Ecological tourism in Rostov region: the current state and development prospects

The article examines the ecological tourism as one of the important development directions of tourism in Rostov region. Ecological tourism has both the sociocultural value and is an impulse for the economic increase in the region. Despite the fact that Rostov region is one of the basic agricultural regions of the country, ecological tourism has the large potential in the region. Ecological routes can create tourist experience of the contacts with nature and unique natural objects. The program of ecological routes practically always includes the elements of entertainments, leisure, fishing, acquaintance with the history of region and the unique objects of culture. The ecological tourism at present became one of the priority trends in tourism development in the world. In Russia this form of tourism, nevertheless, only collects the rates of development. Predominantly ecological tourism in the world, also, in Russia is organized in the natural reserves. At present several projects of mass ecological tourism have been already realized in the territory of Rostov region; however, they aimed at leisure and entertainments of the population of region and have predominantly regional value. In the article the basic development areas of ecological tourism in the territory of the Rostov region are examined: the upper Don regions, the having large areas of untouched landscapes, the territory of natural park “Donskoy” in Don's delta and water land of the Manych valley with the territory of natural steppe reserve “Rostov”. The realization of the existing ecological routes will make it possible to raise travel industry in the Rostov region to the new level, to attract tourists and to give new pulse to the regional tourism development.