Russian Tourism Development

The article deals with the concept, function and significance of ethnographic open-air museums  –  skansen. Such type of
museum represents regional types of nature-use, and is important components of the tourism industry. Ethnic traditions of nature-use appeared as a result of long historical process formation and development of the Russia peoples. Skansens is the museum institutions, which allow to get acquainted with it, and in concentrated form contribute to disclose the characteristics of the regional mentality, differences in material culture. The article notes that the skansens are a specific kind of more comprehensive on composition group of open-air museums. Only a museum that represents characteristics, traditions and cultural components of a particular nation or region through specially organized exhibition of traditional architectural complexes in the open air on the basis of ethnicity is a skansen.
All open-air museums have certain properties, perform appropriate roles and functions. They complete particular tasks,
the main among which is the preservation of interesting authentic monuments and the creation of conditions for free
access of the general public to the objects through their tourism use.
Today in Russia there are more than 20 skansens. «Kizhi» and «Small Korely» are the largest. But the lack of a common
point of view on the term «skansen» is reason for the absence of any statistics in this area. Therefore, determination the
criteria and the development of a database of skansens are the urgent tasks for today. Article describes the attempt to create such database. It includes information about 26 facilities, which can be considered a classical skansen. Problems and deficiencies of Russian skansens are revealed during the creation of the database; opportunities of using the information about ethnomuseums in tourism are considered. The proposed measures are intended to solve the problem of promoting ethnomuseums on domestic tourism market and attract new visitors. On the base of geographical analysis five characteristics of Russian skansens and aspects of their distribution across the country have been identified. It is indicated that the creation of open-air museums in all regional, provincial and republican centers at the local history museums as an extension of their exhibitions is an urgent task. This will expand opportunities for development of domestic tourism in Russia on the ethnic basis that is determined as priority.
Keywords: skansen, open-air museum, history of regional nature-use, skansen as tourism destination, skansens of Russia.

The development Program project of road transport and tourism infrastructure «The roads of Power’s Soul» is present-
ed in the article. The program was developed by the Coordinating Council for the development of tourism in the Central Federal District (СFD) of the Association of interregional social and economic interaction «Central Federal District» and
the Russian State University of Tourism and Service.
The urgency of the creation of generalizing, integral tourism and tourist services development programs for all regions
of the CFD is justified in the article.
It was noted that tourism is the rapidly growing sector of the economy CFD. But comprehensive solution of issues related
to creation of the new tourism products cannot be provided by the only development of the infrastructure. This hinders
the development of effective promotion tools, introduction of innovative technologies, staff training in the tourism and
service of district. The creation of a unified tourism space is the one of the main directions of the tourism sector development in the Central Federal District.
Such approach can only be implemented within a unified inter-regional program of tourism development in district and
creating a tourist cluster with the active participation of each subject of the CFD.
The program development project of road transport and tourism infrastructure in 2015 – 2025 is proposed in the article.
The goals, objectives, stages, outcomes of the program are defined. The scheme of the complex federal automobile
segmented tourist ring route through the territory of all the regions – subjects of the CFD is proposed. The main results
of a comprehensive analysis of tourist routs, facilities and activities recommended for inclusion in the program are represented. The criteria for selection of destinations and also companies and organizations of tourism infrastructure for
inclusion in the Program are substantiated. It is concluded that practical implementation of developed Program is very
important; it might be very effective for the tourism development in the Central Federal District and Russia as a whole.
Keywords: autotransport tourism infrastructure, «The roads of Power’s Soul», roadside service, the Central Federal District, program project.