance the culture of providing information are mobile travel guides, the digital format of tour information, allowing individual tourist to get the most complete information about the tourism resources of the region. Another current trend is the change of the format of the tours that enable tourists to obtain the traditional information, but in a more exciting form.

The main purpose of the article is to determine the tourism potential of Ust-Ishim Omsk region. The article analyzes the current level and prospects of tourism development in Ust-Ishim area. The main natural, archaeological, historical and cultural resources, tourist attractions and places of pilgrimage. The analysis leads to the conclusion that, despite the wide range of objects of interest to the different groups of tourists, poorly developed transport infrastructure and resource base, are not conducive to the development of the organized tourism in the region.

The paper aims at studying the tourism attractiveness of a region as a factor of territory development. The author provides an assessment of the tourist market of the Yaroslavl region, the use of tourism potential, its state and perspectives. The methodological bases of the study are: the systematic approach, methods of economic analysis, content analysis, observation, methods of expert assessments.
The research allowed concluding that all the principal problems of the modern Russian tourism market exist in Yaroslavl region as well. The potential of the Yaroslavl region allows developing almost all the types of tourism, including children and youth tourism, business tourism, event tourism, industrial tourism, pilgrimage tourism. To preserve the rich natural, historical and cultural heritage of the region it is necessary to carry out restoration work and develop infrastructure. Tourism in Yaroslavl region is now extensively developing, but this activity often lacks a comprehensive and systematic approach. Tourism in Yaroslavl region is recognized as one of the strategic sectors of the regional economy. Yet it is necessary to increase the effectiveness of the regional tourism management, introduce modern economic management tools, to take into account the latest scientific developments in the field of tourism economy.
The conclusions and recommendations of this work can be used by agencies of regional and local government, as well as organizations of the tourism industry to develop measures to develop the tourist potential of the Yaroslavl region. Materials of the research may be useful for the learning process in the preparation of bachelors in the direction of «Tourism».

The paper suggests considering the impact of integration processes in the context of the real estate market, the communications market and the investment market from a position of material and communication factor when elaborating programmes of tourism development. The author structured the diversity of factors that influence the development of tourism, which allowed highlighting the most significant ones. The study revealed the close relationship and interdependence of adjacent markets, such as the communications market, the real estate market and the market of services in the field of tourism, which, in spite of the apparent immutability, are very dynamic and complex a multi-level management objects. These components should be compiled into a Single Conception of integrated development of communications, real estate and investment tourism markets. The conception should be developed for all subjects of the Russian Federation and include a wide range of areas based on related positions, namely those of the state and the service sectors.

The paper indicates the main megatrends of health tourism development. Definitions of health and spa services are analyzed, the features of the health and spa complex functioning in Altai Kray are considered. The aim is to study the seasonality of providing health and spa services. Seasonal fluctuations in the realization of sanatorium and spa tourism product are marked in terms of statistical analysis of the volume health and spa services sales, taking into account the informal economy. The peak of activity in the sales of health and spa services is  observed in summer, stable seasonal peaks of maximum demand are recorded in July, high season continues in autumn, lower sales volumes are observed in the winter months, ‘dead’ (with the lowest rates in sales) is marked in April. Seasonality has a significant impact on the profitability of health and spa complex institutions, as well as other industries oriented at servicing tourists. To reduce the seasonality pricing policy is adjusted, new types of tourism products are developed, innovative forms of service are introduced.

The paper discusses the advantages and drawbacks of using crowdsourcing techniques in tourism. Crowdsourcing (using mass activities for creating products and implement in business-projects) has been gaining popularity lately. The opportunities that this technique provides for development of tourism business and activities are huge. Its high efficiency is achieved through using information technologies and social networks. In the conclusion the author outlines the main ways of using crowdsourcing in tourism: branding of territories, improving tourist destinations, creating tourism products, helping tourists in planning trips.

The paper discusses the main features of the development of the tourism industry in Russia and Kuzbass under the state authorities’ realizing the need to diversify the economy and recognizing the tourism industry perspective. The authors come to the conclusion that today tourism in Kuzbass, as in Russia in general, is developing very rapidly, but not problemfree. The Russian economy has focused mainly on the export of resources, Kuzbass facing the same problem. The country’s government is keenly aware of the need to diversify the economy through the formation and development of new industries, which will make a significant contribution to the country’s GDP, one of these sectors is tourism. However, they also state that guiding Russia’s tourism development is really not a priority. The adopted conception of cluster development of tourism is bringing results, but they are not as significant as they could be. Despite the development and implementation of Federal and regional programmes, tourism is developing more by inertia under the influence of many external and internal factors. The conditions of the 2014 crisis have set prospects for the development of domestic and inbound tourism, but still this process is limited to old problems: lack of infrastructure and fairly uncompetitive prices of tourist services. However, the development of sustainable tourism industry that brings a significant contribution to the country’s revenue is a difficult and long process in the Russian context, but relevant and irreversible.

The paper considers the specifics of hunting and fishing tourism in Novosibirsk Region, the natural-geographical conditions of the Region and existing infrastructure are analyzed. A contingent of hunters and fishermen of Novosibirsk Region is investigated, their main characteristics and preferences are defined, which allows us to conclude that there is potential demand for organized hunting and fishing. The author gives an overview of the stages of the hunting tour organization, evaluates the potential costs for amateur hunters and hunters– tourists. The advantage of organized hunting in comparison with self-organised trips is proved. The study identified the opportunities for the development of hunting and fishing tourism in Novosibirsk Region.

The research studies the methodology for assessing the resources of the territory for the development of tourism. The paper deals with the specifics of functioning of the tourism industry, particularly the resources needed to create a tourism product. The intensive development of regional tourism in the Russian Federation requires a comprehensive assessment of all available resources (climatic, historical, cultural and socio-economic). Theoretical positions and methodical approaches to the estimation of tourist resources are studied. Methodological issues of regional resource base are marked and the need for improved methods of integrated resource assessment in the context of municipalities is identified. The algorithm of a comprehensive assessment of the territory’s resources for tourism development is suggested. Resource assessment should be carried out by assessing the individual components of the potential resources and the integral value. On the basis of expert evaluation the list of the evaluation criteria for the various types of resources for tourism development is updated. The practical significance of the work lies in providing informational support for planning and strategic and tactical management in the field of territory planning and development of the tourism industry in Russian regions at the municipal level.

The purpose of the work is to analyze the pilgrimage as a tourist and religious phenomenon from the point of view of historical, cultural and social development of society. It is noted that religious tourism is becoming increasingly important and popular in Russia. The issues related to the provision of relevant needs of the population are discussed. The paper discusses the development of religious tourism in modern society by the example of Novosibirsk pilgrimage center, the problem of information, social and psychological nature, facing the center staff is identified. Recommendations for the organization, optimization and improvement the performance of the pilgrimage center in Novosibirsk within the integration of religious and tourist are purposed. It established the necessity of consolidating the efforts of all stakeholders: government, public and social institutions, representatives of religious confessions, which is the area of application of research results.

The paper addresses the perspective of Kemerovo Region image transformation. The author grounds the necessity of system approach in the process of regional branding in order to attract new investors and tourists streams to Kuzbass. The research objective is the exposure of the factor which is able to serve as a base for the regional image creation. The main results of the research are the following: the structural components of regional image have been defined, the approach to regional image creation, based on the significant historical fact has been proposed. There were a number of military hospitals during the Great Patriotic war in Kemerovo. The means of realization of the military hospital museum project in Kemerovo are described. The conclusion is that the proposed project promotes regional image creation with the help of the natural and cultural heritage.

The paper focuses on the specifics of tourism activity at the contemporary stage. At present, tourism is a key sphere of contemporary economics targeted at satisfying people’s needs and improving the quality of their lives. The authors appeal to the legislative acts of the Russian Federation, primarily to the Federal Law № 132-FZ “On the Basis of Tourism Activity in the Russian Federation” (signed on 24 November 1996). The paper presents some of the existing classifications of types of tourism. The tour as the core of tourism activity is defined, its components, features, and marketing factors are defined. The features of tour operators’ and travel agents’ activities are revealed. The authors emphasize the fact that tourism activity is oriented at providing tourists with the opportunity to choose from a range of offered services, as well as at ensuring the protection of tourists’ rights and interests.

The paper discusses the problems of the legal nature of the financial security of tour operators’ activity. The authors consider the mechanism of insurance or bank guaranty as a form of provision of the tour operators’ financial liability. These forms are targeted at protecting some of the tourists’ financial interests, but still do not imply the full satisfaction of the tourist’s demands. The authors conclude that the financial security of tour operators’ activity creates a protective legal relationship, is linked to the tour operators’ failing to fulfill their obligations given in the contract, and should be activated for minimal protection of the rights of tourists or consumers of tourism products.