The Tourist and Recreation Potential of Historical Cities in North-West Russia

In recent years, the development of historical cities has been high on research agenda. This is explained by the growing role of tourism and recreation in socioeconomic development and the persisting problem of the national economy’s spatial organisation amidst the absence of a clear-cut regional po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Baltic Region
Main Authors: Hodachek V. M., Shamakhov V. A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5922/2079-8555-2017-4-8
https://doaj.org/article/2c035b5ccc734d8b94f5a435541d7a08
Description
Summary:In recent years, the development of historical cities has been high on research agenda. This is explained by the growing role of tourism and recreation in socioeconomic development and the persisting problem of the national economy’s spatial organisation amidst the absence of a clear-cut regional policy. The authors stress the discrepancy between the distribution of economic activities and the established system of settlement. This is particularly true for many historical cities, whose economic resources have been curtailed. This study provides a rationale for a more efficient use of the tourist and recreational potential to boost the socio-economic development of Russia’s historical cities. The article describes problems of the cities’ development using the country’s North-West as an example. The authors explore factors behind the formation of a new development strategy for historical cities and analyse conditions necessary for the efficient exploitation of the historical cities’ tourism and recreation potential. The findings obtained suggest that strategic areas of tourism and recreation development in Russia’s historical cities should be identified depending on city type, development conditions and other relevant factors.