Ecotourism in Russia and the Nordic countries

In recent years, in our country there is a significant growth of interest in such unusual trend in tourism as ecological tourism. Ecotourism is a kind of nature tourism, which brings together people who want to be as close as possible to nature. The very concept of "ecotourism" for our country is a relatively new, but in Western Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and other countries such kind of rest has already gained a lot of popularity. In Russia, despite the opportunities for development of this trend, ecotourism is underdeveloped. This article defines the concept of "ecotourism", describes the peculiarities of this type of tourism, and lists the main requirements for eco-tours. The authors give the main reasons hindering the development of eco-tourism in our country. The authors consider in detail the Nordic countries as an example of the highest level of eco-tourism organizing. Currently, it is one of the most popular destinations for eco-tourists. The Nordic countries, namely Norway, Sweden and Denmark, provide great opportunities for the ecotourism development. It is promoted by the magnificent nature, picturesque landscapes, good level of state support and protection of national parks and reserves, the interest of the local population in maintaining the ecotourism facilities in proper state and creation of comfortable conditions for recreation of foreign and domestic tourists, who prefer to spend their holidays or a weekend surrounded by nature. There are solutions for active rest and relaxing vacation, which allows the Nordic countries to attract more and more eco-tourists year by year.