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Section 12. Regional studies and socio-economic geography
Section 12. Regional studies and socio-economic geography
Volkova Tatiana Aleksandrovna, Kuban State University, Associate Professor, Department of International Tourism and Management
E-mail: mist-next4@inbox.ru
Ecological trend in tourism development
Abstract: Geo-ecological study of the condition of recreationally important territories and definition of priority directions in the development of recreational activity appears necessary and timely. The study of tourist development of the regions implies their comparison. The development of recreational activity on the territory should be compared to the complex of geo-ecological conditions and have a certain social causality.
Keywords: tourism, recreational activity, tourist and recreational complex, geo-ecological study, recreational
resources.
The problems of recreational use of natural resources are closely connected with geo-ecological researches. They are based on the study of modern condition of the environment and evaluation of its changes under the impact of economic, including recreational, activity. It appears necessary and timely to study the condition of recreationally important territories and define priority directions of the development of recreational activity [1].
Seaside zones become the districts of the biggest concentration of human activity. Coastal complexes are complicated transitional zones — ecotones, formed at the borders of different spheres: land and sea, fresh and sea water, water and bottom, water and atmosphere, land and atmosphere. Environmental and resource reproductive functions of landscapes that are important for a man and vulnerable under anthropogenic impact depend on the properties and conditions of coastal landscapes. The peculiarity of coastal landscapes is the fact that main traffic arteries pass through their almost entire territory. A catastrophic landslide, mudslide and development of ravine erosion are possible in the condition of intensification of load on traffic arteries. The strongest impact on coastal landscapes is made by resort and recreational business, mineral resource development etc. Tourism, on the one hand, creates damage to seaside landscape, but on the other hand, tourism development requires the conduct of environmental protection events, preservation of ecological security of recreational territories. Thus, the problems of protection of unique nature of sea coasts are becoming more current. Quality differentiation of territory allows taking into account the concrete conditions as well as the peculiarities of local geo-systems [6; 8].
Despite some uniformity of relief, plain coastal landscapes differ significantly in their natural resource and ecological potential and, consequently, in the level and charac-
ter of development. Mutual location of natural (nominally primary), secondary-derived and anthropogenic-modified modern landscapes relative to one another certifies about the directions of business development of natural resource potential of the territory, the peculiarities of which predetermined the transformation of the original system of landscapes [9].
The study of the tourist activity in seaside mountain regions is of big interest for scientists and tourism professionals. Unlike plain territories, the mountain ones are spaces with a large division of different sites. It is determined by the diversity of natural conditions and ethno-social groups, cultures and economic set-up of the population of these territories. In this respect, there is a methodical problem of study and comparison of tourist development of mountain landscapes. Differentiation of tourism development is primarily related to orographic conditions and landscape structure of the territory. The diversity of hypsometric conditions determines significant diversification of tourist activity even within a relatively small space. Vertical and seasonal differences of tourist activity are typical within one region with different climatic and geomorphological conditions. Species diversity, presence of relic and endemic kinds of living organisms requires the realization of measures on protection of natural diversity. Mountain territories are characterized by an increased degree of vulnerability of natural and cultural-historical resources, which defines the need for monitoring and regulation of recreational loads. The economy of mountain territories is related to traditional holding, and local socio-cultural environment is subject to increased impact of intensive industries of economy. Many mountain regions have trans-border location, which should also be taken into consideration during tourist development.
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Ecological trend in tourism development
The following scheme of study of tourism can be the most appropriate in methodological aspect. It consists of seven stages:
1. Evaluation of tourist-geographic location of a region and analysis of its administrative-territorial division (territories of states and their subjects located within the region);
2. Physico-geographic peculiarities of the region and evaluation of its natural tourist resources;
3. Political and social conditions of tourism development (activity of the management of administrative subjects, social organizations, history of tourist development);
4. Social peculiarities of the territory (density, structure of employment, urbanization, migration, ethno-national composition, social conflicts, language, religion, art, traditions, folk art) and cultural-historical heritage;
5. Economy and management of tourism (basic socioeconomic indicators of tourism, seasonality, infrastructure, management bodies);
6. Spatial structure of tourism (tourist centers and
routes);
7. Major problems and prospects of the sustainable development of tourism [4].
The study of tourist development of the regions presupposes their comparison. However, the uniqueness of some tourist territories makes it quite problematic. Inhomogeneity of recreational potential of mountain and plain territories makes them difficult to compare.
V S. Preobrazhensky, Yu. A. Vedenin, L. I. Mukhina and others worked on the development of theoretical and methodological provisions of geo-ecological studies in the recreational sphere. Recreational potential of the territories is understood as a combination of natural, engineering-technical and cultural-historical objects, substances and conditions associated with the given territory. Collectively, they define the feasibility of the territory for development of different kinds of tourism; create the possibility of various recreational activities, treatment and rehabilitation. Natural factors act as both its conditions and recourses in the recreation organization. The characteristic of recreational resources includes the data about the quality of natural resources, the area (or volume), which these qualities characterize and about the duration of the period of manifestation of these qualities [5].
There is a group of natural resources that do not participate directly in the recreational process, but ensure a normal functioning of recreational facilities. Thus, natural recreational resources include natural and natural-technical systems and natural phenomena (including its territorial diversity), which have suitable properties for recreational activity and can be used to organize recreation and rehabilitation of certain population during some period. The study of separate components and complex natural-recreational characteristic is covered during the study of natural conditions of recreational complexes. Operational units of recreational evaluation may include both natural systems in their natural boundaries and territorial administrative formations.
A complex study of geo-ecological conditions, including natural, socio-economic and historical-cultural conditions of recreational activity, is a compulsory element of formation of business specialization of any territory. The development of recreational activity on the territory should comport with the complex of geo-ecological conditions and have a certain social causality. Despite a years-long history of development, recreation is often of non-controllable self-regulating character. In order to study social characteristics of holiday-makers, their recreational needs, requirements to the environment and spatial distribution of places of recreation, it is reasonable to explore the issue of selectiveness of holiday-makers with regard to a natural territorial complex and conduct surveys in the places of recreation. Recreation in this case is a man’s activity aimed at restoration of their physical and spiritual health in the process of holidaying and tourism. The most important geo-ecological evaluation of the territory is ecological-recreational potential,
i. e. a certain set of natural conditions and resources that have a favorable effect on physical and psychical condition of the man. Ecological-recreation potential of the recreational territories has a determining role in the effectiveness of solution of the given task. The ecological component of the indicated potential is primarily expressed in those properties and conditions, which have a direct impact on the senses and health condition of the man determining the degree of usefulness of natural conditions for recreation. Ecological potential can have both positive and negative impact on recreation. Many peculiarities of climate (temperature, wind speed etc.), temperature of superficial waters, presence of blood-sucking insects, many natural disasters, technogenic pollution etc. have a direct impact on the comfort of holiday conditions and the man’s health.
Another component of the ecological-recreational potential is the combination of natural riches, which are used as natural resources for recreation (mineral waters, therapeutic muds, forest, water bodies etc.) and contribute to the satisfaction of vital needs of the holiday-makers.
The evaluation of ecological-recreational potential on the territory is conducted under the following criteria: physiological, functional-esthetic and geo-ecological. Physiological criterion of evaluation reflects the impact of climate on the man’s organism. During the conduct of functional-esthetic evaluation of the ecological-recreational potential, the primary attention is paid to the definition of usefulness of different natural territorial complexes for recreation and tourism and their esthetic attractiveness [1]. Using the method of evaluation by points developed by V S. Preobrazhensky, L. I. Mukhina and other researchers, we reckon that geo-ecological expertise of the conditions of recreational activity in the regions should be performed based on such indicators as the character and degree of economic development of the territory and general ecological condition of the territory.
The evaluation of the ecological-recreational potential should be accompanied by the definition of permissible loads on the natural territorial complexes and their recreational capacity. It is a necessary condition of rational use of natural
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Section 12. Regional studies and socio-economic geography
resources for recreational purposes. A permissible recreational load is a maximal load under which the territory preserves the ability of self-regeneration. To define it, the indicators of evaluation of intensity of nature use such as density of holidaymakers and recreational load are used. The density of holiday-makers is a one-time number of tourists per unit of area. Recreational capacity is a maximum number of people who can use the given territory at one time for recreation without causing the degradation of its vegetation cover and experiencing psychological discomfort [1].
The evaluation of recreational load on the territory is systematic complexes in respect of time and multi-factor researches. Apart from the direct evaluation of recreational load on certain objects for the purpose of their preservation and successful functioning, it is required to undertake long-term measures of general character: improvement of nature preservation legislation, classification and inventory of monuments of nature, monitoring and ecological evaluation of the condition of these objects etc. [2].
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