Tourist infrastructure. Tourist infrastructure: accommodation and catering services. Approaches and assessment of tourism infrastructure

The article reveals the features of the development of tourism infrastructure in industrial areas and its potential resources. The components of the tourist infrastructure, the factors of its development and its influence on the development of industrial tourism have been determined and analyzed.

Keywords: tourist infrastructure, industrial area, industrial tourism.

Formulation of the problem. Tourism is an important component of the economy of many countries, which provides employment for the local population, the loading of hotels and hotels, restaurants, entertainment events, etc. The internal economic nature of tourism provides that the tourist must certainly leave his money in the visited state in exchange for services provided directly on its territory. Tourism is based on the use of local tourism resources, and in return, enterprises or the state must receive income.

In this regard, all tourism enterprises face new challenges. Among them, one can single out the need to increase the level of comfort, develop new unique destinations, conquer new tourist markets, etc.

One of the main directions for resolving these issues is the development of tourism infrastructure. But its creation requires increased attention from both infrastructure enterprises and the state.

Purpose of the article - study of the features of the development of tourism infrastructure in industrial areas.

Analysis of recent research and publications. The development of tourist infrastructure in various territories, including industrial ones, is paid attention in their works by various foreign and domestic authors: V.F. Danilchuk, V.S. Patsyuk, A.D. Chudnovsky, O.E. Afanasyev, M.A. Zhukova, V.F. Builenko, I.V. Zorin and V.I. Kurilova, A.N. Cherednichenko, D.V. Vizgalov, Yu.G. Tyutyunnik.

So, for example, V.F. Danilchuk notes that the infrastructure of the tourist base of Ukraine does not yet correspond to the modern world level, although in last years tendencies have been outlined for the creation of modern upscale hotels, buildings and rooms at recreation centers.

V.M. Ivanova writes that tourism infrastructure should be understood not only social services of tourism itself, but also a complex of structures, engineering and communication networks, including telecommunications, roads, enterprises adjacent to the tourism industry, ensuring normal access of tourists to tourist resources and their proper use for tourism purposes, ensuring the life of enterprises in the tourism industry and tourists themselves.

Presentation of the main material. The tourism industry is an interconnected system of enterprises and entrepreneurs that provide tourists with everything necessary for consumption and sufficient for the implementation of the tourism process itself, tourist services, works and goods. Rapid development mass tourism in the world caused an equivalent development of the tourism industry and related industries, science and culture, the education system. Based on these prerequisites, the tourism industry is a set of hotels and other accommodation facilities, means of transport, catering facilities, entertainment facilities and facilities, educational, medical, health, sports, religious, business and other facilities; organizations that carry out tour operator and travel agency activities, as well as provide tourist and excursion services.

At this stage of development, regardless of the state system of the country or the territory of the tourist center, there are several different types of enterprises engaged in tourism activities in the field of tourism, namely, tourism organizers (tourist operators and travel agencies), carriers, hotels and other enterprises of the accommodation system, public food, entertainment, etc. Additional enterprises in the tourism sector include enterprises in the banking sector of services, insurance, information, etc. Special types of tourism may involve medical, educational, sports and other institutions, whose activities are adequate to the goals of a specific tourist product. It is important that all these organizations complement each other harmoniously and provide all the services necessary for the consumer and sufficient in terms of quantitative, qualitative and assortment indicators. The combination of these enterprises into complexes forms the tourist infrastructure.

On this moment the concept of "tourist infrastructure" has many definitions (table 1).

Table 1

Definitions of the term "tourist infrastructure"

The essence of the term	Author
A set of objects that provide recreation and entertainment for tourists, due to the development of tourism	M.A. Zhukova
A prerequisite for the development of recreational resources and the development of the tourism industry. The peculiarity of the tourist infrastructure is that it serves tourists and the local population, therefore its development contributes to the tourist development of the territory, improves the living conditions of the population of the area, and also creates a large number of jobs.	V.F. Builenko
A complex of interconnected service structures or objects that make up and / or provide the basis for the functioning of the system	I.V. Zorin
A set of industries, enterprises and organizations belonging to these industries, directed activities designed to create conditions for the normal functioning of the production and circulation of goods, as well as the life of people	IN AND. Kurilova

The main element of any tourist infrastructure is its resources - a set of natural and man-made objects that have comfortable features and are suitable for creating a tourist infrastructure. These resources can be divided into 3 groups:

1) recreational;
2) cognitive and cultural - represent the historical and cultural past of the country;
3) modern - demonstrate the country's modern heritage.

The development of infrastructure and the interconnections of its elements is a key component of any tourist destination (destination) (Fig. 1).

Figure: 1. The relationship and interaction of infrastructure and tourism resources

After analyzing Fig. 1, we can say that the tourism sector as a whole consists of interrelated elements that form it. Thus, the availability of certain tourist resources predetermines the development of tourist infrastructure and its links. The developed infrastructure, together with tourist resources, creates a kind of tourist zone, which is called a tourist destination. And tourism in general is formed by numerous destinations.

Currently, there are a significant number of types and forms of tourism activities. Among them, industrial tourism is a fairly new type, but every year it gets more and more recognition. This is due to the fact that it is cognitive, teaching and research in nature. Industrial tourism is an organization of regular tourist tours to operating (or once operating) industrial enterprises. Basically, these enterprises are concentrated in industrial areas and have a certain infrastructure for tourists. An industrial territory is generally considered as a land space with certain boundaries, on which an industrial complex is located, which includes enterprises of large industrial production, whose share in the gross domestic product of the territory and the structure of employment is more than half of all economic entities.

The development of tourist infrastructure in industrial areas has a special character. When assessing the resource potential of the tourist infrastructure in any territory, including industrial ones, it is necessary to take into account several groups of factors (Fig. 2).

Figure: 2. Groups of factors in the development of tourism infrastructure

From the figure it follows that for the formation of any tourist infrastructure, including on an industrial territory, three groups of factors are required. The first combines natural and socio-economic resources. These are natural and anthropogenic resources, tourist destination territories and their characteristics, established socio-economic and economic ties. To second group refers to the economic capacity of the destination industrial market, which includes the public needs of the destination economy and the market demand of the local population and tourists. Third group factors represents the financial potential of the tourism infrastructure. Two groups of resources can be distinguished here - external and internal. TO external include subsidies, subventions, transfers, funds generated in connection with preferential taxation of business entities, funds from various interregional programs, funds for international financing of tourism programs of the region and its subjects, funds of external investors. Internal the financial resources of the infrastructure include depreciation, local taxes, property and profits of self-regulatory organizations established by the authorities, stocks of inventories, monetary resources, resources of insurance organizations.

For an industrial area to become a tourist destination, it is necessary to have: tourist resources and tourist infrastructure. In turn, the infrastructure includes:

Accommodation, food, entertainment and highly developed transportation system;
- sights of interest to tourists (the presence of an attractiveness factor is one of the main requirements of competition between destinations, therefore, there must be a certain “zest” to attract tourists to the destination territory);
- information (for example, the global information systems "Amadeus", "Galileo", "Worldspan", "Saber") and communication systems, as this is a necessary tool for informing the tourist market.

A striking example of the development of tourist infrastructure on an industrial territory in Ukraine is the Donetsk region. It ranks second in the country in terms of the number of tourist sites, therefore, it has significant opportunities for the development of industrial tourism.

The nature reserve fund of the Donetsk region is about 3% of its territory. There are four regional landscape parks in the region, a national natural Park, Ukrainian Steppe Reserve of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. More than 200 protected plant species grow on its territory. There are 38 natural monuments, 13 protected natural boundaries, 1 park-monument of landscape gardening. Only in Svyatogorsk there are 129 archeological monuments and 73 historical monuments that tell about the cultural heritage of the past. The region is developing the infrastructure of health institutions (463), tourist enterprises (142, of which 40% are tourist operators), hotels. Today, there are 71 hotels, which in total make it possible to receive more than 5 thousand tourists. At the same time, the occupancy rate of hotels remains low today - 20%.

With regard to service and the quality of services provided, one can note an increase in personnel requirements and an improvement in quality. Therefore, today Donbass can receive guests at the proper level.

In addition to getting acquainted with historical monuments, visiting the botanical garden, recreation in Svyatogorye and on the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, Donetsk region can offer tourists a visit to industrial facilities located on its territory. For many tourists, it may be interesting how heavy industry works, since not every country in the world has such deep coal mines, as well as metallurgical plants where ladle furnaces and blast furnaces operate. IN recent times residents of other regions of Ukraine and foreigners are interested in excursions to the enterprises of Donbass, in particular to the Artyomovsk sparkling wines factory, they wish to go down into a real mine.

It follows from the above that the Donetsk region is a vivid example of how an industrial area can become a tourist center due to the availability of tourist resources and a developed tourist infrastructure.

Conclusions. Thus, tourism resources and tourism infrastructure are important components due to which the development of tourism activities in the industrial area takes place. With a scientifically grounded consideration of the conditions of an industrial region, as well as factors of the development of the tourist structure and the characteristics of individual regions of the region, the prerequisites for the transformation of the Donetsk region into a leading center of industrial tourism are created, which will affect the development of tourism in Ukraine as a whole.

The results of the analysis indicate that the development of tourist infrastructure in industrial territories is a special process that requires the development of both scientific and methodological approaches to its organization, and practical recommendations for their implementation.

List of sources used

1. Danilchuk V.F. Features of the formation and development of tourist enterprises: monograph / V.F. Danilchuk. - NAS of Ukraine. Institute of Economics of Industry. - Donetsk, 2006 .-- 240 p.
2. Ivanova V.M. Tourism: basics, directions, structure / V.M. Ivanova. - M .: Publishing House "Phoenix", 2008. - 265 p.
3. Danilchuk V.F. Preconditions for the formation of the concept and mechanism for the development of tourist activity in industrial territories / V.F. Danilchuk // Economics of Industry. - 2009. - No. 1. - S. 208-210.
4. .
5.
6. Builenko V.F. Development of modern tourism / V.F. Builenko. - M .: Phoenix, 2008 .-- 416 p.
7.
8. Kurilova V.I. Industrial tourism: main problems of development / V.I. Kurilova [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: http://www.nbuv.gov.ua/portal/Soc_Gum/Nzvdpu/geograf/2010_11/indystrialnuu%20tyruzm.pdf.
9. Chudnovsky A.D. Tourism and computer reservation systems: textbook. manual. / A.D. Chudnovsky. - M .: Association of Authors and Publishers "Tandem", 2007. - 400 p.
10. Afanasyev O. Industrial tourism in Dnipropetrovsk region: direct, perspectives and prospectus / O.. Afanasyev // Has passed, now it’s possible for the tourism of Dnipropetrovsk region: materials of the oblast vedkrito tourist-kraznavchoi conference. - D .: DDYUTSMS, 2006. - P.88–90.
11. .
12. Tyutyunnik Yu.G. Protection and preservation of industrial landscapes / Yu.G. Tyutyunnik // Geography and natural resources... - 2006. - No. 2. - S. 148.
13. .

The statty rozkrito special features the development of tourist infrastructure in industrial territories and potential resources. It was determined that the warehouses of the tourist infrastructure, the factories for the development of and for the development of the industrial tourism were analyzed.

Key words: tourist infrastructure, industrial territory, industrial tourism.

The features of development of tourist infrastructure on industrial territories and its potential resources are exposed in the article. Certainly and the constituents of tourist infrastructure, factors of its development and its influence, are analyzed on development of industrial tourism.

Keywords: tourist infrastructure, industrial territory, industrial tourism.

Hotel industry as a type of economic activity includes the provision of hotel services and the organization of short-term stays in hotels, campgrounds, motels, school and student dormitories, guest houses, etc. This activity also includes the services of restaurants. In international practice, Standard classification accommodation facilities for tourists, developed by WTO experts (Table 4.1). In Russia, on the basis of this classification, the State Standard "Accommodation Facilities" was developed, which was put into effect in 1999.

Table 4.1. Standard classification of tourist accommodation


Collective accommodation facilities for tourists	Hotels and similar accommodation facilities	1. Hotels 2. Similar establishments
	Specialized establishments	1. Wellness facilities 2. Labor and rest camps 3. Public means of transport 4. Congress centers
	Other collective establishments	1. Dwellings intended for recreation 2. Camping sites 3. Other
Individual accommodation facilities for tourists	Individual accommodation facilities	1. Own dwellings 2. Rented rooms 3. Rented dwellings 4. Accommodation with relatives and friends 5. Other

By service level hotels are divided into several types, and the general service is the provision of accommodation, and all others in one way or another contribute to improving the quality of this basic service and can be provided in one or another set.

Hotel suite: 100-400 rooms; city \u200b\u200bcenter; service at a high level by well-trained staff who fulfill the various wishes of customers; the price is very high; consumers - heads of large organizations, high-level professionals, high-level conference participants; elite conditions, expensive interior decoration.

High class hotel: 400-2000 rooms; within the city; a wide range of services provided by trained personnel; the price is above average; consumers - businessmen, individual tourists, conference participants; expensive furniture and equipment, a large hall, restaurants.

Mid-Range Hotel: Seeks to make the most of modern technology and reduce operating costs and therefore prices, including through reduced labor and automation. Prices are on average for the region or slightly above average.

Apart-hotel: 100-400 rooms; most often self-service; the price depends on the time of placement; consumers - businessmen and family tourists staying for a long time; conditions as in a fully furnished apartment.

Economy hotel: hotel with a limited range of services; 10-150 numbers; outskirts or middle part of the city; limited number of staff; the price is low, 25-30% lower than the average for the region, which is why it is in demand; consumers are thrifty tourists who do not need full board; conditions - modern, well-equipped rooms, but, as a rule, no meals.

According to the Russian standard, the hotel is classified as a temporary accommodation facility with a capacity of at least 10 rooms. The categorization of hotels is indicated by the symbol (star). The number of stars increases in line with the improvement in the hotel's service and equipment. For hotels, categories from one to five stars are established, for motels - from one to four stars. The classification of accommodation services and terminology presented in the regulatory documents of Russia and the Standard International Classification of Activities in Tourism (SIKTA), adopted by the WTO, differ significantly.

In various countries of the world, a number of symbols are used to designate the category of hotels and other accommodation facilities - from stars in France and Russia to crowns in England.

Attempts to introduce a unified international classification of hotels have not yet been crowned with success.

Classification of hotels by category is produced depending on the size and types of residential and office premises, equipment of enterprises, the level of comfort of rooms and public premises, services provided and other factors. Payment for numbers and other services depends on the bit depth. There are about 30 hotel classifications in foreign countries. They can be divided into two groups:

0 "European" system based on the French national classification, common in most countries (the category is set by assigning a certain number of stars - from 1 to 5);

o "point", or Indian, system, which is based on the assessment of the hotel by an expert commission.

The number of stars in a European hotel corresponds to a certain term in the American version of the classification:

European classification American classification

***** Super deluxe
* * * * Deluxe
* * * Expensive
* * Moderate
? Inexpensive

Hotels are divided into three categories: top class (luxury) - 4-5 stars; tourist class (middle) - 2-3 stars; economy class - 1 -2 stars. Practically in all classifications the following main parameters of the hotel are assessed: characteristics of the room stock: room area, availability of amenities in rooms and on floors, room comfort; equipment and interior decoration; information support, including communication; the presence of an elevator; characteristics of public premises; availability and characteristics of catering establishments; providing the possibility of additional consumer services and others; characteristics of the building, access roads; infrastructure development, arrangement of the adjacent territory.

According to the WTO definition, a hotel is a collective accommodation facility consisting of a certain number of rooms, having a single management, providing a set of services (at least making beds and cleaning) and grouped into classes and categories in accordance with the services provided and room equipment. The category of the hotel must be indicated on the tourist voucher form TOUR 1, the type of accommodation is also indicated there: single room-OD N (SGL); double - DVM (DBL); triple - TPM (TRP); four-seater - CHTM (QUATR), etc.

There are large and small hotels. The WTO recommends considering a small hotel with up to 30 rooms. Another point of view is that a small hotel should be considered a hotel that can be serviced and managed by members of the same family. Small hotels are usually independent, not part of the hotel chain.

IN organizational management structure hotels in the global hotel industry have established two basic models.

The first model is associated with the name of the Swiss entrepreneur Caesar Ritz. Many prestigious hotels in the world bear his name. The main stake in these hotels is made on the European traditions of sophistication and aristocracy (for example, the "Palace Hotel" in Moscow). At present, the Ritz model is in crisis: over the past 25 years, more than 2 million palace-style hotel rooms have left the world market of hotel services.

The second model is associated with the name of the American entrepreneur Chemons Wilson (the Halliday Inn chain of hotels). This model relies on flexibility in meeting the needs of the client (regardless of the country in which the hotel is located), coupled with maintaining reasonably high standards of service. Considerable attention is paid to the interior. The main requirements for the hotel chain are as follows: unity of style (architecture, interior); unity of designations and external information; spacious and functional hall; quick registration of clients; numbers provided for regular customers; breakfast buffet; availability of a conference hall; flexible tariff system; unified management, marketing and communication service. Under the control of hotel chains

built according to the second model, more than 50% of hotel rooms in the world are located. Such chains are essentially financial and economic empires controlled by one owner - the parent holding.

There is a third model of organization - the so-called voluntary hotel chains (such as "Best Western", "Romantic Hotels", etc.). In this case, hotels are united under a single trademark according to some homogeneous characteristics that maintain certain standards and sets of services, regardless of the country of location. Hotels - members of the chain pay contributions to a single fund, which is spent on combined advertising and marketing activities, product promotion, etc. At the same time, their financial, economic and managerial independence is fully preserved. In fact, these chains are something like an association of hotels, united by a single agreement.

Organization of food. Depending on the type of hotel, its purpose and class, the declared cost of living may or may not include meals. In tourist practice, there are special plans for catering for tourists in hotels:

o European Plan (EP) - food for tourists is not included in the price. This plan is especially widespread in the United States and most major cities the world;

0 Continental Plan (CP) - room rates include a light continental breakfast consisting of coffee, rolls, butter, jam, etc .; o Bermuda Plan (BP) - room rates include a full American breakfast at the hotel. All other meals are not included; o Modified American Plan (MAP) - room rates include breakfast, continental (in Europe) or full, and one more meal, usually dinner. This plan is widespread in the resorts of the Bahamas and Bermuda, The Caribbean and Mexico. In Europe, this plan is commonly referred to as half board;

o American plan (American Plan, AP) - room rates include breakfast, lunch and dinner. In Europe, this plan is also called full board. Full board is common on cruise ships, in “villages” and similar resorts.

Generally, Bermuda and Modified American plans are offered on popular resorts... The European plan is more commonly used in hotels primarily intended for transit passengers and business people... In some hotels, certain restrictions on the choice of meals from the menu apply to residents of the modified American plan. You have to pay extra for exotic or expensive dishes like lobster.

Table 4.2 provides various options for organizing food at hotels and their international designations.

When organizing food, various forms of service are used:

0 “table d'hote” (common table) implies setting large tables in the halls of the restaurant, served with appliances, the number of which corresponds to the number of guests;
0 "buffet" is self-service and does not limit the number of meals consumed. This type of food is typical for a beach holiday;
0 "a la carte menu" assumes a limited number of dishes, the tourist can only read their names, but cannot see them with their own eyes, and it is impossible to order a supplement or change the order. The service is organized by the waiters. This type of catering is typical for city hotels or expensive upscale beach hotels.

Table 4.2. Catering options

The end of the table. 4.2

Accommodation and 3 meals a day (breakfast + lunch + dinner)	FB (full board)
Infinitely many different dishes, almost unlimited time for organizing meals - the cost of this service is included in the tour price	All inclusive (AI - all inclusive)
Providing the guest with four meals a day and the possibility of eating snacks, including non-alcoholic drinks and local alcoholic drinks during daylight hours (until 24.00)	Ultra all inclusive (UAI - ultra all inclusive)
Providing the guest with four meals a day and the possibility of eating snacks, including non-alcoholic drinks and foreign alcoholic beverages during daylight hours (until 24.00)	Extra all inclusive (EAI - extra all inclusive)

There are also replacement options for catering:

o "dry ration" (picnic) - compensation for missed breakfast (lunch, dinner). Replacement is made by prior order. The reasons for the pass can be very different, most often it is an unscheduled trip, an additional excursion, etc.;

0 "cold dinner" - is prepared for the same reasons as dry rations, but assumes the arrival of tourists after the end of the planned dinner and is a set table with all the dishes that were present at the planned dinner, except hot ones;
0 transfer of lunch or dinner to another day is also made by prior agreement.

There are also three main types of breakfast:

0 “continental” consists mainly of rolls and coffee (tea) and is typical for city hotels and motels;

o "European" with a wide variety of dishes and an unlimited number of them, typical for Great Britain and America;

o "mini-bar", when an in-room bar is supposed to be used as an additional service in hotels starting from 3 stars.

Hospitality models. In world practice, there are four models of hospitality.

The European model represents high-flying hospitality and high reputation. In addition, the European hotel market is the most widespread and developed. Distinctive features of European hospitality:

0 hotels are striving to reduce the number of rooms, which enhances the individualization of customer service;
0 the main advantage of hotels is not in luxury, but in exquisite and stylish interiors, high reputation and fame, high-class service;
0 most expensive hotels are located in unique locations and buildings, in historic centers cities;
0 expensive hotels preserve and maintain traditions in relations with guests;
0 automation of European hotels does not replace personal relationships with guests;
0 hotel segregation is more pronounced than anywhere else in Europe, which leads to the fact that a guest of an expensive hotel will never encounter a guest of a different social status in the lobby;
0 At the same time, the European hotel market is distinguished by a diversified supply - from cheap roadside hotels to extremely expensive luxury hotels.

The Asian model of hospitality is the opposite of the European one, which is reflected in the love of Asians for luxury, ostentatious wealth, gigantism. It is in Asia that the highest (Shanghai), the most spacious (Bangkok) and the most luxurious (Dubai) hotels in the world are located. If in Europe the category of a hotel is inversely proportional to its capacity, in Asia it is the opposite. Highlights of Asian luxury hotels:

0 the most convenient location;
0 large area of \u200b\u200brooms and public areas;
0 large capacity;

the luxury and wealth of interiors and especially exteriors;

low (compared to Europe) cost and availability of services;

o the possibility of using a variety of infrastructure and additional services;

o wide distribution of service systems "AN inclusive" and "Ultra all inclusive".

The American model of hospitality has features of both the European model and the Asian one. Thus, in the centers of the largest American cities, luxury hotels are widespread that meet the requirements of typical European hotels (style, small size, personalized service). At the same time, the main resorts and tourist centers of the country are built up with hotels, externally and internally resembling Asian ones (they are distinguished by large capacity, luxury, and developed infrastructure).

The Eastern European hospitality model stands out due to the presence of a large share of post-Soviet enterprises in the hotel industry. On the other hand, the current stage of development of the hotel market in the post-Soviet space of Europe is characterized by the construction of new accommodation facilities, typical for both Europe and Asia.

L.S.Kuskov, O.V. Ponukalina Management of transport services: tourism. M., 2004; Arzumanyan E.A. Hotel and restaurant service. Saratov, 2000.
Ushakov D.S. Applied touring. Rostov-n / D, 2005.

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Introduction

The global tourism industry is at a turning point today. In most countries, there is a transformation of people's ideas about travel, which is increasingly perceived as a necessary attribute of life. This is also facilitated by the intensive growth in the speed of information circulation and the availability of transport services. The ongoing changes allow us to conclude that in the long term, tourism will develop at a high rate, regardless of the economic and geopolitical situation.

Despite the negative dynamics of the general macroeconomic environment, it can be noted that the Russian tourism market is showing phenomenal growth. Outbound tourism is developing especially actively. Thus, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), spending on international tourist trips by Russians is increasing annually: if in 2010 this figure was $ 26.6 billion, then in 2012 it was already $ 42.8 billion (an increase of 61 %). From an economic point of view, the rapid development of outbound international tourism testifies to the export of capital and foreign exchange savings of citizens abroad. In modern conditions, such “wastefulness” is unacceptable, especially in the presence of tourist, cultural, historical and recreational potential. Thus, for the Russian economy, the problem of the development of domestic tourism is becoming acute.

The development of regional tourism is closely related to the tourist infrastructure, which either acts as a constraining factor in the development of the industry, or determines its positive dynamics. At the same time, for most regions of Russia, infrastructure problems are becoming the main reason for the decrease in the competitive advantages of the territory in the tourist services market.

In most regions, the tourist infrastructure is characterized by such features as: aging facilities, insufficient funding, lack of capacities in various segments that provide accommodation, food, recreation and leisure for consumers of a regional tourist product. In addition, there is a high deterioration of engineering networks, poor condition of roads and railways, poor development of transport routes and roadside services. Of particular concern are problems in the service sector: low qualifications of service personnel, inconsistency of the quality of services provided to international standards, and poor consideration of the needs of tourists.

The purpose This study was the development of a methodology for a comprehensive assessment of the regional tourist infrastructure and substantiation of the directions of its development.

To achieve this goal, the following were decided tasks:

- investigated the theoretical and methodological foundations of the development of tourist infrastructure;

- summarized and analyzed the existing methods of assessing the tourist infrastructure, developed the author's method of assessing it;

- the level of development of the tourist infrastructure of the regions of the Northwestern Federal District was assessed;

- proposed directions and comprehensive measures for the development of regional tourist infrastructure.

The theoretical and methodological basis of the study was the works of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of research of tourist infrastructure. The research was based on periodicals and Internet resources, data from the Federal State Statistics Service and the Department of International, Interregional Relations and Tourism of the Vologda Region, and regulatory legal acts in the field of tourism. The methodological approaches to the study were based on a comprehensive analysis of the tourist infrastructure; scientific methods such as comparison, analysis, generalization, graphic and tabular information processing techniques were also used.

The research results can be useful to regional authorities in the formation of policy documents aimed at the development of the tourism sector, and in making management decisions.

1. Theoretical and methodological aspects of the development of the tourist infrastructure of the region

At present, tourism is an intersectoral sphere of the economy, covering accommodation facilities, transport, communications, food, recreation and entertainment industries, trade enterprises, etc. The effective functioning of the tourism sector has a positive impact on all aspects of regional development, contributes to the growth of tax revenues to the budget, improvement social and market infrastructure, solving the problem of employment, strengthening interstate and interregional ties. At the same time, the development of the tourism sector in the region is possible only if there is an efficiently operating tourist infrastructure.

Tourism infrastructure is a prerequisite for the development of recreational resources and the development of the tourism industry. Its development, on the one hand, contributes to the tourist development of the territory, and on the other hand, it improves the living conditions of the inhabitants of the area. In addition, the tourist infrastructure creates a large number of jobs.

Although the concept of tourist infrastructure is not new, there is no single interpretation of it in the domestic literature. The ambiguity and vagueness of the meaning of this concept is explained by the unreasonableness of clear signs of attributing certain types of economic activity to the tourism infrastructure and the uncertainty of the range of its objects.

The analysis of the definitions of this concept presented in Table 1 allows us to agree with the opinion of D.F. Vasilikha, who understands the regional tourism infrastructure as “a set of material objects that are carriers of various material and intangible properties, which ensure the maximum possible quantitative and qualitative realization of the goals of tourists under certain spatio-temporal parameters (in a specific place and at a specific time) ".

Table 1. Interpretations of the concept of "tourist infrastructure"

Regional tourism infrastructure is a set of enterprises that create conditions to meet the needs of tourism (industrial infrastructure), and enterprises that directly satisfy the various needs of tourists (infrastructure of the service sector). In turn, the production infrastructure consists of transport, information and communication and communal infrastructures, environmental cleaning facilities. The infrastructure of the service sector includes such elements as tour operators and travel agents, accommodation facilities, leisure and entertainment enterprises, trade and catering, and security infrastructure (Fig. 1).

Figure: 1. Elements of regional tourism infrastructure

Assessment of the development of tourist infrastructure is of great methodological importance. In the scientific literature, a number of copyright techniques are known that are used by specialists directly for these purposes (for example, the techniques of V.S.Bogolyubov, I.G. Limonina, O.B. Evreinov, A.V. Kuchumov, etc.). Conventionally, there are two approaches to assessing the development of tourism infrastructure.

According to the first approach (I. G. Limonina, A. V. Kuchumov), the development of regional tourism infrastructure can be assessed through the totality of its elements. These methods make it possible to identify the most "weak points" of the tourist infrastructure in the territorial context, and also make it possible to conduct a comprehensive economic and geographical study of the development of tourist infrastructure as a whole, but without reducing the importance of the development of its individual elements. However, these methods are not devoid of a number of shortcomings, since they do not quite clearly determine the significance of the system of those indicators within each group of infrastructure elements that make it possible to more fully characterize the actual state of tourism infrastructure. At the same time, some methods cover its incomplete component composition.

Representatives of the second approach (V.S.Bogolyubov, O.B. Evreinov) propose to assess the regional tourist infrastructure by analyzing its facilities. The proposed model is very useful both for annual and operational planning at tourism infrastructure enterprises, and for strategic business planning. However, the disadvantage of such techniques is that the current system of statistical indicators does not make it possible to test them at the regional level.

Therefore, all of these techniques need to be improved. At the same time, we emphasize that, first of all, such a methodology is needed that would make it possible to assess the degree of development of tourist infrastructure at the regional level. In this context, the most important requirement is the use of quality indicators obtained with the help of expert assessments and on the basis of the results of a survey of both tourists and heads of tourism industry enterprises. And of course, this methodology should give a comprehensive assessment taking into account all structural elements and ensure the comparability of the level of infrastructure development in the regions.

In our opinion, these requirements are fully met by the definition of the development index of the region's tourism infrastructure, which quantitatively characterizes the level of its development and is the arithmetic mean of the indices of ten blocks of indicators included in it (Fig. 2). These blocks reflect the state of the structural elements of the region's tourism infrastructure.

Figure: 2. Scheme for assessing the level of development of the tourist infrastructure of the region

The sequence of calculating the index of development of the tourist infrastructure of the region includes a number of stages (Fig. 3). At the first stage, indicators characterizing various structural elements are presented in the form of normalized data by correlating actual values \u200b\u200bwith the best ones in the sample. At the second stage, the indices of individual blocks are calculated as the arithmetic mean of the values \u200b\u200bof the normalized indicators. At the third and final stage, the integral index of tourism infrastructure development is calculated.

Figure: 3. Methodological tools for calculating the tourism infrastructure development index

The value of the tourism infrastructure development index in the region ( I IT) lies in the range from 0 to 1000. Accordingly, the higher the value this index, the higher the level of development of tourism infrastructure. The boundaries of the groups' intervals are formed depending on the average value of the index under consideration (Table 2).

Table 2. Interpretation of the threshold values \u200b\u200bof the integral assessment of the level of development of tourism infrastructure

In our opinion, the proposed technique allows:

- to assess the state and level of development of the tourist infrastructure of a particular region in comparison with other subjects of the federation;

- analyze the state of each element of the tourist infrastructure, identifying the strengths and weak sides infrastructure development;

- to correlate the level of development of tourism infrastructure with the target indicators of long-term planning in the field of tourism in a given territory;

- to group territories according to the level of development of tourist infrastructure;

- on the basis of the identified problems to form directions for the development of the region's tourist infrastructure.

2. Assessment of the current state of the region's tourist infrastructure

In Russia, one of the most advantageous positions in terms of tourism development is occupied by the North-West federal district (Northwestern Federal District), which has a unique combination of natural and climatic conditions and the largest cultural heritage sites. The inbound tourist flow in the Northwestern Federal District in 2012 amounted to about 14 million visitors (Fig. 4). At the same time, St. Petersburg, the Republic of Karelia, the Leningrad and Vologda regions have been the leaders in terms of the volume of the tourist flow in recent years. However, in recent years, tourism has been actively developing in the Novgorod and Pskov regions, as evidenced by an increase in the volume of tourist services by 3 and 2 times, respectively (Table 3).

Figure: 4. Tourist flow in the regions of the Northwestern Federal District in 2012, thousand people

Still the most demanded in the regions of the North-West federal district are the following types of tourism: cultural and educational, active, health and wellness, business. A high share of cultural and educational tourism (from 35 to 67%) is noted in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, as well as the Vologda, Kaliningrad, Novgorod, Pskov regions, which is explained by the high historical and cultural potential of these regions.

Table 3. The volume of tourist services provided to the population on the territory of the subjects of the North-West Federal District in 2009–2012, mln. Rubles.

Nevertheless, given sufficiently good conditions for the realization of the tourist potential of the regions in the tourism sector, there are a number of problems. First of all, they are associated with the lack of an efficient tourist infrastructure. To assess the level of its development in the regions of the Northwestern Federal District, we will use the above methodology.

For this, first of all, we will calculate the indices of the state and development of the structural elements of the tourist infrastructure of the regions.

Transport infrastructure

The results of calculations showed (Appendix 1) that the city of St. Petersburg is characterized by good transport availability (I 1 \u003d 801). Further, with a significant gap, follow the Pskov region (I 1 \u003d 439) and other regions of the district. The smallest values \u200b\u200bof the transport infrastructure development indicator are observed in the republics of Karelia (I 1 \u003d 141) and Komi (I 1 \u003d 245).

Main problems

There is a mismatch in the pace of development in the regions highways sustainable growth of motorization, aging of fixed assets of transport infrastructure and their ineffective use. A significant factor holding back the development of tourist transport infrastructure is the lack of roadside infrastructure. In most regions of the NWFD, this sector is underdeveloped. There is an urgent need to create places for drivers and passengers to rest (food, lodging and short-term rest on the way), campsites for motorists, etc.

For most regions of Russia, like the Northwestern Federal District, the problem of the insufficient technological level of development of transport systems is urgent. It is in the transport infrastructure that a significant lag in the application of modern transport technologies and in the informatization of transport is obvious.

Such problems as the low level of development of river and air transport, the inconsistency of the quality of the provision of transport services, the inconsistency of the road network with the needs of traffic (both in terms of throughput and technical condition), high tariffs of transport companies, a lack of highly qualified specialists in all branches of the transport system, poor condition of bus and railway stations, etc.

Information and communication infrastructure

The development of mass communications and information and communication technologies is critical for effective tourism activities. An important role is played by modern electronic media: the creation of information tourism portals on the Internet, information tourist centers and terminals on the main tourist routes, etc.

Analysis of the information and communication infrastructure index (Appendix 2) allows us to conclude that the city of St. Petersburg (I 2 \u003d 1000) occupies a leading position in terms of the level of development of this structural element. The index value for all regions is quite high and ranges from 629 to 1000.

Main problems

1) the backwardness of technical and technological equipment, the lack of the required amount of modern telecommunication technologies and informatization means;

Transport strategy of the Russian Federation // Official site of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. - Access mode: http://www.mintrans.ru:8080/pressa/TransStrat_Gossovet_Rab_Groop_6.htm

Tourism is a field that most people associate with new experiences, relaxation and pleasure. He firmly entered life modern manstriving to explore unexplored lands, monuments of culture, history, nature, as well as traditions and customs of different nations.

Today tourism is a powerful industry. It includes a wide variety of components. One of them is the tourist infrastructure and its components.

Basic concept

Tourist infrastructure is a collection of hotels, vehicles, catering and leisure, business, educational, sports, health and other purposes. But these businesses are not the only ones serving travelers. This category includes organizations that carry out travel agency and tour operator activities. One of the elements of this area are companies offering excursion services, as well as the services of guides and translators.

The infrastructure of tourist facilities also includes those organizations whose activities are not directly related to the area in question. However, in places where a large number of travelers seek to go, they offer their services to them. This list includes motor vehicles that provide transport for excursion services, businesses offering car rental services, as well as cafes and restaurants, museums and theaters, sports clubs and cinemas, zoos and casinos.

Tourism infrastructure composition

Of all the facilities whose work is related to the travel sector, two elements can be distinguished. The first element of the tourism infrastructure is the hospitality industry. This includes businesses that provide accommodation and catering services for vacationers.

The second element of the tourist infrastructure is represented by a three-tier system. Let's consider it in more detail.

The first level of this system is the production infrastructure. It includes existing buildings and structures, transport networks and systems that are not directly related to the product of this area, but at the same time they are necessary for the provision of services to travelers. These are communications and transport, utilities and energy, security, insurance and finance.

At the second and third levels of the tourism infrastructure are organizations and enterprises whose activities directly affect the formation of the final tourism product. What are they?

The second level includes businesses that produce products typical of travelers. The result of their activities is goods for recreation and vehicles, souvenirs and excursion services, organization of leisure activities, issuance of visas, etc.

At the third level are enterprises that produce atypical products and services for this area. These are clothes for tourism and recreation, cosmetics, photographic goods, medicines. Among the services are medical, hairdressing, cultural and educational.

Thus, at the first level of the tourism industry infrastructure, there is a group of primary tourism product enterprises. On the second and third - secondary.

The main components

The elements of the tourism market infrastructure include:

The material base belonging to specialized business entities. These include travel agents and operators, tour bureaus and manufacturers that produce goods for this area.
The system of state bodies that create the legal basis for tourism, as well as control and regulate this area in a particular region. This includes government organizations, businesses and institutions.
The system of commercial and non-commercial business entities, the functioning of which is carried out to develop and support tourism in the region. This list includes a variety of exhibitions, fairs, exchanges, etc.

Main functions

When considering the concept of tourist infrastructure, it becomes obvious that it is one of the parts of the infrastructure of the entire region. Being part of this vast complex, it is designed to perform a number of specific functions.

Among them are providing, integration and regulatory. What is typical for each of them?

The supporting function of the infrastructure of tourist facilities lies in the creation of the necessary conditions conducive to the organization of services for tourists.
Integration serves to create and further maintain ties between enterprises in this field, as well as to form tourist complexes in the region.
The regulatory function for tourism infrastructure is the most important. With its help, new jobs are created, consumer demand is influenced, industries that produce consumer goods are developing, and the growth of financial revenues to the budget in the form of taxes is promoted.

Within these functions, tourism infrastructure contributes to the following:

streamlines and accelerates trade, reacting sharply to the slightest fluctuations in the market;
provides mutual relations between sellers and buyers of goods, as well as those and others with financial companies - owners of money capital;
with the help of a system of contracts, it allows you to form business relationships on an organizational and legal basis;
provides state regulation with simultaneous support for the organized movement of tourism products;
exercises legal and financial control over the movement of financial and commodity flows;
provides audit, consulting, innovation, marketing and information services, using various institutions of the tourism market infrastructure.

Impact on the economy

The creation and development of tourist infrastructure is beneficial for any state, because this area has a direct impact on the country's economy, including direct and indirect. The first of them is the attraction of funds by tourist enterprises for the services they have rendered, as well as the material support of people employed in this area, the expansion of the labor market, and the growth of tax revenues to the budget.

The indirect impact on the economy of the country and the region of the tourist infrastructure lies in its multiplier effect in the field of intersectoral interaction. The level of this indicator depends on the share of income that will be spent within the boundaries of a particular region.

Hotel industry

When creating tourist infrastructure, it is impossible to circumvent the issue of accommodation for travelers. Without this, the provision of services in this area becomes simply impossible.

This is the foundation of the hospitality system. It includes a variety of options for both individual and collective accommodation of vacationers. Let's consider their varieties in more detail.

Hotels

These enterprises are classic representatives of the tourism infrastructure. They differ from other temporary accommodation facilities in the rooms provided to visitors. In addition, hotels are businesses that provide such compulsory services as daily bedding, cleaning of living quarters and sanitary facilities, etc.

When forming the tourist infrastructure, the need for such institutions is taken into account, on the basis of which both separate enterprises and whole hotel chains, controlled by one management and carrying out a collective business, can be created.

Specialized establishments

In addition to hotels, the tourist infrastructure includes other accommodation facilities for travelers. These include furnished rooms and boarding houses, as well as other facilities that have a number of rooms and provide certain mandatory services.

There are also specialized establishments for serving vacationers, which do not have rooms. The initial unit for them is the collective bedroom or dwelling. In such establishments, a place to sleep is provided, but at the same time, the function of accommodating tourists is not the main one for them. These are health-improving institutions (rehabilitation centers and sanatoriums), public transport with sleeping places equipped in it (ships, trains), as well as congress centers holding conferences, symposia and other events with accommodation for participants on their premises.

The list of other collective means of tourism infrastructure includes housing complexes, apartment hotels, and bungalows. In them, in addition to spending the night, the client is provided with a minimum list of services.

Food industry

This area is one of the most important components of tourism infrastructure. After all, food is an integral part of any tour.

Depending on customer service, such businesses are divided into:

working with a permanent contingent (at hotels, sanatoriums, etc.);
serving a variable contingent (restaurants in the village).

The catering system of the tourist infrastructure includes restaurants of various classes, bars, cafes, canteens, self-service and fast food points. All of them are designed to meet the needs of travelers arriving in the region.

Types of food

When drawing up a contract for the provision of tourist services, it must contain instructions on the availability of breakfast or half board, as well as full board (three meals a day). Some expensive service options include the ability to provide meals in any quantity and at any time.

Leisure organization

Food enterprises that are part of the tourist infrastructure are called upon to perform not only their direct function related to cooking. They should also provide an opportunity for visitors to have fun while having an unforgettable experience.

Thanks to this, many tourists prefer to go on food and drink tours, during which they get to know national cuisines different countries.

Tour Operators

In the tourism business, there are companies that organize travel arrangements. These are tour operators and travel agents.

The first of them are legal entities or individual entrepreneurs whose activities are related to the formation, promotion and implementation of the final product of this area. They form tours, making up an orderly and interconnected in terms of time, agreed in quality and cost sequence of services and works. In this case, contracts are concluded for the reservation of seats, their reservation and provision. Tour operators play an important role in tourism, because their task is to package various services.

Travel agents

These objects of tourism infrastructure are legal entities or individual entrepreneurs whose activities are related to the promotion and implementation of the final product of the area in question. Such a company acquires the developed ones and sells them to the consumer.

At the same time, the fare from the place where the group will be formed to the first hotel or other accommodation point, as well as from the last point of the route back, is added to the proposed product.

Transport infrastructure

The objects included in it are one of the constituent elements of the tourism industry. Transport tourism infrastructure is a collection of transport organizations that transport travelers.

The system existing in each country is formed using the following:

animals - dogs, donkeys, horses, camels, elephants;
mechanical ground vehicles - bicycles, cars, buses, trains;
air means of movement;
water transport - boats, rafts, sea and river surface vessels.

Based on the stages of the work performed, there are:

transfer, which is the delivery of tourists to the hotel from the station or airport terminal and similarly back at the end of the tour;
long-distance transportation to the destination;
transportation during the execution of railway and bus tours;
cargo transportation for shopping tours.

It should be noted that the development of tourism directly depends on the development of transport. It takes place, as a rule, with the advent of faster, more comfortable and safer means of transportation.