Tourism concessions in national parks: the peculiarities and stages of development

The article considers the peculiarities of tourist concessions in national parks, key points and components of the concession system based on adaptation of a number of analytical materials and manuals for managers, as well as a summative experience of the best practices of foreign countries in use of concessions in tourism in protected areas. We have studied the problems, strengths and weaknesses of the existing practices of using concession mechanisms, various aspects of planning and managing concession activities to maximize financial, economic and social benefits from working with the private sector to achieve the goals of biodiversity conservation in the long term. There are three main stages distinguished by different goals and content of work: 1) determination of the scope of work in a particular national park; 2) development of a concession program and a feasibility study; 3) preparation for procurement (including strategy and package, promotional materials and tender documents) and the negotiation process itself. We have formulated the top priority recommendations for the development of a reliable system of concessions in the field of tourism in national parks of Russia.