Russia's competitive position in the Arctic tourism

• Main Authors: Shaparov, Aleksandr E., Kapitsyn, Vladimir M., Panikar, Marina M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Institute for Tourism 2019
• Subjects: Arctic tourism; attractions; tourism potential; Russian Arctic; Arctic; Norway
• Online Access: https://hrcak.srce.hr/225743; https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/328991

The Arctic is one of the few corners of the Earth where the unique nature has been preserved almost in its original form as well as the traditional way of life of the indigenous people. Therefore, the Arctic region has attracted an increasing number of tourists in recent years. The Arctic territory of Russia contains a significant potential for the development of Arctic tourism. This article is devoted to the study of tourist potential of the Russian Arctic and identification of the opportunities and constraints of such development. It also presents an analysis of the main competitors of Russia in the field of Arctic tourism (Norway, Finland and Sweden), as well as the formats of their international cooperation in its development in conjunction with the preservation of the fragile ecosystem of the Arctic and sustainable development of the region. The research shows that development of Arctic tourism in Russia is complicated due to lack of infrastructure, undeveloped logistics as well as the high cost of the Arctic tourism product. The simplification of the visa regime may significantly increase the flow of foreign tourists.