According to Roscongress, which is the main operator of the Thread of Nature forum, one of the sessions discussed the preservation of the ecosystem of Gorny Altai against the backdrop of an increase in the flow of tourists to the region (by more than 40% over the past two years).
“The lack of quality infrastructure in popular tourist places, an increase in the flow of tourists lead to an increase in anthropogenic pressure, so right now it is very important to take care of preserving the fragile ecosystem of the Altai Mountains. Experts of the session “Tourist code. Ecosophy of Travel gathered to agree on the rules, to decide how to convey to the guests the values, traditions and features of these lands,” the Roscongress said in a statement.
Vita Saar, head of the Ecosophy project of the Presidential Platform “Russia is a Land of Opportunities”, Chairman of the Sustainable Tourism Development Committee of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, noted that it is important to inform tourists about the rules and traditions of the region in which they are located.
“In most cases, harm is caused by tourists not knowingly, but due to ignorance of local features. Today I propose that we jointly develop a Tourism Code that will help travelers prepare for the trip and will contribute to the sustainable development of a unique region,” Vita Saar.
In turn, Ayas Todoshev, Deputy Head of the Association of Guides-Instructors and Guides of the Republic of Altai, Ayas Todoshev, named several trigger points in the relationship of the local population with tourists: being in territories that are a scarce resource, the "jealousy" of the local population for their land, the ethnic characteristics of the indigenous people, which sometimes seem inhospitable. In his opinion, tourism organizations should convey to the guests the peculiarities of staying on the territory. He also offered to work with navigation companies to inform tourists about the places where they stop.
For his part, Lev Shagarov, director of environmental protection and sustainable development of the Krasnaya Polyana resort, believes that “the first paragraph of our future Tourist Code should be the paragraph that there are no bad tourists.”
“All the problems voiced are often the imperfection of the tourist product and comments to the organizers on the ground. A tourism product must be designed immediately to be sustainable, taking into account environmental, socio-economic and cultural aspects,” said Lev Shagarov, quoted by Roscongress.
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