How to attract tourists to a tour operator. How to attract tourists to a guest house. How to attract the “right” clients

Nadezhda Makatrova

How to attract tourists and become a tourism brand in Russia

If you want the world to change, become that change.

Mahatma Gandhi

Every obstacle is overcome with perseverance.

Leonardo da Vinci

Preface

How can we attract tourists? How not to get lost among thousands of proposals from other cities and countries? How to convince Russians that you can relax in comfort in Russia, and that a small town far from Russian capitals is not necessarily a “hole”?

As practice shows recent years, these questions can be heard at all conferences, round tables and forums dedicated to the development of tourism in Russia. They are also heard during our conversations with representatives of local and regional administrations from different ends countries. And these questions concern not only officials, but also heads of travel agencies, hotel and restaurant owners, directors of museums, sanatoriums and even local residents who rent out their living space to vacationers...

So what to do? “Take an example from Myshkin!” – this dangerous advice is repeated, like a broken record, by various “gurus”. Myshkin is a wonderful city, but, firstly, its strategy is not suitable for everyone (Myshkin has about 6 thousand inhabitants), and secondly, it is pointless to copy the tip of the iceberg without seeing and understanding everything that is hidden from view in thicker than water.

Three or four years ago the participants tourism exhibitions, representing Russian cities and regions, said: “We just need money for advertising, and people will come to us!” Money was allocated, tourists did not come... Today there is a more professional understanding that attracting tourists is not so much advertising, but a whole task system, which need to be addressed at the territorial level. And this book is a story about who should solve these problems and how, what mistakes and pitfalls there may be, what resources can be used in the work and how to place emphasis. And of course, examples of success.

The book “How to attract tourists and become a tourism brand in Russia” is based on an analysis of the experience accumulated in Russia and the CIS, both successful and unsuccessful, as well as the experience of some foreign countries in developing tourism and promoting the territory in the tourism market. In addition, some observations and conclusions made while working on projects of the consulting company “Konkretika” served as material for the book.

This book is methodical, sometimes unpleasant and even offensive, because it tells not only about opportunities and hidden potential Russian cities and regions, but also about their typical errors and shortcomings. But the main value of the book, in my opinion, is specific practical recommendations that explain WHAT need to be done and HOW do, as well as 420 real-life examples, providing rich soil for your own ideas and solutions.

I hope the book will become your assistant in your work. Have a productive reading!

Nadezhda Makatrova,

Director of the consulting company "Konkretika"

Tourism brand: to be or not to be?

Fate leads those who want to go, and drags those who do not want to go.

Cleanthes, ancient Greek philosopher (IV-111 centuries BC)

In the Soviet Union they had not heard of brands. But at the same time, all citizens of our huge and multinational country firmly knew that:

If you want to go to the sea, then you need to go to Black Sea coast Caucasus or Crimea. With small children - to Anapa or Evpatoria;

If there are no vouchers to the Black Sea, then to the Azov Sea, to Yeisk;

The intelligentsia preferred the Baltic states;

If you need treatment, the direct route is to the Caucasian sanatorium Mineralnye Vody;

For lovers of excursions and cultural and historical values ​​- Moscow, Leningrad, the cities of the Golden Ring and, perhaps, Pskov and Novgorod;

Military-patriotic education - Volgograd with its famous Mamayev Kurgan.

All Soviet people also knew about Baikal and Kamchatka, but they didn’t even dream of getting there - the flight was too expensive for a simple Soviet family to afford. Here they are - real tourism brands, created, by the way, with strong support from the state...

Of course, there were many others in the USSR interesting places and routes - “hits” of the district and regional scale, where excursion groups from schools, universities, enterprises and institutions were constantly sent, but they could not compete with the all-Union “grands”.

25 years have passed since perestroika...

Today, if you look at the MITT or Intourmarket exhibition in Moscow, you can see hundreds, if not thousands, of new tourist sites and routes across the country on stands. One is better than the other, with intriguing descriptions and amazing photographs. It would seem that new times mean new names.

No matter how it is!

Ask an ordinary Russian which cities or resorts in our country he considers the most popular among tourists, and you will most likely receive the same list. True, Crimea and the Baltic states (as foreign countries) will have to be deleted from it, and St. Petersburg will take the place of Leningrad. Allow your interlocutor to include foreign resorts in the list, and Turkey and Egypt are guaranteed to be in the first place. I'm talking about mass routes. Skiers will usually call it Elbrus, fishermen will call it Astrakhan.

"How so? Why? Russia's tourism potential is not limited to 10–15 popular routes?! We have two orders of magnitude more of them!” – one of the readers will be indignant. The potential may not be limited, but the perception of tourists, according to the laws of marketing, is, alas, not rubber. The law states: the number of bright, memorable images on the market is limited. I recommend that you re-read the highlighted phrase two more times.

It is only at first glance that it seems that it is enough to come up with “something original” and you will be noticed. You can come up with anything you want, but here’s the question:

– Will they remember this (against the background of competitors’ proposals)?

– Will they buy it (by comparing different offers)? And buy not just one season, but at least ten years in a row.

For clarity, I will give two useful analogies.

1. Each class has its own “excellent student,” “low student,” “clown,” “athlete,” and its own “beauty.” And sometimes - your own “outcast” (remember the film “Scarecrow”). It is very problematic to characterize all other children in terms of their role in the class.

2. In the 90s, many different stores and shops opened in Russian cities, and today most of of them “died”, giving way to online players. By the way, in Europe about 80% of goods are sold through chain stores.

What is the conclusion from this in relation to tourism?

In five years, a new pool of tourism brands of all-Russian significance will be formed in Russia. It is clear that Moscow and St. Petersburg will automatically retain their leadership positions due to their exceptional starting opportunities (just as there are three main TV channels in the country and... all the others). Our resorts will also be in a privileged position. warm seas(unless sudden climate change occurs). And who else will be included in the list of the strongest remains in question for now...

If the heads of the cities and regions mentioned at the beginning had actively developed during the 25 years of perestroika, and had not relied on the tourist resources accumulated over previous decades, then everyone else would not have been destined to catch up with them in the foreseeable future. However, they remembered the development only 5-7 years ago, thereby giving their neighbors a chance.

The importance of getting into the leader pool is illustrated by the Zipf curve (Zipf)

Picture 1

Zipf distribution (Zipf)

Those cities and regions that find themselves at the tail of this curve may not count on anything serious... Perhaps they don’t need this, and tourism for them is like birch sap in an ordinary grocery store: they hardly take it, but they have it for assortment .

At the same time, our conversations with representatives of local and regional administrations indicate that in many parts of Russia they take tourism seriously, hoping with its help to give a new impetus to the development of the territory and replenish the budget. For this purpose, short-term and long-term programs are being developed everywhere, new tourism brands are announced, advertising catalogs are printed, exhibitions and presentations are held, journalists are invited, etc.

Why can’t many cities and regions make a breakthrough and significantly increase tourist flow? What needs to be changed at work? Subsequent chapters of the book will be devoted to a detailed answer to these questions, but here I will only outline the key points.

There are more and more people traveling around the world every year. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 1.3 billion people out of the world's seven billion population traveled last year. And every year this figure increases. And the income from international tourism exceeds $1 trillion. The question is what place Russia can occupy in this system. There is potential, but its development in practice is lame, experts say.

Counting difficulties

Russia has not yet learned how to reliably count the incoming tourist flow. According to Rosstat, in 2017, 24.4 million people came to Russia for tourism purposes, and in 2016 - 24.6 million. These figures, however, also need to be trusted with caution: we simply count the facts of crossing the state border, without distinguishing whether a person is traveling, say, on business or to see the sights. Therefore, officially the most “tourist” countries in terms of entry are Ukraine (8.7 million trips) and Kazakhstan (3.5 million). But in fact, the leaders in the inbound flow are China (1.4 million) and Finland (1 million).

“For the last 10-15 years, nothing new has happened in inbound tourism. As we received 2.5–3 million people a year, we continue to receive them,” says Alexey Krylov, CEO of the UTS Group tourism holding company, and adds: Paris alone is visited by 60 million tourists annually, the tourist flow in the USA exceeds 100 million people, and in China - 130 million. And four years ago, the tourist flow to Georgia was exactly the same as to Russia, although these countries are difficult to compare in terms of territory and tourism potential.

Typical tourist

A traveler going to Russia, as a rule, comes here to get acquainted with history and see the sights. Beaches and skiing interest him little. Usually groups come; there are few individual tourists in our country. The geographical set is standard: Moscow and St. Petersburg are mandatory points of the program. " Golden ring", Baikal or Far East - additional. Among the unusual, experts noted the unexpected interest of foreign tourists in Moscow and St. Petersburg Christmas markets. This means that, apparently, Russia also has potential as an event tourism destination.

“It happens that wealthy tourists come, but as a result, the income from them is less than from insolvent ones. For example, St. Petersburg received about half a million cruisers. These are usually elderly rich people. But they live in a cabin on the ship, eat there, and don’t go to stores. So their contribution to the industry is minimal. And a budget group on a bus, which also uses internal transport, walks a lot and goes to shops, will bring much more income to the industry,” says the chairman of the commission for the development and support of inbound tourism Public Council under the Federal Tourism Agency Ivan Vvedensky.

The geography of “suppliers” of foreign tourists is quite diverse. Although there is also an undisputed leader in terms of dynamics - China, which is gaining 30-50% annually, while Europe has been showing a decline for several years in a row.

“The last two years we have seen an increase in volumes after a decline. Europe is not as active as it used to be. But we receive a lot of Japanese, tourists from South-East Asia- These are mainly middle class people from Malaysia and Vietnam. They have been traveling very actively lately. They are coming from Australia and New Zealand. But in this case, they combine tours with Europe,” adds Marina Levchenko, general director of the tour operator Tari Tour.

Tour operators note: foreigners come to Russia, as a rule, for a week. This tour includes a visit to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and ground handling. Often foreigners immediately buy a flight to Russia from a tour operator. The average cost of a week-long tour in this case varies from $1000 to $2500.

There is no stability in the world

What hinders the development of inbound tourism in Russia? Experts are sure: it’s all about numerous and multidirectional phenomena that occur not only in the industry, but also in the country as a whole.

“Turbulence is typical for entry in 2014-2018. It [the market] was shaking, it was happening in unpredictable conditions. These are political issues, the depreciation of the ruble - on the one hand. Major events - the Olympics in Sochi, the Confederations Cup, the World Cup - they will also certainly have an impact. There is reason to believe that in 2019 the industry will reach stable levels,” says Ivan Vvedensky.

In addition to the political situation, security and the presence of developed infrastructure influence the flow of tourists, continues Alexey Krylov. Moreover, these two points can often be intricately intertwined.

“For many foreign tourists, Moscow and St. Petersburg are cities that are on their own list of things to see at least once in their life. Therefore, they want, for example, to visit the Kremlin museums or go to the Hermitage. They book these tours six months in advance. And then on the day of your visit it may turn out that the museum is closed because there is a rehearsal for the Victory Parade or the presidential inauguration, and no one even reported this. I understand that such situations may occur, but warn about them in advance, publicly,” says Krylov.

Also in Russia, it is by no means everywhere possible to find a suitable hotel that suits a foreign guest. This problem is often faced by tourists going to the Far East or Lake Baikal. But sometimes it arises even in the most popular areas.

“There are few quality hotels in St. Petersburg; you can’t lure foreigners with mini-hotels. But for some reason investors do not go into the hotel industry. And the city leadership is of the opinion that tourists go to St. Petersburg only in the summer, and not in the winter. But it seems to me that if there were enough hotels, we would travel all year round. No matter how many hotels you build in St. Petersburg, there won’t be enough,” shares Marina Levchenko.

Finally, the difficulties in promoting the country as tourist destination(and Rostourism has repeatedly said that the marketing budget is much lower than that of other states) also do not contribute to the growth of its popularity.

Complex visas

Russian visa rules also make life very difficult for foreign tourists, experts say. Chinese organized groups no visas required, with South Korea visas have been abolished, a similar regime applies to a number of other Asian countries and Latin America. But at the same time, most traveling citizens need entry documents. To get a visa, you need to receive an invitation, fill out an application and pay a hefty sum. It can take a long time to review documents.

“The procedure is quite long. And besides, issuing visas increases the cost of the tour by $100-120. If they are not abolished, then at least electronic ones should be introduced,” says Marina Levchenko.

A colleague from UTS Group agrees with her. “If visas were abolished, even with what is being done in inbound tourism now, the tourist flow could be doubled,” says Alexey Krylov.

Ivan Vvedensky from the Public Council under Rosturizm also notes that the abolition or simplification of visa procedures would lead to a significant increase in tourist flow. He recalled that a free port regime has begun to operate in Vladivostok, which involves simplifying visa formalities for tourists. This practice needs to be extended to other coastal regions, the expert believes. In addition, it is necessary to simplify visa processing for tourists visiting other regions of the country.

“To obtain a visa, we need an invitation from the host party. I believe that this is a rudiment and needs to be eliminated. We are pushing for changes to the entry and exit laws so that foreigners can obtain a visa based on a hotel reservation, like in Europe. Visas must be electronic. In addition, we lag behind progressive humanity in the sense that other countries issue multiple visas for more long term than travel dates. We need political will to change this situation,” Vvedensky believes.

Weak ruble and professional tricks

However, Russia has great tourism potential and good opportunities open it. This will be facilitated, oddly enough, by the consequences of economic difficulties. In particular, the depreciating ruble, which makes spending by foreigners in Russia more and more pleasant.

“In the 2000s, a lot was built in Moscow and St. Petersburg good hotels for business. In 2014, the business ended, and the occupancy of 4* and 5* hotels fell by 50%. Hoteliers have reduced prices, and staying with them has become very profitable. At the same time, the price corresponds to the quality, since these are, as a rule, objects of international networks. Add to this an inexpensive taxi, tickets to museums at competitive prices, a check at a restaurant - in foreign currency all this is very attractive now,” says Krylov.

In addition, experts remind that transport in Russia is also developing. Express railway connection brings the main tourist centers closer to each other. And expansion of flight programs Russian carriers helps to interest tourists from the most remote corners of the Earth in Russia.

Where to get tourists from? For an individual entrepreneur who has decided to start receiving tourists, it is advisable to start his business by looking for a tour operator to whom he can offer his services for accommodating arriving tourists.

Owner guest house offers accommodation services for tourists, and also announces additional services to the selected tour operator. The tour operator, in turn, enters into a joint activity agreement with the owner of the guest house, which specifies the form of remuneration for the tour operator for finding tourists for the guest house. In this case, the owner receives the right to enter into an agreement with other tour operators and travel agents for the supply of tourists. It is recommended to go into detail on these details, since often rural residents are unaware of the responsibilities associated with working with people. Contractual work with an experienced tour operator disciplines the owner of the guest house and provides the opportunity to improve skills in the field of tourism.

Work on creating a tourism product for rural tourism.

In order to attract tourists to a rural family on vacation, it is necessary to offer them a range of services necessary to meet the needs of vacationers. A tourism product is a set of services consisting of accommodation, food, excursion services, insurance and delivery. By the beginning of the year, the organizer accumulates information about what services each guest house can provide. In addition, the tour operator usually develops additional special tours to make the villagers’ offer attractive.

Work to promote tourism products on the travel services market.

Now it is necessary to make sure that potential consumers know about the villagers’ proposals. For this purpose, the tour operator produces advertising information (booklets, descriptions, photographs). The main advertising material is the catalog of rural tourism facilities, which describes and shows each guest house. The catalog is published in sufficient circulation so that travel agencies in various cities can clearly show guest houses to clients. The tour operator also bears the costs of participating in tourism exhibitions and working meetings of travel companies in different cities of Russia. The tour operator is recommended to publish a website about rural tourism on the Internet. Thus, information about a rural tourist site can reach a resident of any country. The tour operator is also engaged in external advertising of rural tourism objects, finds funds for advertising on billboards and in various information service centers for tourists.The owner of the property can attract tourists to his guest house himself. To do this, he can put a sign on the road to his house.

Organization of reception of tourists.

Meeting, registration, acquaintance with local conditions. Reservations for a guest house are usually made in advance by a tour operator. Therefore, it is necessary to meet the guest at the agreed place and escort him to the guest house. If a guest arrives on own car, then, having placed his car on a personal plot or in a garage, you should begin the registration procedure. If the guest arrived through a tour operator, then he presents a voucher (developed by the tour operator), filled out by the travel agency and certified by a seal, and a ticket. These documents contain enough information necessary to issue your own receipt - Strict Reporting Form. One copy of the receipt is given to the guest, one copy remains with the owner. Based on this receipt, the owner makes a later entry in his income book. If the guest arrived on his own, the owner asks him to present documents and issues a receipt (BSO), indicating the necessary information. A clear written agreement included in the binding relationship between the guest house and the tourist will significantly facilitate future relations. Next, the owner introduces the guest and his group to the guest house, rules of residence, and requirements for fire safety, shows where the keys, trash can, etc. are located. It is also recommended to inform guests about local conditions, bus schedules, natural objects, cultural and other events.

What is meant by the ability to treat guests attentively and kindly?

The ability to be a flexible Host and quickly make changes to the equipment of the house depending on the composition of the group of guests (install a child’s bed, make ramps for moving a wheelchair, install or remove sleeping places, provide skewers, etc.)

Having an agreement with other villagers to provide additional services to their guests, if these services are not provided centrally

Ability to resolve conflict situations (search for and find the cause of trouble in oneself)

Maintaining a joyful atmosphere in your guest house.

Attention to the slightest request of guests (change a towel once again, dry laundry soaked by a child, make a phone call, etc.)

Ability to take into account any comments made by guests

Striving to improve the quality of services

Accommodation.

Temporary accommodation is the main service provided by all guest houses. Comfort and convenience are the main criteria for the quality of services in the field of rural tourism. Guest rooms and other residential and utility rooms must be kept clean and free of unpleasant odors. If it is not up to the owner of the guest house to eliminate external and internal sources of noise and odor, then guests should be warned about this. In the summer, it is necessary to have insect screens on windows and vents. Be sure to warn the guest that smoking is prohibited in the guest house. It is advisable to have internal rules use of the guest house (Appendix No. 1), compiled by the owner.

Nutrition.

For self-cooking, guests are provided with an equipped kitchen. The kitchen must be impeccably clean and have the necessary equipment (kitchen furniture, refrigerator, cabinet for storing food and dishes, electrical appliances). Cooking by the homeowner is not a rental or short-term accommodation service.

Resolution of conflicts and controversial issues.

In any business, conflict or near-conflict situations may arise. Tourists are, first of all, consumers who pay to have a pleasant, interesting, most comfortable and tireless pastime. Near-conflict situations are generated by a significant difference between the expectations of the tourist and his specific impressions received from the trip and accommodation. For example, the cost of guest house services seemed overpriced to the tourist in the absence of the necessary household sanitary and hygienic conditions (no hot water, cold toilet in the yard, etc.). Such situations may arise when the owner receives guests on his own. They do not arise if tourists come from an experienced tour operator or travel agent, who warn the tourist in advance about all the nuances of the guest house. Conflict situations are associated with so-called “difficult” clients, which include overly demanding guests. But the practice of receiving guests in “green houses” in Altai shows that such situations happen very rarely, because the owners of “green houses” treat guests attentively and hospitably.

Guest house owners need to remember that their economy is not a separate entity of the tourism industry. It, like any other hotel, is in close cooperation with the tour operator and travel agent, who are also responsible for their obligations. Maintaining the reputation of a good and reliable partner is the key to the further prosperity of the guest house owner’s business.

Additional guest house services.

The standard set of services in rural guest houses usually includes only accommodation. To attract tourists on the territory of the Altai Republic, a basic set of guest house services has been adopted, the provision of which by the owner is mandatory: accommodation, provision of an equipped kitchen, provision of a bathhouse once (if paid for at least three days of stay), car parking on the territory of the personal plot, greenery from the garden. All these services are included in the price of your stay. The remaining paid services are considered additional, which are necessary to increase competitiveness. The composition of additional services is determined by the owner independently, depending on the demand from the client. It is recommended to use such services as “Firing a bathhouse with the provision of a broom”, “Horse riding”, “Sale of farm products”, “Transport services in the owner’s own car (car rental)”, “Use of firewood for cooking barbecue and fireplace” , “Providing a telephone for long-distance calls”, “Placing a guest’s car in the home owner’s garage”, “Accepting dogs (pets)”.

Pricing and mutual settlements.

Prices for guest house services are divided into retail (final for the client) and wholesale (for intermediate links).

Retail prices

If a tourist contacts the owner of the guest house directly, the retail price may fluctuate depending on their agreement.

1. Retail prices must remain consistent at any point of sale if tourists are attracted through travel agents or tour operators. In other words, if the client arrived through intermediaries (from travel agencies, from a tour operator), he should receive the same price information as he received from the intermediaries. In this case, contractual terms are observed and business partners are not “set up.” This is the main condition for all participants in the chain. Subject to the agreement to maintain a single price for the services of the guest house, the flow of tourists is not cut off, since they are systematically dealt with in the cities.

Bulk prices(net prices) for guest house services are billed to tour operators and travel agents who include guest house services in their tourism product. Since it is these partners who are engaged in expensive advertising, they must have income when selling accommodation in guest houses that covers their expenses. This income is called agency fees or commissions in tourism. This is usually 10% of the placement price. Wholesale prices fluctuate depending on the season, on the partner’s contribution to advertising rural tourism, and on sales volume. If the owner of the property has established a strong business relationship with a travel agency that does not forget him and constantly sends clients, then it is possible to increase the reward from 12% to 30%.

This approach is most appropriate: the guest house owner develops flexible retail prices for different seasons and includes the commission of intermediaries, which can be 10 - 30%. These prices are then offered to different firms. In this case, the owner will not get confused, and all his guests will receive the same information from him.

Important: if the owner of a guest house tells guests that he is ready to accept them at a lower cost next time if they come directly, then he is depriving his partners of income, who will eventually find out about this and stop working with him.

Therefore, each guest house owner must decide for himself how he will attract tourists: through intermediary partners or carry out independent advertising activities. A choice needs to be made here. If both types of work are used, then one must firmly fulfill one’s obligations to partners.

As long as the owner of the house is an entrepreneur who does not have a safety certificate for tourist accommodation, he does not have the legal right to advertise his services. Travel agencies that care about their reputation will not enter into contracts with such an entrepreneur, since in this case the safety of tourists is not ensured and, as a result, if an accident occurs with the client, the company that sent the tourist to such a vacation spot will be responsible.

Mutual settlements are made as follows:

1. If a tourist has paid for a trip at a city travel agency, then the tour operator receives money at the cash desk or to his bank account by depositing or transferring Money and also pays the owner.
2. If a tourist comes directly to the owner of the guest house, then the owner is obliged to transfer the due portion of the income to the tour operator.

The basic principle is that payment occurs at the beginning of the tourists’ vacation. The owner should take into account that the money received finally becomes earned after the tourist’s departure, if his vacation ends successfully. If the vacation is long, then it is better to take payment in installments. Payment for additional services of the guest house remains entirely at the disposal of the owner of the property; the organizer is not responsible for their quality. This circumstance must be specified in the agreement between the guest house and the tour operator.

Pricing issues are complex and controversial. Therefore, they must be completely clear for both parties. There is a law in economics: whoever earns more bears greater responsibility. When hosting guests through a tour operator, the owner's share is usually much larger than the tour operator's share. Therefore, if a tourist files a complaint (a complaint about service with a demand to compensate for damage), the owner of the guest house will reimburse a large share.

If you want the world to change, become that change.

Mahatma Gandhi

Every obstacle is overcome with perseverance.

Leonardo da Vinci

Preface

How can we attract tourists? How not to get lost among thousands of proposals from other cities and countries? How to convince Russians that you can relax in comfort in Russia, and that a small town far from Russian capitals is not necessarily a “hole”?

As the practice of recent years shows, these questions can be heard at all conferences, round tables and forums dedicated to the development of tourism in Russia. They are also heard during our conversations with representatives of local and regional administrations from different parts of the country. And these questions concern not only officials, but also heads of travel agencies, owners of hotels and restaurants, directors of museums, sanatoriums and even local residents who rent out their living space to vacationers...

So what to do? “Take an example from Myshkin!” – this dangerous advice is repeated, like a broken record, by various “gurus”. Myshkin is a wonderful city, but, firstly, its strategy is not suitable for everyone (Myshkin has about 6 thousand inhabitants), and secondly, it is pointless to copy the tip of the iceberg without seeing and understanding everything that is hidden from view in thicker than water.

Three or four years ago, participants in tourism exhibitions representing Russian cities and regions said: “All we need is money for advertising, and people will come to us!” Money was allocated, tourists did not come... Today there is a more professional understanding that attracting tourists is not so much advertising, but a whole task system, which need to be addressed at the territorial level. And this book is a story about who should solve these problems and how, what mistakes and pitfalls there may be, what resources can be used in the work and how to place emphasis. And of course, examples of success.

The book “How to attract tourists and become a tourism brand in Russia” is based on an analysis of the experience accumulated in Russia and the CIS, both successful and unsuccessful, as well as the experience of some foreign countries in developing tourism and promoting the territory in the tourism market. In addition, some observations and conclusions made while working on projects of the consulting company “Konkretika” served as material for the book.

This book is methodical, sometimes unpleasant and even offensive, since it tells not only about the opportunities and hidden potential of Russian cities and regions, but also about their typical mistakes and shortcomings. But the main value of the book, in my opinion, is specific practical recommendations that explain WHAT need to be done and HOW do, as well as 420 real-life examples, providing rich soil for your own ideas and solutions.

I hope the book will become your assistant in your work. Have a productive reading!

Nadezhda Makatrova,

Director of the consulting company "Konkretika"

Chapter 1
Tourism brand: to be or not to be?

Fate leads those who want to go, and drags those who do not want to go.

Cleanthes, ancient Greek philosopher (IV-111 centuries BC)

In the Soviet Union they had not heard of brands. But at the same time, all citizens of our huge and multinational country firmly knew that:

If you want to go to the sea, then you need to go to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus or to Crimea. With small children - to Anapa or Evpatoria;

If there are no vouchers to the Black Sea, then to the Azov Sea, to Yeisk;

The intelligentsia preferred the Baltic states;

If you need treatment, the direct route is to the Caucasian Mineral Waters sanatorium;

For lovers of excursions and cultural and historical values ​​- Moscow, Leningrad, the cities of the Golden Ring and, perhaps, Pskov and Novgorod;

Military-patriotic education - Volgograd with its famous Mamayev Kurgan.

All Soviet people also knew about Baikal and Kamchatka, but they didn’t even dream of getting there - the flight was too expensive for a simple Soviet family to afford. Here they are - real tourism brands, created, by the way, with strong support from the state...

Of course, there were many other interesting places and routes in the USSR - “hits” on a regional and regional scale, where excursion groups from schools, universities, enterprises and institutions were constantly sent, but they could not compete with the all-Union “grands”.

25 years have passed since perestroika...

Today, if you look at the MITT or Intourmarket exhibition in Moscow, you can see hundreds, if not thousands, of new tourist sites and routes across the country on stands. One is better than the other, with intriguing descriptions and amazing photographs. It would seem that new times mean new names.

No matter how it is!

Ask an ordinary Russian which cities or resorts in our country he considers the most popular among tourists, and you will most likely receive the same list. True, Crimea and the Baltic states (as foreign countries) will have to be deleted from it, and St. Petersburg will take the place of Leningrad. Allow your interlocutor to include foreign resorts in the list, and Turkey and Egypt are guaranteed to be in the first place. I'm talking about mass routes. Skiers will usually call it Elbrus, fishermen will call it Astrakhan.

"How so? Why? Russia's tourism potential is not limited to 10–15 popular routes?! We have two orders of magnitude more of them!” – one of the readers will be indignant. The potential may not be limited, but the perception of tourists, according to the laws of marketing, is, alas, not rubber. The law states: the number of bright, memorable images on the market is limited. I recommend that you re-read the highlighted phrase two more times.

It is only at first glance that it seems that it is enough to come up with “something original” and you will be noticed. You can come up with anything you want, but here’s the question:

– Will they remember this (against the background of competitors’ proposals)?

– Will they buy it (by comparing different offers)? And buy not just one season, but at least ten years in a row.

For clarity, I will give two useful analogies.

1. Each class has its own “excellent student,” “low student,” “clown,” “athlete,” and its own “beauty.” And sometimes - your own “outcast” (remember the film “Scarecrow”). It is very problematic to characterize all other children in terms of their role in the class.

2. In the 90s, many different stores and shops opened in Russian cities, but today most of them have “died”, giving way to online players. By the way, in Europe about 80% of goods are sold through chain stores.

What is the conclusion from this in relation to tourism?

In five years, a new pool of tourism brands of all-Russian significance will be formed in Russia. It is clear that Moscow and St. Petersburg will automatically retain their leadership positions due to their exceptional starting opportunities (just as there are three main TV channels in the country and... all the others). Resorts on our warm seas will also be in a privileged position (if there is no sudden climate change). And who else will be included in the list of the strongest remains in question for now...

If the heads of the cities and regions mentioned at the beginning had actively developed during the 25 years of perestroika, and had not relied on the tourist resources accumulated over previous decades, then everyone else would not have been destined to catch up with them in the foreseeable future. However, they remembered the development only 5-7 years ago, thereby giving their neighbors a chance.

The importance of getting into the leader pool is illustrated by the Zipf curve (Zipf)

Picture 1

Zipf distribution (Zipf)

Those cities and regions that find themselves at the tail of this curve may not count on anything serious... Perhaps they don’t need this, and tourism for them is like birch sap in an ordinary grocery store: they hardly take it, but they have it for assortment .

At the same time, our conversations with representatives of local and regional administrations indicate that in many parts of Russia they take tourism seriously, hoping with its help to give a new impetus to the development of the territory and replenish the budget. For this purpose, short-term and long-term programs are being developed everywhere, new tourism brands are announced, advertising catalogs are printed, exhibitions and presentations are held, journalists are invited, etc.

Why can’t many cities and regions make a breakthrough and significantly increase the tourist flow? What needs to be changed at work? Subsequent chapters of the book will be devoted to a detailed answer to these questions, but here I will only outline the key points.

1. Cities and regions, like people, have desires, but there is “heredity” and “natural inclinations”. When choosing a new image, it is useful to consider the second. Tall teenager It’s difficult to become an outstanding Formula 1 driver or singles skater – long legs get in the way. On the contrary, tall height is useful in volleyball or basketball. The same principle applies to territories. You can argue with nature, but it is expensive, and not everyone has the patience. (Read more about the influence of territorial features on the creation and promotion of brands in Chapters 2 and 3.)

2. A brand without reference to the target audience is doomed. The strength of a tourism brand is not determined by the size of the advertising budget or the number of advertising products and the big name of the PR agency that came up with slogans and logos. A good brand is, first of all, a good idea, that is, an idea that makes a given object interesting for a specific target audience. And this target audience must clearly understand why this object is better than others for it. In other words, a strong idea itself forms a targeted tourist flow. (For more information on positioning and selecting target segments, see Chapters 4 and 5.)

3. What is needed is not single solutions, but a system (!) of solutions.

Fact: in conditions of fierce competition, isolated successful finds are copied “for the next season.” Therefore, a strong brand, in addition to the key idea, presupposes a system of accompanying solutions - it works better to attract tourists and is more difficult to copy.

Have you ever attended a well-organized wedding? What about a poorly organized one? The difference between the first and second is that at a good wedding, guests enjoy the process without thinking about anything. They have already thought about everything for them. At a poorly organized wedding, guests argue with the toastmaster, either look for something to do, or struggle with the consequences of their own or someone else's activities. A region is, of course, not a wedding, but the principle of consistency here is the same: big things come from little things. (Read more about creating tourist sites and useful additional services for tourists, read chapters 6, 7 and 8.)

4. Interference – inertia of thinking and lack of feedback. Often residents, day after day contemplating their hometown, town or village, cannot break out of the framework of established stereotypes and look at places dear to the heart through the eyes of a visitor... (It’s not for nothing that there is a saying in American consulting: “The client is in the pan, but the consultant thinks more broadly - he is outside the pan.”) If only managers of tourist sites, as well as local and regional authorities, from time to time were interested in the opinions of tourists, travel agencies, investors, and consultants about the attractiveness or unattractiveness of their territory; many problems could have been avoided. And invented slogans and brand ideas would not evoke sympathetic smiles. (You will learn more about the stereotypes of tourists and travel agencies regarding holidays in Russia in Chapters 9 and 10.)

5. To promote a brand, you need not so much money as a working mind. In a manner Russian cities and the regions are lucky: there is foreign experience in promoting tourist sites. There are marketing techniques that are successfully used in the most progressive industries, for example, in retail trade, telecommunications, etc., including in Russia. Therefore, channels and means of promotion must be chosen critically, and not rely on the advice of a “familiar” advertising agency, which makes money not from actually attracting tourists, but only from advertising. Remember how in the monologue of the brilliant Mikhail Zhvanetsky:

“He somehow managed to survive on five thousand rubles. I was already suffering for ten thousand rubles. But he felt real need when he began to receive sixty thousand rubles.”

(More about effective ways promoting tourism potential, see Chapter 11.)

6. A brand is not created by one person or his team. This is a product of the entire territory as a whole. A brand idea or promotion concept can be developed by one or more professionals in the field of territory promotion. This is fine. But to transform ideas on paper into a working brand, the participation of the authorities, the local business community, and the involvement of local residents is necessary, and not just the initiatives of travel agencies, museums, hotels and restaurants. A tourist will not be delighted with brand new lanterns if they illuminate a garbage dump or a broken road; if homeless people are sleeping next to a modern hotel, and a car left in the parking lot was opened by inquisitive local teenagers, taking part of the contents of the interior as a souvenir. This is complex work for years to come. (Read more about issues of interaction between the tourism industry, authorities and local residents in Chapters 12 and 13.)

Yes, with travel brands everything is not as simple as we would like...

Unlike sales of everyday products (tea, sausage, bread), here you need to build a strategy for years to come, and then achieve its step-by-step implementation. Is it possible otherwise? It’s possible, but it will resemble Brownian motion... And your competing neighbors will learn from your mistakes.

It has its own rules of the game and its own methods of work, which are in some ways similar and in some ways different from other areas of the economy, so you will have to master new area knowledge – territory marketing.

And I want to end this introductory chapter with words from Holy Scripture, partly consonant with the ideas expressed above: “So the last will be first and the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 20:16; 22:14).

So it's time to roll up your sleeves...

Chapter 2
On the marketing objectives of tourism development

We rarely fully understand what we really want.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld, French thinker and politician of the 17th century.

It is believed that a correctly posed problem is a half-solved problem. If we analyze the situation with attracting tourists and creating tourism brands in our country, we will find that the task of “developing tourism”, with the same wording, carries different meanings for different cities and regions. There are, of course, common subtasks for all: in particular, increasing the recognition of specific tourist sites, positioning the territory in the tourism market or distinguishing itself from neighboring competitors. But there are also special tasks that depend on the level of tourism development in the region, on the image of the region in the eyes of Russians, on the guidelines that the authorities of the territory have set for themselves in the field of tourism. If we take as a basis the experience of tourism development in the territory and analyze the problems arising at different stages, then we can conditionally divide all territories into five groups:

Group 1. "Old Guard". These are the regions and municipalities that Russians strongly associate with certain types of tourism, where a steady flow of tourists has formed over many decades. This includes the cities of the Golden Ring, resorts Krasnodar region and Caucasian Mineral Waters, Dombay and Priel Brussier, Karelia, Altai, Baikal, of course, Moscow and St. Petersburg and a number of other territories and natural sites. These territories have been actively promoted since Soviet times, but they also have an urgent need to develop new types of tourism, create new attractions, improve the level of service, etc. For what? To ensure that energetic competitors do not “take away” their tourist flow, as well as to increase income from tourism. Marketing objectives relevant for this group of territories are presented in Table No. 1.

Table No. 1

The solution to each of the listed tasks is not limited to advertising and PR, but implies a whole list of interrelated activities, including organizational and technical. It will be useful for territories from other groups to solve the problems mentioned above, but for them they are not a priority.

Group 2. “Hidden reserve”. This includes territories that actually have significant display objects, but did not have strong advertising support in the past - “promotion” from the state - and for this reason are not very popular among Russians, and especially among foreign tourists. Exceptions are residents of their region and immediate neighbors. This may include: Perm region, Krasnoyarsk region, Buryatia, Adygea, Southern Urals, Bashkortostan, Arkhangelsk region, Khakassia, etc. Since the tourist flow from other regions is just forming here, there are certain difficulties in creating tourism infrastructure, in serving tourists, in interaction with travel agencies, etc. Overcoming them is a matter of time and the will of the territory’s leadership. As for advertising and marketing tasks, first of all you need to pay attention to the tasks presented in table No. 2.

Table No. 2

Group 3. “Adapters”. These include cities and regions whose tourism industry was based on a specific theme that has lost its popularity among Russians over the years. As a result, there are attractions, but few tourists. The most striking example here is Ulyanovsk.

This group also includes those territories where the flow of tourists has become noticeably smaller compared to the Soviet period due to fears, misconceptions, and misunderstandings that have emerged in society. This applies in particular to regions North Caucasus, as well as to those regions where emergencies involving tourists occurred. These, it would seem, different groups the same task - to move from an already established niche in consciousness Russian tourists to a new, more promising one. The key tasks for representatives of this group, as a rule, are those presented in Table No. 3.

Table No. 3

Group 4. “Hermits”. These are those territories that, despite all their uniqueness, remain aloof from the vibrant tourist activity due to the remoteness and high cost of passenger transportation from large Russian cities. This group can include Kamchatka, Chukotka, Kola Peninsula, Yakutia, Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, etc. Sometimes the situation is complicated by a special access regime. Along with attracting Russian tourists, such regions need to immediately establish work on the international market due to the greater solvency of foreign tourists and their increased interest in places untouched by civilization. Specific tasks for representatives of this group include the following (see table No. 4):

Group 5. “Clean sheets.” These are cities, districts and regions that have embarked on the path active development tourism quite recently, and in relation to which the bulk of Russian tourists have not yet developed any clear ideas. These include the Komi Republic, Mordovia, Udmurtia, Bryansk, Voronezh, Tambov, Kursk, Belgorod, Kirov, Omsk region and a number of other republics, territories and regions. Of course, these regions also have something to be proud of and something to show tourists. These are museums, temples, monasteries, nature reserves, ancient city buildings and estates, sanatoriums and boarding houses, etc. However, all these objects for a long time were focused mainly on residents of their region, and not on the flow of thousands of guests from all over the country - hence absence of stereotypes.

Unlike the rest, this group of regions should start not so much from their own resources and ambitions, but from what others do not have, i.e., look for free niches and close them. It's difficult, but there is no other way.

It is possible that the idea of ​​​​developing tourism in these regions is nothing more than a fashionable fad in connection with the next “party task”. If this is so, then there is no need to waste your efforts. It is better to invest the allocated funds in landscaping or social projects. If the leadership municipality or the region takes tourism seriously, then you need to start with the marketing tasks presented in table No. 5.

Table No. 5

Formulating tasks is, of course, good, but how to solve them and what exactly to do? We will talk about this in the following chapters of this book. And to summarize this chapter, I will mention three more tasks that, to one degree or another, face all territories:

1. Attract investors to create tourism infrastructure (this applies to both external investors and interaction with local businesses).

. This type of distribution was originally discovered in linguistics and reflected the relationship between the frequency of use of words and their popularity. But later it turned out that such a distribution is also typical for biology, economics, sociology, science, etc. More details: Vikentyev I.L. Living dictionary of a business coach: 300 terms, 190 examples. – SPb.: TRIZ-CHANCE, 2007. P. 149.

The proposed classification was developed by the author and, like any classification, is a simplified model. However, it helps to better understand the differences in setting objectives for areas with different “tourist heritage”.

The term “price justification” was proposed by S.V. Sychev, director of the company “Sychev and K” (Rostov-on-Don). Justifying the price involves convincingly answering the question why the price of a given product or service is what it is, and why the investment is justified.

Think about what makes your city unique? To do this, make a list of all the events and attractions that are in your city. Tourists are more interested in the things they can do and see in a city rather than where it is located. First of all, tourists find out what entertainment is available in the city, and only then where it is located. Examples: observing white nights in St. Petersburg or rock climbing in Krasnoyarsk.

• Focus on events and attractions unique to the city. Even a small or strange attraction can attract visitors and attention to a city (from the world's largest paper clip to artificial waves on a river). Ask yourself: “What makes this city worth visiting? What is there that tourists can’t get or see somewhere else?”
• Work with your tourism development committee and focus on the three most exciting things your city has to offer. The more facts you provide, the more interesting the city will become for tourists.

Conduct a survey among city residents. A survey is an important tool in assessing tourism attractiveness. It can be used to gather information about the city and ensure that the public agrees with the city's tourism vision. Talk to people face to face or conduct a survey over the phone. Ask the following questions:

• What do you think attracts visitors to the city?
• What kind of visitors might be interested in the city?
• What can be done to make the time spent by tourists in the city more colorful?

Conduct a survey among tourists. You can chat with tourists face to face at the local supermarket. Tourists can also be asked to subscribe to a newsletter and a survey sent to them via email. Ask the following questions:

• Where are you from?
• What interested you in our city?
• How did you hear about this attraction?
• What institutions have you visited?
• What amenities or services does the city need?
• Words from previous tourists or current visitors to a city can provide insight into how to improve future tourist experiences.

Create a marketing plan. To do this, target marketing segments must be defined. Identify target locations that will attract the most tourists. This may be well known hiking trail, an important cultural-historical monument or museum. Then categorize those locations by travel length and determine the customer base that might be interested in the city. Draw a diagram and break it down into the following categories:

• Geographical places with a section for day trips, overnight trips and long visits.
• Relaxation in the lap of nature, such as living in tents, hiking, fishing and picnic.
• Entertainment - historical monuments, fairs and festivals, shopping and local food.
• Other travel purposes, such as business trips and family trips.