The eastern vector of yoga tourism development: world and Russia

The article illustrates the trends and characteristics of yoga tourism development at the global level and in Russian regions. It is shown that this type of medical and therapeutic tourism, which originated in ancient India, has now spread widely around the world, but its main centers still remain in countries and regions where the development of yoga tourism is due to recognized medicine or the healing properties of unique geosystems, as well as the unique abilities and acquired skills of representatives of cult structures among the local population. It is established that the largest number of yoga tours is characteristic of countries in Southeast Asia - Nepal, India, and Indonesia, and from other regions -Morocco, and to a lesser extent - Greece. Today, in the Russian Federation, yoga tourism has also spread widely across the country, but the favorable conditions for its sustainable development are characteristic of the Altai Republic and Buryatia - the northernmost branches of the Central Asian cultural-historical variation of Buddhism. The identified trends in the development of yoga tourism indicate, on the one hand, the insufficient attention of Russian state and business structures to this type of activity, and on the other hand, the significant untapped resources and, as a result, significant prospects for its development. The available resources and main directions of yoga tourism development in the Republic of Buryatia are characterized using the location as an example.