Sustainable tourism and municipalities’ development in border regions

The article is concerned with some institutional problems of sustainable tourism development in municipalities on the example of Muezerskiy region of Karelia. It is assumed that a model of sustainable tourism development is complementary to the concept of tourist destinations’ evolvement and the theory of cultural districts. Research results of the Tacis project, based on the data obtained from economic and sociological surveys carried out in local households and business areas of Muezerskiy region are considered. Results of the 2004 survey showed that Muezerskiy region, despite existing economic difficulties, has a fairly active socio-cultural environment that can act as stimuli for the eco-tourism promotion. However, due to the lack of enabling institutional environment, this initiative has not progressed into a stable process in the course of 10 years. The causes of these problems are revealed and analyzed. A return to the idea of Muezerskiy project and a new approach to the issue, based on the ideology of sustainable tourism, has not only complemented to the theoretical research model but also assisted in drawing of some new practical conclusions. Analysis of the scientific discussion of the round table on tourism destinations, which took place at the international scientific-practical conference “The Role of Tourism in Modernization of the Economy of Russian Regions”, showed that tourism currently has a high chance of becoming a substantial resource of municipalities’ development. Positive trends in the institutionalization of some local initiatives can be viewed as necessary prerequisites for such scenario development.