Development of industrial tourism in Russia

Today, humanity lives in an amazing time, when the achievements of the technological revolution turned the dimensional iron aggregates of the last century into something unnecessary and impractical. Cars made in the Soviet era are becoming a rarity, too, the "communist" factories and factories, workers' settlements, empties and so on have vanished into oblivion. In such places, as a rule, there is silence and pacification, that is why they are so attractive to aesthetes. The fact is that at present people are trying to maximize their leisure time and experience the thrill of planning their vacation not only in the bosom of nature, but also in exotic places: abandoned factories, mines, populated areas, houses and so on. That is why in our country the development of industrial tourism needs detailed elaboration. But for our country this is a relatively new sphere of activity and far from everyone realizes its full meaning.

Industrial tourism is the stay on the territory of ownerless enterprises, special or industrial buildings and other structures left unattended in order to satisfy the research interest or get aesthetic pleasure. In other words, people going to the above objects, want to receive positive emotions from simple contemplation of rare buildings.

Of course, industrial tourism is one of the promising directions for representatives of domestic business, but it's a big question how to organize the business competently and what difficulties will be encountered in this case. Let's consider it in more detail.

Historical reference

Of course, the development of industrial tourism is one of the most important tasks for the state. This sphere of entrepreneurial activity could replenish the state treasury. And in fairness it should be noted that in some regions of our country the development of industrial tourism is in full swing. The fashion to study the neglected places and to find in them interesting subjects has come to us from the West.

In Europe and the US, the development of industrial tourism is no longer an "empty sound". To spend their leisure in such an unusual way, foreigners began massively in the early 80-ies of the last century. In the Soviet Union, thanks to the Iron Curtain, only a few knew that it was possible to climb rooftops and visit abandoned churches for entertainment purposes. However, the increased interest in leisure in orphaned industrial zones among Soviet citizens appeared even after the publication of the famous Strugatsky brothers' picnic on the roadside (1972). Well, even more heated his film "Stalker", filmed after the work of the Strugatsky. It was directed by the famous Andrei Tarkovsky in 1979. However, the rigid isolation of the USSR from the outside world "was paying off", so the consolidated group of fans of a non-standard type of recreation, at that time was not formed.

But time passed, power and morals changed, and industrial tourism in Russia began to gain popularity after the 2007 computer game called "STALKER" appeared. It was the stalkers who began to be called by those who walk around abandoned enterprises and study tunnels of the underground.

The World Wide Web has also played its role in raising the interest in such a non-standard pastime. There are whole communities of people who like extreme types of recreation. Unlike the US and European countries, industrial tourism in Russia is specific. His devotees do not tell anyone about their hobbies, much less about the location of the objects they like to visit.

Classification

There are several variations of industrial tourism. Let's list the main ones. We are talking, in particular, about diggery, urbanism, ruffing, post-pilgrimage.

Diggister

This type of leisure involves exploring abandoned objects that are underground, such as sewers, metro ("ghost stations"), tunnels.

Exceptions are quarries and galleries. As a rule, physically strong people become diggers, since this type of recreation requires a certain dexterity and skill. In addition, you can not do without special equipment.

Ruffing

This kind of industrial tourist is fond of those who like to admire the picturesque views from the city roofs. Very many are ready to sacrifice everything, in order to look at the city from a bird's eye view. Especially popular is the extreme type of leisure in the city on the Neva, where local architecture is optimal for practicing by roffing.

Passive tourism

There is also a variant of industrial tourism, belonging to the category "light".

His supporters are also grouped together and sent to study old abandoned homeownerships or military bases of a closed type.

Urbanism

Does not contain "hard" extreme and this is the direction of rest. It involves the fulfillment of city walks, but only in those settlements that are characterized by a high degree of urbanization, technological development or, on the contrary, devastation and decadence.

Post-Pilgrimage

This kind of pastime involves the study of abandoned churches, churches and other objects of religious heritage. His adherents often manage to find rare things, the value of which is very, very high.

Passive variant of industrial tourism of commercial orientation

Undoubtedly, the development of industrial tourism in Russia leaves much to be desired. And in many ways this is due to the lack of objective prerequisites for this. Most people are simply not morally ready for an extreme leisure option and not always a legitimate entry into the territory where empty objects are located.

In addition, not all are esthetes when it comes to assessing an industrial landscape: many have an absolutely indifferent attitude towards them. Therefore, the question of how to develop industrial tourism will not be a single year on the agenda. But in the US travel companies specially organize tours for those who show interest in "non-working" industrial facilities that need modernization. And investors really are for them. This is another variation of industrial tourism.

Can I earn in this segment

Naturally, by monitoring how industrial tourism develops in Russia, today one can not say with absolute certainty that this is a highly profitable line of business. Of course, it is fraught with entrepreneurial risks. But as it is known: "Who does not take risks, that ..." And yet, before tackling this field of activity, one should carefully weigh the pros and cons.

First, you should write an approximate business plan. Secondly, it is necessary to determine the specific type of industrial tourism. Thirdly, answer the question: "Do you have a profile direction or are you going to expand the business in the future?"

Fourth, analyze which objects of industrial tourism are located in your locality or its environs. Fifthly, you must advertise your services: for this it is not superfluous to create an Internet resource in which you describe in detail the ghost town or the empty ancient estate not far from where you live. Also it is necessary to join the Internet community of those people who prefer non-standard rest. And these are only the initial steps on the way to successful business.

Realization of the idea in the Russian regions

It should be noted that at present in some large cities on the periphery there is a gradual development of industrial tourism. In Russia, as already stressed, this is a new direction of business. The objects located in Novosibirsk, Kazan, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Samara have been attracting adherents of non-standard pastime for several years already.

Consider how the development of industrial tourism is taking place, for example. It's about the Sverdlovsk region. Here is one of the large industrial facilities - "Old Nevyansky Plant". For tourists it was opened five years ago. Only over the past year the enterprise has looked over a hundred thousand people. The building needs to be repaired, and in the future the museum of the "Secrets of Metal" and the Astrological Center will function here. Not far from Nevyanskaya inclined tower will be equipped with a congress and exhibition site of the Nevyansky Historical and Architectural Museum called "The Lord's Mansion". There will also be an infrastructure for tourists: there will be places for accommodation, food and leisure. And this is only one of the numerous projects of the regional ministry of culture.

Business Prospects

Of course, in our country and urbanism, and ruffing, and diggery, and post-pilgrimage - is a "free" niche in terms of building a business. But, what are the prospects for the development of industrial tourism in Russia? In order for them to be clearly visible, it is necessary to do some analytical work. For example, you can turn deaf, abandoned villages (they exist in almost every region) into natural museums. Investments on this are not needed much, and profits can be obtained all year round. Today, industrial tourism, within which a person can personally observe the production process, is also profitable. In particular, excursions to the Baltika brewery are already popular in the northern capital. And the Russians will be interested in enterprises of various orientations, whether it be confectionery factories, wine factories, apiaries, oil rigs and so on. Prospects, indeed, are "ahovye", especially since Russia is a fount of natural and recreational resources.

Problems

Of course, we should not forget that there are certain problems of industrial tourism. Firstly, the system of organizing excursions to abandoned factories has not been properly built, and travel companies here do not play a key role. It is often very difficult to determine who is the owner of an abandoned object and with whom to conclude a contract. And here it would be very useful to help the local self-government bodies, which, unfortunately, are passive in this matter.

Secondly, the problems of the development of industrial tourism lie in the fact that this line of activity is not regulated at the legislative level. In particular, the circle of subjects and the order of providing services for urbanism, post-pilgrimage and so on are not defined. Thirdly, the hobby for some types of industrial tourism can lead to serious health problems and even death. Before you go to one or another object, you need to analyze it from a security perspective: this may require special equipment, and often ordinary tourists do not have it. Given the above for the development of industrial tourism, we need to learn and learn from Western European countries.