Are Potential Tourists Willing to Pay More for Improved Accessibility? Preliminary Evidence from the Gargano National Park

Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, tourist destinations have been increasingly selected on the basis of health, safety and social distancing criteria. In this framework, protected natural areas represent ideal tourist destinations due to the presence of wide and open spaces, services for tourists and attention to nature. The present paper focused on accessible tourism, a subset of sustainable tourism that is increasingly gaining greater importance within the tourism sector. By applying the Contingent Valuation Method, the study investigated whether potential tourists are effectively willing to pay extra money to be granted more accessible facilities in a natural area. To this end, a logit model was estimated to determine the probability that tourists exhibit a higher WTP for accessible tourism facilities. The analysis was carried out in the Gargano National Park, Southern Italy, an area traditionally characterised by large tourist flows that have increased further during the recent pandemic. The results showed that only a limited percentage of the respondents are willing to pay a higher amount for improved accessibility. These results represent an interesting starting point to outline an adequate strategy for the tourism valorisation of the natural area.

POPULARIZATION OF OBJECTS OF THE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN AS A FACTOR FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ETHNOCULTURAL TOURISM OF THE COUNTRY

This article is devoted to the research of world cultural heritage sites in the territory of Kazakhstan, their influence on tourist flows, and the formation of new routes in the direction of ethnocultural tourism. In the article, the authors analyze the phenomenon of ethnocultural tourism development as a way of knowing the historical, cultural, and natural heritage of the country. In the course of research activities, a survey was conducted, priority objects for the development of ethno-cultural tourism in the Southern region of the Republic of Kazakhstan were identified. The result of the study was the development of a technological map of the route "Turkestan - echo of centuries", which will significantly affect the popularization of UNESCO's cultural and natural heritage, as well as the quality of excursion services along this route, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the formation of tourist flows of domestic and inbound tourism in Kazakhstan, and will also allow to prepare new directions within the framework of ethno-cultural tourism.

The forecasting potential of adaptive models in tourism

The article discusses forecasting as one of the special scientific research areas which contribute to the assessment of tourist activity development prospects, the identification of key tourism development factors and effective management decision criteria. The study provides an overview of modern research methods used in Russia and other countries for making forecasts in the field of tourism. It aims at assessing the predictive capabilities of adaptive modeling, not frequently used currently in tourism research, for the quantitative analysis of tourist flows using the example of Barcelona, a major urban tourist destination in the pre-pandemic period. An example of a forecast for tourist numbers based on adaptive models is proposed, one of the key indicators showing tourist region success which have proven successful in the study of processes with a dynamic but unstable character.

Geography of Tourist Flows in the Republic of Mordovia

Introduction. The topic is of relevance due to the need to study tourist flows in terms of the geography of tourist trips in order to analyze and compare the directions of the flows. The problem is that the authorities responsible for tourism management in the region and tourism organizations do not always pay due attention to the geography of the tourist flow and to its optimization in terms of the interests of the region itself. At the same time, the identified trends can be taken into consideration in order to improve and increase the efficiency of the tourism industry in the region and when making managerial decisions in the tourism sector. Based on the results of the study conducted, the article characterizes the travel destinations of Mordovian tourists, reveals trends, and proposes measures to solve the identified problems. Materials and Methods. The materials on the development of tourism in the Republic of Mordovia published by the Territorial Body of the State Statistics Service in the Republic of Mordovia for the period from 2010 to 2019 were analyzed; data from the Digital Tourism service run by MegaFon mobile phone operator were also examined. The methods of mathematical statistics employed made it possible to calculate the changes in the relative and absolute indicators of the geography of the tourist flow in the republic over a ten-year period. To identify the geography of the regional tourist flow, the methods of analysis and generalization were used, which made it possible to identify the features of the internal and external tourist flows of people living in Mordovia. Results. An analysis of the dynamics and placement of inbound and outbound tourism has been carried out; the volume of the tourist flow has been considered; the features of the geography of the tourist flows have been considered; the problems that hinder the more effective development of tourism in the republic have been revealed. The measures aimed at improving the efficiency of tourism activities in the region have been proposed. Discussion and Conclusion. The study made it possible to identify the main trends in the geography of the tourist flows of residents of Mordovia, as well as the causes and features of the ongoing transformations. The results of the study can contribute to the elaboration of an effective program for the development of tourism in the republic, to the adoption of productive managerial decisions in the field of tourism in the region, and to optimization of the geography of the tourist flows.

Reflection on COVID-19 Pandemic and Crisis Management Models in Tourism

The contemporary history of tourism has been shaken by different types of crises as natural disasters, economic crises, terrorist attacks and pandemics, resulting in economic, political and social implications that impact the tourist destination, the volume and direction of tourist flows (Ritchie, 2008; Speakman and Sharpley, 2012). In early 2020, COVID-19 took the world by surprise, causing a worldwide pandemic in just a few months. The dimension of this outbreak coupled to the mobility that characterizes tourism in the 21st century, now raises a need for reflection on the arrising and control of future pandemics. Several models of crisis management in tourism are presented in the scientific literature, however, all of generalist nature. It is urgent to examine and refine the existing crisis management models, since the models already developed have little specificity in the theme of pandemic crisis management in tourism.

Conceptual Foundations of Modeling Tourist Service Market in Russia by Using Digital Technologies

Big participants of IT market, whose profits can depend seriously on dynamics of tourist flows use today’s analytical systems in order to get information concerning tourist service providing. Such information can be used for efficient distribution of resources. In March 2021 spokespeople of such companies as ‘RZhD’, ‘Yandex’, ‘Megafon’, ‘MTS’, ‘Roscosmos’ and others delivered reports on possibility to use indirect data to analyze tourist flows at the round table discussion ‘Managing Tourist Industry on the Basis of Data’, that was arranged by the Analytical Center under the Government of the Russian Federation. Opportunities to use big data and advanced methods of data analysis were demonstrated. However, such systems are not meant to solve problems of social character. Moreover, a player cannot affect the steps and preferences of the considerable circle of people, which means that there is no need to test the community response on possible planned events that can increase usefulness of the entity. In view of state entities the latter is rather important, especially in case usefulness is considered in the social-economic aspect. As a conclusion the authors underline significance of tourist market modeling in Russia by using digital technologies.

The impact of tourist flows on the sustainable development of a tourist destination

The development of the economy’s tourism sector is one of the priority tasks set by the leadership of the Krasnodar Territory and Russian Federation. Thus, the construction of a model of the impact of tourist flows on the sustainability of the destination is very relevant. The authors developed a simulation model of the impact of tourist flows on the sustainable development of destination. The weighted net savings indicator was used as a measure of sustainability. This model can be further used in predicting the development of the studied sector of the economy. Using the developed tool for medium- and long-term planning will provide additional data to decision makers, reducing uncertainty, and thus improving the quality of management. The accuracy of the model is based entirely on publicly available statistics and expert assessments.

Central European Tourist Flows: Intraregional Patterns and Their Implications

Understanding tourist spatial behaviours is essential for strategic planning and sustainable development. Especially at the city-level, data provide implications for spatial planning and transport governance. Intraregional tourist flows to cities contributed significantly to the total volume of tourists within the Central European region before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Given the challenges that urban tourism is currently facing, intraregional tourist flows could be a strategic opportunity for future growth. As a comprehensive assessment of the tourist flows at this spatial level is lacking, the paper aims to evaluate the structure of these flows and discuss the factors that influence their spatial distribution. Statistical data analysis of tourist flows to selected cities in Central Europe is evaluated by multiple linear regression. The results show that the main factors affecting the distribution of tourist flows are air connection, the attractiveness of the destination, and the size of the source market. Tourist flows within Central Europe are fundamentally affected by Germany. This market can be considered the most important source of demand for inbound tourism. Germany's national ties with Austria and Switzerland generated 47% of all trips examined. In this case, the influences of historical ties and the broader socio-economic context are evident.

Tourism as an Instrument of Rapprochement between the PRC and the Russian Federation

After the PRC President Xi Jinping put forward a proposal for the implementation of the Belt and Road initiative in 2013, this initiative of the PRC faced a phenomenon that has been called “soft power of resistance” in Chinese science. The PRC leadership, as a way to overcome this challenge, sees the need for humanitarian rapprochement with the participating countries of the initiative, one of the manifestations of which is Chinese outbound tourism. In Eurasia, the one of the most rapid development of Chinese tourism in recent years has been in Russia, which allows us to consider this phenomenon as an attempt from the PRC to cultural rapprochement with the Russian Federation through increasing tourist flows.

Urban Gardens as Sustainable Attractions for Children in Family Tourism

Most of the global population live in urban environments and the majority of tourist flows are concentrated in cities. Urban agriculture has recently emerged as an avenue for the protection of sustainable food production and the promotion of sustainable food consumption. Also, the relationships between horticulture and tourism are attracting growing interest in the context of urban studies. Drawing on a qualitative approach based on ten semi-structured interviews, this research analyzes the relationship between urban gardens and family tourism. The paper innovatively contributes to the understanding of gardens as an urban attraction that improves the sustainable production and consumption of food in the context of family tourism experiences. The results show the relevance of urban gardens for the creation of sustainable experiences that engage families with local food, enhance local supply chains, and inform the future of urban environments. Urban gardens are a visitor attraction that may lead to the development of sustainable people, places and products, and they represent the sustainable integration of horticulture in tourism based on participatory experiences, direct contact with the natural environment and the discovery of the origin of food.