Urban Tourism Development in the Steppe Zone (on the Example of the Orenburg Region)

Abstract

The purpose is to analyze the prospects for the development of tourism in the urbanized territories of the steppe region – the Orenburg region. Materials and methods. For a comparative geographical analysis of the prospects for the development of tourism in the cities of the Orenburg region, within the framework of the object approach, a spatial analysis of the location of the main tourist attractions was carried out; within the framework of the ecological approach, the degree of landscaping of the territories of cities occupied by dense buildings was studied. The final cartoids describing the model characterize the spatial distribution of the resource components of the tourist complex that influence the popularization of cities as tourist destinations: the location of areas with woody vegetation within densely built-up areas, the distribution of cultural heritage sites, museums and city attractions. Results and discussion. The major cities of the region – Orenburg, Orsk, Buzuluk – are leaders in terms of density and diversity of attractive objects, which is determined by the history of the development of the region, the status and population in cities. In the urbanized territories of the region, a single-core structure of the tourist space prevails, the degree of clustering of attractions (their density per square kilometer) is maximum in the city of Orenburg, and minimum in the city of Mednogorsk. The most problematic areas of the region are the industrial cities of the eastern part of the region, where in the future it is possible to develop industrial tourism and artificially create sights and points of interest. Conclusions. The development and promotion of tourism in cities should be based on the concept of general urban attractiveness for all parties involved – tourists, businesses and citizens. An integral part of the sustainable development of urban tourism is the economic assessment of the initial data and results, as well as a competent policy for the integration of display objects into the environment. The challenge for local authorities is to balance the economic benefits of urban tourism development against the associated negative impacts on the quality of life of the local population.