Visitor information centers as a strategic resource for tourism development

The article deals with the possibilities of using the Cossacks culture as a tourist re- source, and proposes the concept of a visitor information center in Selenga district of the Republic of Buryatia. Development of the concept of tourist project is an ini- tial stage in determining the strategy for development of regional tourism. As ex- emplified by organization of the Cossack estate the prerequisite of any concept is a specific problem, and in this case it is preservation and popularization of the Cos- sack culture, as well as development of domestic tourism. The visitor information center "The Estate of Transbaikal Cossacks" will allow to solve a number of tasks to meet the needs of various categories of Russian citizens in active rest and recrea- tion, health promotion, familiarizing with cultural values, as well as tasks of patri- otic education for the younger generation. This visitor information center is not on- ly a place where the cultural heritage of the region is concentrated, in particular the culture of Cossacks, but it provides full information about the region of travel, tourist offers and renders a wide range of additional services.