Clients. Basic methods of attraction. Working with the database. How to attract tourists? – We create a beautiful story Colorful life attracts the attention of tourists

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.

The owner of the 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 (brochures, 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 the guest arrives with his own car, then, having placed his car on a personal plot or in a garage, he 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, the rules of residence, fire safety requirements, shows where the keys, trash can, etc. are located. It is also recommended to inform guests about local conditions, bus schedules, natural sites, 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 for using the guest house (Appendix No. 1), drawn up 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.

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 owner of the guest house develops flexible retail prices for different seasons and includes an intermediary commission, 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. Here you need to make a choice. 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:

If a tourist pays 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 funds and also settles with the owner.
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.

From Rostourism. In 2014, which is associated with the beginning of the crisis, 42,921 tourist trips abroad were registered among Russian citizens. In 2017 - 39,629.

Yes, there is definitely a downward trend. But 7 or even 8 percent is not a figure that can “kill” the market. People travel, and the TOP 20 for 2017 includes Germany, Israel, Italy - countries with far from the lowest prices.

If so, where are the clients?

Many travel companies emerged in the first decade after the collapse of the USSR. At that time, people who were just facing the collapse of the Iron Curtain simply had to be given a plane ticket and a hotel reservation, and that was it. The man is happy. He got away to see the world and can tell his friends what it’s like abroad.

Time has passed, and now the bulk of potential clients for the tourism business are children of the 80s and 90s. With a different worldview, more free and independent.

They don't want to lie belly up on the beaches of Antalya. Maybe once a year, when you need to take your parents and small child for a walk. And they don’t want to crowd together with dozens of complete strangers around yet another cathedral or monument. They can organize their own vacation via the Internet, without intermediaries.

What do they want? Bright, rich impressions that are difficult to get on your own. Hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia. A walk through the “secret” courtyards of Istanbul. A trip to the "hobbit village" in New Zealand. Participation in a national holiday. They want to realize their dreams and sparkle with beautiful photos on social networks.

Conclusion: the market is changing, and you need to change with it.

Promising niches for the next few years

Now we come to the main thing. You can talk as much as you like about how the world is changing, but where to run? What can be done to attract the current generation of tourists hungry for variety and experiences?

First of all, move from standard solutions to unique ones. Develop your own routes, establish relationships with new format tour operators, collaborate with private guides.

And most importantly, treat the tourism business as creativity, and not as a craft. Creativity is in fashion today - in the broadest sense of the word.

Here are some examples of fertile niches:

Organization of individual tours. People who have money don’t want to travel “like everyone else.” Give them the opportunity to book a tour with you with the most flexible conditions, without standard solutions. Large tour operators such as TUI and PAC are already starting to explore this niche. They organize trips according to individual requests to almost any country in the world, without being tied to ready-made “packages”. There are also small private companies like White Label Travel, which specializes in the premium segment. But this part of the tourism market can still accommodate many companies.
Organization of thematic tours. Bicycle trips, diving tours, cooking classes - find those areas that interest you and in which you can offer something unusual. It is with this approach that Velovuyki, which organizes cycling trips around Europe, or Safari Tour, which specialize in diving tours and dive safaris, have become popular in their niches. Large tour operators, by the way, also often make such programs - designed not for a wide audience, but for individual thematic segments. This means that the market exists.
Organization of author's tours. Bloggers have huge readerships, and many of them specialize in the topic of travel. In partnership with them, you can develop unusual programs. For example, one of my favorite projects, Travel Inside, grew out of a purely “blogger” format. They do not have a special thematic niche, they use a different approach - they gather their own warm audience that travels only with them. You can do the same or enter into partnership agreements with popular bloggers and organize tours together.
Organization of tourist groups in a club format. Accommodation, transportation, entertainment and attractions are the minimum for organized groups. But you can go further and organize parties, communication and other team building elements during your trips. Prominent representatives of this format can be One Life and Mikhail Kozhukhov’s Travel Club. Their clients are not just groups that meet every few days and say goodbye forever. No, they travel with them and with each other for many years.
Organization of tours around Russia for foreigners. All the same approaches can be used within your own country (unusual, original, thematic tours). Examples include Express to Russia or ExploRussia, as well as foreign companies like Responsibletravel, which organize tours to Russia for foreigners. They focus not only on history and typical walks in the center of Moscow or St. Petersburg, but also on natural attractions, holidays, and national cuisine. The market exists, but is not yet filled with competition, and there is huge scope for new business.

Personal experience

I started working in the tourism business in 2015, in the midst of another crisis. The bulk of clients are from countries of the former Union. At that moment, my husband and I managed to intuitively find the right direction and we founded Time 2 Travel club - a company for organizing individual travel.

What worked well:

Experience and own example. We travel a lot in Europe and Asia, we constantly write about it on our social networks, and clients trust our advice on choosing attractions and hotels. Moreover, they want us, as people who have seen everything with our own eyes, to advise them on the best options.
Individual approach. We do not offer ready-made tours, but rather ask what the client would like. Yes, often the choice comes down to one of a dozen popular countries for which we already have preparations. But this is how the client gets involved in the process, begins to plan the trip even before payment, feels that this is his trip, his dream is coming true. And, as a result, he goes with us until the very end, and does not look at how the competitors are doing.
Honesty. We play openly and tell clients: here is the cost of travel, here is our commission. Oddly enough, they bargain extremely rarely - apparently, they understand that earnings on one trip are not that great, and do not fantasize about huge hidden commissions. We also always tell people honestly what they are paying for, why one option is more or less expensive than another, and what to expect on the spot. This is highly valued and pays off handsomely in the form of positive reviews.

Organizing individual tours was a good decision and we decided to go further. Now we are expanding our business and will soon launch an online project under the same name Time 2 Travel - a search engine that will unite organizers of excursions, tours and tourist entertainment, as well as travelers who are looking for unusual experiences.

Photo: on

This new project grew out of our pain as travel organizers: it is difficult to find quality excursions and entertainment. When clients ask to organize a walk around Istanbul or Paris, the last thing they want is to get a standard “historical information” lasting several hours. I would like to find a person who loves this city, lives it and not only tells and shows, but gives travelers impressions.

Here we can return again to the issue of free niches in the tourism business. Agree, a tour guide is not the rarest profession. But if you don’t work like everyone else, but do something unusual, of truly high quality and from the heart, and not according to standard templates, it will be much easier for you to find your audience and sell them your services at good prices.

A few key words

Free niches are constantly appearing on the market and finding them is not so difficult. What is needed is to monitor how people's preferences change. Yesterday they simply wanted an organization within the framework of “visa, ticket, hotel” - they needed to meet these needs. Today they want entertainment, impressions and beautiful photographs - these new desires need to be satisfied. Tomorrow this will also change and other tourism destinations will begin to gain popularity.

To keep your finger on the pulse, it is useful to regularly read social networks and forums, listen to feedback, and most importantly, ask your audience directly. This should all be part of an ongoing and regular workflow.

Don't be afraid of negative reviews. When a client says something was missing, they are giving you the most valuable free consultation and actually pointing out where they can improve. In the same way, you can monitor your competitors’ reviews and get ideas: what their customers like and what they don’t like.

With this approach, you are unlikely to run out of ideas. Of course, then there will be a lot of work to implement the plan, but this is a topic for another story.

Belarus is open to the world. We want people to come to us, to talk about us, to come back here. One of the proofs is the introduction of a five-day visa-free regime for citizens of more than 80 countries. Of course, such an initiative contributed to the growth of tourist flows. However, this is not enough. Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai is convinced that our country is capable of receiving 2-4 times more tourists. How to achieve this? By creating and promoting a brand of Belarus that will tell foreigners about it.

It was the development of a brand for our country that became one of the key topics at the International Tourism Conference “Destination Branding: Innovative Ideas for Attracting Tourists,” which brought together more than 300 participants from 30 countries in Minsk last week.

No matter what anyone says, Belarus still remains a blank spot on the tourist map of the world. Even if a foreigner has heard something about it, he does not understand what kind of place it is and what is special about it. The problem is that we ourselves cannot yet give a clear definition in this regard. Belarus is hospitable, picturesque, sporty... But what is the main thing here?

It has been noticed: when choosing a travel route, tourists have recently asked search engines not for a specific country, but for the attractions they offer. For example, “active recreation”, “best beaches”, “ancient architecture” and so on. Therefore, it is very important that the destination loudly and specifically declares itself to the world.

For example, Slovenia has been positioning itself as a green country for ten years. Green means ecological, active and healthy. The brand is recognized not only domestically, but also globally. To make this happen, to make it work, we had to spend a lot of years and resources. But the result was worth it - last year we wanted to visit this country

42 million people. The creation of the brand helped increase tourist flows to many countries - Georgia, Malaysia, India, Colombia and others. There is a lot to see in Belarus: beautiful nature, rich cultural heritage, developed sports infrastructure... However, all this should be united by one concept or slogan. For example, “beautiful”. This option was proposed by the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Taleb Rifai:

A country's brand should reflect your values, what is important to you. “Beauty” can be a keyword when creating a country brand. It’s not for nothing that the Italian word bello, which means “beautiful,” is consonant with the name of Belarus.

At the conference, a proposal was made to make Belarus a romantic country, since there is a strong connection with history, traditions and legends. There was an option to present Belarus as a country where your interests will be shared.

Creating a brand is only a small part of the big job of attracting tourists. Once it is created, it is important to choose the right path to promote it. And standard methods will not work here. Billboards, posters at the airport, brochures at embassies and even advertising on TV are all of the past. Countries with a large flow of tourists engage primarily in online marketing, using popular platforms such as tripadvisor, expedia, and so on.

However, Belarusians can already boast of certain successes. A couple of months ago, we launched our own analogue of booking.com - the VETLIVA portal, which allows you not only to find out details about our country, but also to book any tourist services at any time and from anywhere in the world. Today, the site is visited daily by more than 4 thousand people.

Social networks also play a big role in popularizing a brand today. Their use helps to give life to a brand, quickly convey its meaning and conduct business dialogue between companies. Many countries attract celebrities - singers, actors, athletes - to popularize their national brand. More non-standard approaches can also be used. By the way, we have a good example - the branding of the Belavia aircraft by the Belarusian company Wargaming, the developer of the world-famous game World of tanks. And the “tankolet” works well for the country’s image, says Wargaming PR manager Ivan Zhivitsa:

- “Boeing” with a bright inscription “A game from Belarus that the whole world plays” is now flying to 28 countries. It has already carried hundreds of thousands of passengers. And millions saw it! No billboard advertising the sights of Belarus would have brought such success.

Every year the number of people traveling around the world is growing. In 2016, more than 1.2 billion people were looking for new experiences in different parts of the world; in 2030, international experts predict, this number will reach 1.8 billion. As the number of tourists increases, so does the competition among destinations. And in order to take your place in the tourism market, you need not be afraid to expand the boundaries of your own vision and use creative methods to attract tourists.

OPINIONS

Janez Sirce, project manager “Support for sustainable development of tourism in Belarus”:

Belarus is of interest. People who come here for the first time are delighted with what they see here and who they communicate with. There is a need for the country to come up with its own brand and logo. At the same time, Belarusians must realize that when presenting the country on the world tourism market, they must present not only a logo, but also a high-quality tourism product that will satisfy consumer demand.

Sandra Carvao, Head of Communications, World Tourism Organization:

A brand is an image in the minds of potential customers. This is who we are to others. But it's also who we really are. It’s not enough to just talk about the brand. It is important to illustrate it with action.

Tornike Zirakishvili, head of the international relations department of the Georgian National Tourism Administration:

The main lesson I learned from marketing experience: what you don’t believe in doesn’t sell. Many destinations fall into the trap of trying to make something of themselves. You need to show who you are, what is your authenticity, what you really love.

IMPORTANT

Belarus is...

Several options for the country brand will be submitted for public discussion by the end of the year.

Now experts from the EU-funded project “Supporting Sustainable Development of Tourism in Belarus” are working on their development. They will choose the one that receives the highest rating from international experts, consultants, foreign tourists and Belarusians themselves. After all, when creating and promoting a national brand, it is very important that the local population likes it.

The project experts create not only the brand of Belarus. They have already developed a tourism development strategy and logos for five Belarusian regions and tourist sites: Naroch, Kamenets - Pruzhany, Mstislavl, Polotsk and the Augustow Canal. These are pilot destinations. The brand of each of them was created taking into account the history of the region, landscape, attractions and other characteristics. For example, they propose to position Naroch as a source of health. Mstislavl is like living history and an impressive landscape. And the Augustow Canal is a cross-border cultural heritage complemented by adventure activities. Project experts hope that the regions will use the developed brands and logos. It may take years until they are accepted by local authorities, the population, and tourists. But if the brand works, the result will please everyone. In addition, pilot destinations should become an example for other regions of Belarus. I would like to believe that they are successful.

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 the 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"

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 Türkiye 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 says: 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.

Our country is a huge territory that contains a whole treasury of various riches: natural, architectural, works of art and many others.

For many years (especially during the Iron Curtain period), foreigners perceived our country as snow-covered with large snowdrifts, which lies on the ground all year round, and polar bears walk and roam the Russian streets. However, fortunately, the “iron curtain” was lifted, and now a different opinion about Russia has formed in the minds of people from abroad, and according to statistical data, it can be confidently stated that residents of other countries are increasingly showing interest in studying our state every year .

What attracts foreigners to our country?

Firstly, this is an amazing story that is unlike any other. Russian tsars, their dynasties, revolutions, the communist past - all this has left its mark on world history. Foreigners want to see our state with their own eyes, confirming or refuting the existing opinion about it, inspired by the lessons of world history, newspaper or magazine information, and political assessments. Therefore, many foreign tourists strive to visit Russian historical museums.

Secondly, this is our culture, which is considered the great pride of the Russian people. Russian culture has occupied, and will continue to occupy, a worthy place in world culture for a long time. Russian ballet is famous throughout the world. Russian theater is very interesting to foreigners. Russian literature is a separate word. Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Lermontov - every foreigner knows the names of these Russian literary geniuses. What about Russian music?! Incendiary Russian melodies with dancing delight any foreign tourist. What about Russian classical music?! Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Mussorsky, the works of these great composers are known all over the world. This explains the interest of foreign tourists in visiting Russian theaters, concert halls and conservatories, reading rooms of libraries and bookstores, and cultural museums.

Thirdly, these are the traditions of our people. Maslenitsa with hot pancakes, New Year, which is celebrated the first fourteen days from the beginning of the year, Christmas fortune-telling on Christmas Eve, apple and honey spas - all this is typical only for our Russian people, and so unusual for a foreigner. So they come to us from different parts of the world to see what is simply a curiosity for them.

Fourthly, this is Russian cuisine. Siberian dumplings, thick borscht, rich cabbage soup, tender herring under a fur coat, rosy pancakes, soft stretchers and much more - this is what a foreign tourist likes to enjoy upon arriving in Russia. The Russian people love to eat delicious food, which is reflected in their national cuisine. Our food is simple and filling. And every foreigner likes it.

Fifthly, this is a huge territory of our country, every corner of which contains priceless treasures. The Moscow region and St. Petersburg are huge pearl cities of our country. It is in them that the main attractions of our state are concentrated - the Kremlin and Red Square, Palace Square, the Winter Palace, the Peter and Paul Fortress. Also located here are the main museums of the state - the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery and many others. The country's best theaters and concert halls are also located here - the world-famous Bolshoi Theater, the Maly Theater, the Operetta Theater, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, etc.

Sixthly, these are unique natural places that are interesting not only for exploring, but also for a good rest. Lake Baikal with exciting fishing, Caucasian mineral waters with healing mineral water, Sochi with a wonderful beach holiday, Yakutia with sledding in the cold, dog-drawn sleigh rides, cold Murmansk with snow-covered mountains for skiing, Karelia - Russian Lapland with snow-covered skiing taiga, the mountainous Urals are also created for excellent skiing.

All the riches of Russia cannot be counted. Each tourist will need at least one year to make at least one trip to our mother earth, and even then it will not be enough to thoroughly study it. This is what it is, our Russia, our homeland and our pride.