Chemal as a center of ethnological-confessional tourism in the Altai Republic

The promising "Big Altai Program" is being developed in the south of Western Siberia. The concept of "Big Altai" covers the regions unique for tourism - Gorny Altai ( the Altai Republic) Rudny Altai (Altai Territory), Sayano-Altai (the Republic of Khakassia and the Republic of Tyva), Gobi Altai and Mongolian Altai (Mongolia). Based on the collected information, the development of ethnological-confessional tourism in the Altai Republic is highlighted by the author. In modern conditions of globalization, it takes place the unification and commercialization of ethnic culture of the Altaians (the titular ethnic group of the republic), Russians ( the ethnic majority of the region), and Kazakhs as a local large diaspora. In changing tendencies of the Russian society development, there is a belief that through ethnic tourism it is possible to return to ancient national traditions. For the local population and specialists involved in tourism services, it is an active factor of regional development, a source of employment. For the guests, ethnological-confessional tourism represents both an attractive sphere of communication and a direct entry into an unknown and little-known culture. According to the archival materials by the collector A.V.Anokhin, referring to the beginning of the last century and stored in the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) in St. Petersburg, the Altai regional tourism has a 100-year history. In the XIX century, the Altai Spiritual Mission was founded in the village of Chemal, which now-days has become the center of modern ethnological-confessional tourism in the region. In 2000, the Church of St. John the Theologian was restored on the Patmos rock near the Katun River, which became an Orthodox shrine that attracts tourists. The island of Patmos is associated with two priests by name of Makarius who served in the Chemal camp at different times. The locals called the island Makarievsky, since Father Makarius (Glukharev), the founder of the camp, was the first; and later, in 1916, there served Father Makarius (Nevsky). The history of the village of Chemal determined the restoration of Orthodox shrines, turning this village into a center of ethnological-confessional tourism in the Altai Republic.