Applying modern media technologies to preserve the cultural space of historical cities using the case of St. Petersburg: Methodical approaches

The article is dedicated to the questions of using modern multimedia technologies for popularization of historical cities as tourist attractions from and for preserving cultural heritage by partially transferring the influence of mass tourist flows from the real world to the virtual reality. The authors formulate the main theses of the "new normality", reflecting the specifics of the current stage of economic development and characterizing the environment in which managerial decisions are currently being taken. The authors also highlight the main trends and challenges of this "new normality" influencing the development of tourism industry and, particularly, tourism in historical cities. The article notes that technical capabilities and marketing needs of the target audience of travelers should be taken into account. The authors classify modern, technically accessible technologies of augmented and virtual reality and their possibilities in the organization of tourism in historic cities. The article shows the role of storytelling technologies in the forming the audiences of potential tourists and the loyalty of attendees, who visit the historic city more than once. The results of online surveys conducted on a sufficiently wide sample substantiate the relevance of the approaches proposed by the authors. The material also shows the ways of using the augmented reality tools in historical cities. The authors raise the issues of the safe organization of virtual space in the historic cities and propose options for approbation of the developed approach in St. Petersburg.