Logistics Capabilities of the Russian Arctic Regions for the Development of Automobile Tourism

The development of automobile tourism in Russia has reached a new stage due to the concept approved by the Government of the Russian Federation. The relevance of this type of tourism is associated with the increased demand of Russians for travel within the country and the difficulties in providing of transportation for the increased tourist flows. The stimulus to its development is the increase in motorization of citizens and the great recreational potential of Russia. For the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation, auto tourism is one of the ways to develop the territory. In our work, based on the analysis of reviews of auto tourists in the Internet, we studied the demand for the regions of the Russian Arctic, the directions of the main car routes, the impressions gained from travelling on the Arctic roads. It turned out that the most popular regions among Russian auto tourists are the western sector of the Russian Arctic — Murmansk Oblast and the Republic of Karelia. Most trips are made in warm season. Tourists note the poor quality of the surface on some sections of the roads and the lack of roadside service facilities. Based on the materials of the highway departments, the Ministry of Transport and road maps, we studied the accessibility of the Arctic regions of Russia for auto tourists, their suitability for the development of tourist routes. As a result, we divided the Arctic regions into four groups: the most accessible, accessible, conditionally accessible and difficult to access. For each group, we proposed the types of auto tourism that can be developed there. Currently, development of auto tourism in the first two groups is the most promising.