For most countries of the world, including Russian Federation, which has great potential for growth in this industry.

However, Russian tour operators are experiencing some problems that have arisen when serving tourists: the high cost of tours (due to the high cost of road transport services), as well as an insufficiently developed tourist infrastructure. In January-August 2015, 2 million 303 thousand tourists vacationed in Crimea.

Of the total number of vacationers arriving in Crimea in January-August 2015: 47% arrived by air, 42% - ferry crossing;11% - arrived by other means of transport. During the same period in 2016, 4 million 264 thousand tourists vacationed in Crimea, which is 54% higher than the level of 2015. Of the total number of vacationers arriving in Crimea in January-August 2016: 45% arrived by air, 41% by ferry; 14% - arrived by other means of transport. Since the beginning of the year, the most tourists have vacationed on South Coast Crimea - 41% of the total number of tourists who have vacationed in Crimea since the beginning of the year as a whole, on West coast Crimea - 37%, on East Coast Crimea - 18%, in other regions - 4%. In January-August 2016, 10 million 2 thousand tourists rested in collective accommodation facilities in Crimea. The peninsula has all the resources necessary for the development of the following types of tourism: - medical and health (on the territory of Crimea, 144 organizations provide tourists with special sanatorium and resort treatment); - cultural and educational (15 municipal and over 300 operating museums); - event-based (music, wine, military, stage, cinema, and sports festivals are held every year); - pedestrian (in the mountain-forest zone of the peninsula there are 84 tourist sites, 26 areas for public entertainment for residents, 193 tourist trails); - cycling (an extensive network of hiking trails and rural roads creates conditions for cycling);

Underwater (local diving, dive cruises, training schools, children's camps with scuba diving training); - equestrian (more than 20 equestrian clubs with horseback riding routes for tourists); - ethnological (about 115 nationalities live on the peninsula, 92 ethnographic sites are located, based on this, cultural and ethnographic routes have been developed); - sports (hang gliding tournaments; yachting, receiving yachts in Crimea can be carried out by 4 sea ​​ports located in the following cities: Yalta, Sevastopol, Kerch and Evpatoria). It follows from this that the prospects for the development of tourism in Crimea are associated with the further development of infrastructure, the accelerated development of tourist centers with a specific, in contrast to swimming and beach recreation, tourist product: diving and aquatic species sports (Tarkhankut, Mezhvodnoe), hang gliding and parachuting (Koktebel), rock climbing, scientific, ethnic, agrotourism, etc. One of the exciting and promising trends in the development of tourism in Crimea is wine tourism.

This type of tourism implies: acquaintance with the creation, traditions of consumption, tasting and purchasing alcoholic beverages directly from the manufacturer in this region. Wine tourism includes: - familiarization of tourists with grape plantations, agricultural wine-making organizations, tasting of local grape varieties; - familiarization with the technology of producing alcoholic beverages directly during production; - acquaintance with the history of winemaking, national consumption customs, visiting specialized museums and exhibitions; - visiting tasting rooms and cellars; - visiting restaurants offering wine tasting services; - participation in wine festivals and themed holidays, which are already held in the squares and vineyards of Sevastopol; - participation in specialized exhibitions, forums, conferences, competitions, auctions, master classes, etc.

There is no place in the Russian Federation like Crimea, which has all the conditions for growing various varieties of grapes from which world-class wine and champagne can be made. Elite Crimean wines, in particular Red Stone White Muscat, have repeatedly won the most prestigious competitions in the world. The territories where grapes are grown, from which elite wines are produced, are considered extremely significant throughout Russia. In the near future, the state will begin to stimulate wine producers not through direct investment, but by reducing the tax burden, providing preferential credit, and ensuring dignity over foreign wine merchants in domestic retail chains, which is why individual capital investments from continental Russian firms may follow in the industry.

Despite all the positive aspects in the development of tourism in Crimea, a number of problems can be identified that significantly affect this industry: - State of infrastructure - low level of development material base, outdated hotel stock, sanatoriums, holiday homes, poor transport provision, remoteness or isolation from the main transport network, low level of development of tourist infrastructure. - Social reasons - low level of income of the population, lack of real investment. - Political, scientific and technical conditions, as well as travel safety factors. All problems not only significantly impede the development of this area of ​​activity, but also contribute to the massive outflow of income that tourism institutions bring to the state.

life and organization.

To change the situation in this area of ​​Crimea towards positive development trends it is necessary:

1) modernization of management of the use of coastal zone resources, i.e. to give the coastal territories of the Crimean region the status of resort territories of state and local significance, as well as the restoration of recreational territories;

2) ensuring continuity in the use of the tourist and recreational potential of the Republic of Crimea, which consists in equalizing the demand for resources of the coastal zone (will reduce tension on the most popular recreational territories and facilities and create the provision of additional resources for the development of the Republic of Crimea); 3) the formation of a competitive tourism product that meets international quality standards, which will make it possible to avoid a gradual decrease in the competitiveness of the sanatorium-resort and tourist complex;

4) increasing the duration of the active holiday season, which will increase the effectiveness of using the recreational potential of the territory and reduce seasonal fluctuations in income levels, employment, and workload. Thus, Crimean peninsula has great tourism potential and if the proposed measures are implemented soon, the tourism industry in Crimea will begin to develop and bring significant revenue to the state budget of the Republic and Russia as a whole, which will make it possible to increase the duration of the tourist season in the region and increase the tourist image of Crimea.

List of sources used: 1. Official website of the Ministry of Resorts and Tourism of the Republic of Crimea [Electronic resource] - Access mode: http://mtur.rk.gov.ru/rus/info.php?id=608306. 2. Kharitonov D. Nikolskaya E.Yu. Current problems of tourism development in the Republic of Crimea / D. Kharitonov, E.Yu. Nikolskaya // journal Innovative Science - 2015 - No. 121. - P.187-191 3. Novikov V.S. N731 Organization of tourist activities: textbook for students. institutions of higher education prof. education / V.S. Novikov. - M.: Publishing Center "Academy", 2013. - 336 p. - (Ser. Bachelor's degree)

Gnilitskaya T.I., Shcherbakova D.A., Abramova L.S.

The resort peninsula is forming and discussing a new tourism development strategy based on the “genius of the place”

Sea, sun and water - this set of advantages opens the right path to fierce price competition for tourists. History, cuisine, nature, wine, festivals - this already sounds more promising. The resort peninsula is forming and discussing a new tourism development strategy based on the “genius of the place.”

Not just the beach

Beach tourism is a natural specialization of tourism for Crimea. One might even say obvious. The problem is that a tourist who sets off on a journey just for the sake of the beach is not loyal - he doesn’t care what point on the planet the segment is located seashore, suitable for recreation, so the price of the trip becomes not only the main, but almost the only factor of choice. Accordingly, the region, which makes its main economic bet on the beaches, becomes completely dependent on the price situation of its closest competitors.

If Türkiye, Greece or even Krasnodar region will do Russian tourists obviously more profitable offers, Crimea will immediately lose a significant part of the tourist flow. In addition, the peninsula, where there are up to 300 sunny days a year, becomes crowded during the beach season—it would like to receive guests all year round.

This year, the region is hosting several major events in November, hoping to attract the attention of interested audiences, including hospitality industry players and investors, to its year-round, beach-independent opportunities.

Genius loci

Crimea needs to focus mainly on those guests who can evaluate the region as unique place, which has a unique set of advantages. To do this, it is necessary to focus on promoting the “specialties” of the peninsula, which are still less famous than its beaches, according to experts in the tourism industry.
“Crimea has a colossal cultural and historical component that remains to be promoted: Chersonese, ancient settlements in the Bakhchisarai Valley, the site of the Yalta Conference of 1945 and the favorite residence of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II - the Livadia Palace, Massandra and Vorontsov palaces, the ancient fortresses of Feodosia and Kerch . Pushkin, Tsvetaeva, Voloshin, Chekhov lived and worked here. Their dachas and the houses of their friends have been preserved. There are a great many such objects, and just to travel around, have a look, appreciate the cuisine in cute little cafes and restaurants, and enjoy the views - a week is definitely not enough. And the best time for this is not summer, when it is too hot here. The ideal period is the autumn-spring period,” the Minister of Resorts and Tourism of Crimea Vadim Volchenko is convinced.


Vadim Volchenko (Photo: press service)

As the minister notes, you can often hear from those who come to the peninsula: “I was in Livadia and Vorontsov Palace, I don’t want to go there anymore, and I don’t even know what else to see.”

The territory is also underestimated from the point of view active rest and ecotourism. “There are a huge number of scenic hiking trails, and quite accessible ones. The most you will need is comfortable shoes. And you are already walking along a wide path covered with pine needles, with magnificent views. There really is a lot of this in Crimea, but people don’t know enough about it,” he emphasizes.

In winter and autumn-spring, medical tourism is especially attractive. Crimea, famous in Soviet times for its resorts and sanatoriums, has largely preserved this infrastructure and, importantly, highly qualified specialists who know unique treatment and rehabilitation techniques remain here.

Of course, the existing medical base requires updating. “It is necessary to introduce modern products, including luxury ones, related to body diagnostics (Check-Up), new popular procedures, and to abandon this term “sankur”. People should understand that they offer medical services that keep up with the times,” I am sure CEO MriyaResort&Spa Hrant Babasyan.


Hrant Babasyan (Photo: Mriya Resort & Spa)

At the same time, he emphasizes that conventional marketing tools are not enough to attract tourists. “The challenge is to convince clients to come to us. And today there is only one way to convince - from hand to hand, when one came, tried it, and told his friends. However, this “word of mouth” factor is very sensitive to quality, because if something goes wrong, not only the client himself will not return, but also his friends will not come,” explains Babasyan.

In addition, continues the head of MriyaResort&Spa, Crimea is very different from other regions in that there is one or another cultural site or attraction. Therefore, everything needs to be put in order, and somewhere a new all-season infrastructure needs to be created. For example, make the same dolphinarium closed so that it can function not only in the summer. “The emergence of indoor swimming pools, year-round aquariums, congress opportunities will lead to an increase in hotel occupancy, the development of related tourism infrastructure and the entire peninsula as a whole. This is precisely what needs to be emphasized so that in the future the peninsula can develop without government injections,” Babasyan is confident.

Expanding the tourist season through the development of a variety of destinations will not only increase the flow of tourists, but will also distribute the load on the infrastructure, notes the Minister of Tourism of Crimea Volchenko.

Gastronomic paradise

The development of event tourism can significantly promote Crimea as a territory attractive to tourists.

“A competently organized event can increase the number of tourists by a quarter,” says Igor Kaverzin, vice-president of the National Association of Event Tourism Specialists (NAST), chairman of the expert council of the National Award in the field of event tourism, RussianEventAwards. And in this case, it is worth considering not only tourists who visited the event itself, but also those who learned about the tourist location thanks to the promotion of the event and will be able to visit it at another time.

“Today, Crimea, from the point of view of individual bright, original tourist events, is developing quite actively. The content is interesting, but so far there is no complexity and consistency in the formation of the event calendar, there is no interaction of events with each other. In addition, the level of service in the hospitality sector, including in the field of event tourism, remains insufficiently high,” says Kaverzin.

The expert identifies three areas that should be emphasized when promoting event tourism in Crimea. Firstly, these are reconstruction events that reflect the historical diversity of the territory. “The Genoese Helmet festival is already popular today,” notes Kaverzin.

The second is the maritime direction - holding sailing regattas and festivals. And third is gastronomic tourism and gastronomic events. Crimean cuisine is very diverse both ethnically and regionally. “Here you can taste Crimean Tatar, Greek, and Bulgarian cuisine,” confirms Crimean Tourism Minister Volchenko. - Moreover, you can go to sea on a boat with local resident, and then bring the catch to a coastal cafe, where they will immediately prepare it for you - tastier than fish can not be! And Crimean tomatoes with Yalta onions, homemade sunflower oil and aromatic black bread, or mushrooms just picked in the forest and fried with potatoes, will leave few people indifferent.”

Beaujolais holiday - Crimean version

Wine festivals deserve special mention. Thus, Kaverzin gives an example, in the fall the annual WineFest festival is held in Balaklava. This year from November 4th to 6th there will be a festival young wine Novemberfest. According to the Minister of Tourism of Crimea, 15 wineries that produce their own wine in Crimea will open their doors to tourists. These are, for example, Massandra, Inkerman, Sunny Valley, New World, Koktebel and others.

“Of course, you can spend these three days off in Moscow, St. Petersburg or fly somewhere, but you can spend them in Crimea at the festival of new wine. Tour farms, taste wine, try Crimean cuisine and enjoy the beautiful views,” says Volchenko.

Wine cluster

As winemaker Pavel Shvets notes, Crimea (especially the territories in the area of ​​Koktebel, Feodosia, Sudak and Sevastopol) was simply created for the development of winemaking and wine tourism. “In Chersonesus, viticulture appeared in the 4th century BC. There are a lot of autochthonous grape varieties here. Crimea and the Black Sea coast are home to the Vitisvinifera grape, which was brought to Europe and from which wine is made there today,” he says.


Pavel Shvets (Photo: personal Facebook page)

Currently in Crimea, active work is underway in terms of developing small winemaking enterprises that have plots of 10-20 hectares. In Sevastopol, the goal is to increase the number of such enterprises to 200. This, in addition to the development of production, will create a very good tourism cluster, the Sevastopol winemaker is sure.

Many investors come to the region; there is interest in acquiring land and creating full-cycle winemaking enterprises. At the same time, the main difficulties that businessmen face are the high cost of land and the complexity of its registration.

Also, Shvets points out, it is important for the investor to understand that he will not be left alone with his products. “If you buy an unknown farm, for example, in Bordeaux, the very brand of this territory allows you to believe that you will be able to sell the products and return your investment. People drink wines based on the name of the wine-growing region, so a regional brand is very important,” he explains and adds that work in this direction has begun in the Russian Federation.

Recently, legislation began to allow the creation of such designations of wines by origin. In addition to purely legal aspects, Shvets emphasizes, some time must pass before consumers understand that under one or another Russian brand products are produced High Quality, and will begin to recognize this brand and trust it.

Million dollar prospects

Today, Crimea is visited by about 5 million people, but if infrastructure and logistics issues are resolved and the boundaries of the season are expanded, then within 12 months the peninsula will be able to receive up to 7 million tourists, and this is not the limit, Babasyan is sure.

"Water parks, dolphinariums, oceanariums, indoor parks entertainment for children, sports facilities, a congress center and other all-season infrastructure will provide about 50% of the tourist flow, and medicine can bring another 35%. Wine theme parks and valleys - another 5-10%, and then there are small factors: hunting grounds, extreme sport etc., each of which can bring 2-3% to the common treasury,” he concludes.

On the way to growth

Participants of the international tourism forum plan to look for new points of attraction for tourists and discuss industry problems. Open Crimea", which will be held in Yalta on November 2-3, 2017.

At the same time, the minister calls not to forget about the infrastructural factors that hinder the development of tourism. Over the past quarter century, investments in the development of Crimean infrastructure have been virtually absent. “Today a lot is already being done, but there is a large amount of work ahead related to housing and communal services (sewage treatment plants, water pipelines), landscaping, development of the road network and tourism infrastructure,” he emphasizes.

Of course, the Crimean authorities note, investments are required in the development of accommodation bases and the construction of new hotels, the expansion of beach areas (today there are 387 of them) and the improvement of their infrastructure, and the creation of campsites. Automobile tourism could become extremely attractive for the peninsula - there are places to go by car and things to see. This, by the way, distinguishes the peninsula from its neighbor and competitor, the city of Sochi, which, on the contrary, asks vacationers not to come by car due to the high load on the road infrastructure.

It is important that the peninsula understands: infrastructure development does not replace a competent strategy for creating tourism product. We need to find “our” tourists and create a unique, comprehensive offer for them.