Tourism in the Russian Arctic: challenges and development opportunities

Unlike other Arctic countries, tourism development in the Arctic zone of Russia remains an unfinished issue. Meanwhile, the coverage of one third of the Arctic, the concentration of endemic species of wildlife, natural phenomena, the preservation of unique Arctic cultures and climate changeб make this area very attractive for tourists. On the one hand, complex transport logistics for tourism development is promoted only by large enterprises that can invest significant funds to participate in the tourism business. On the other hand, researchers note an increase in cruise tourism in Greenland, Alaska, Canada and Norway caused by climate change and improving maritime availability. However, one of the problems that researchers face in the Russian Arctic is limited data. Official statistics do not reflect the objective picture of changes in Arctic communities. Although several case studies have been carried out using qualitative methods for analyzing tourism development, there is a knowledge gap in quantitative assessments of this phenomenon. To obtain more adjusted information on the development of tourism infrastructure, the authors combined the analysis of secondary data from previous studies and the Federal State Statistics Service with Internet resources in Russian. In the article the authors emphasize the importance of understanding the Russian Arctic as multifaceted region in geographical, cultural and economic aspects. Assessing the differences between the regions in the Arctic will allow us to create better tools for planning and managing the development of the tourism industry in these territories.