Local community and social infrastructure deficits in the tourist industry development (the case of Irkutsk part of the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory)

The article investigates the tourism industry influence on the social sphere. Through the example of a number of settlements located within the Irkutsk part of the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory the authors study how the main objects of social infrastructure distributed and impact on them on the part of increasing tourist flow. Within this work the focus is shifted towards health care, because this component is important in people’s health and life and there is the least presented in scientific works. The field research in Olkhon district of Irkutsk region in 2011 and 2016 made it possible to reveal the local community relation to the tourist industry development. The authors emphasize the importance of people’s opinion about prospects for tourism development on their own territory. The article was written as a part of research project No. 0347-2016-0006 «Social and geographical factors of ecological and socio-economic transformations in Siberian regions within sustainable development».