The genesis of tourism development in the Arctic. Arctification and tourism

The Arctic is currently attracting the attention of researchers from completely different directions. In this article, the author examines the history of tourism development in the Russian Arctic and highlights its stages. Carries out the periodization of the stages of development of Arctic tourism. Currently, within the framework of current legislation, there is no clear definition of the concept of Arctic tourism, while most experts in the tourism industry, both domestic and foreign, are of the same opinion that Arctic tourism is a type of tourism that allows you to get acquainted with the unique natural landscapes and culture inherent in this region. In recent years, this type of tourism has become increasingly popular, due to the growing interest in ecotourism, adventure tourism and the Arctic region as a whole. The author describes the specifics of the implementation of Arctic tourism in the Arctic circumpolar states, identifies individual problems of tourism development as a branch of the regional economy in the Russian Arctic. The Arctic zone is a unique territory with huge potential for tourism development. The article discusses the main approaches to defining the concept of Arctic tourism. The author considers the process of tourism development in the Arctic as a process of «arctification», which is the tourist commercialization of the Arctic territories and socio-economic activities that create new geographical images of the northern circumpolar countries as part of the Arctic.