Features of the formation of the Arctic tourism direction in Russia in the second half of the XIX – early XX centuries (on the example of the Kola North)

Abstract

In the article are considered on example of the one of the Russian regions (the Kola North), the prerequisites and conditions for the formation and subsequent development of tourism in the Western Arctic at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries. The author reveals the specifics of the region, which influences on the formation of a tourist destination on this territory, analyzes the state of the service and hospitality infrastructure that existed during the specified period, as well as the available communication routes connecting the Kola North with the regions of Russia and other states. Overview of factors, objects and phenomena that are attractive to tourists and are used to promote visiting the Arctic territories is also provides. Particular attention is paid to the development of steamship communications, which ensured the greatest transport accessibility of the region in these conditions. The main result of the study is the identification of the features of Russian Arctic tourism in the period of its inception (second half of the XIX – early XX centuries). In the article is analyzed the activity of the Association of the Arkhangelsk-Murmansk Express Shipping Company as one of the main initiators and stakeholders in the development of tourism in the Russian Arctic, and also reviews the publications of that time, specially prepared to facilitate travel to the North. Based on the results of the study, it was determined that in Russia by the beginning of the XX century was formed the Arctic tourism direction, which had the potential for scaling and high-quality development, but these processes were interrupted by the First World War and subsequent revolutionary events.