Development of industrial tourism in Russia

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Today, humanity lives in an amazing time when the achievements of the technological revolution have turned the overall iron units of the last century into something unnecessary and impractical. Cars made in the Soviet era are becoming a real rarity, and "communist" plants and factories, workers' settlements have also sunk into oblivion, piers have become empty, and so on. In such places, as a rule, silence and peace prevail, which is why they are so attractive to aesthetes. The fact is that at present a person is trying to diversify his leisure time to the maximum and experience the thrill, planning his vacation not only in the bosom of nature, but also in exotic places: abandoned enterprises, mines, settlements, residential buildings and so on. That is why the development of industrial tourism in our country needs detailed study. But for our country this is a relatively new field of activity and not everyone is fully aware of its meaning.

Industrial tourism is a stay on the territory of ownerless enterprises, buildings for special or industrial purposes and other structures left without human supervision in order to satisfy research interest or get aesthetic pleasure. In other words, people who go to the above objects want to get positive emotions from simply contemplating rare buildings.

Of course, industrial tourism is one of the promising areas for representatives of domestic business, but how to properly organize a business and what difficulties you will face in this is a big question. Let's take a closer look at it.

Historical background

Of course, the development of industrial tourism is one of the important tasks for the state. This area 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 explore abandoned places and find interesting objects in them came to us from the West.

In Europe and the USA, the development of industrial tourism is no longer an "empty phrase". Foreigners began to spend their leisure time in such an unusual way in the early 80s of the last century. In the Soviet Union, thanks to the Iron Curtain, only a few people knew that it was possible to climb roofs and visit abandoned churches for recreational purposes. However, increased interest in leisure activities in orphanagesindustrial zones among Soviet citizens appeared after the release of the famous novel by the Strugatsky brothers "Roadside Picnic" (1972). Well, even more warmed up his film "Stalker", filmed based on the work of the Strugatskys. It was directed by the well-known Andrei Tarkovsky in 1979. However, the rigid isolation of the USSR from the outside world "gave its fruits", therefore, a consolidated group of fans of a non-standard type of recreation was not formed at that time.

But time passed, power and morals changed, and industrial tourism in Russia began to gain popularity after a computer game called S. T. A. L. K. E. R. appeared in 2007. It was stalkers who began to call those who walk around abandoned enterprises and study the subway tunnels.

The World Wide Web also played its part in increasing interest in such a non-standard pastime. Whole communities of people who like extreme types of recreation have appeared. Unlike the United States and European countries, industrial tourism in Russia has its own specifics. Its adherents do not tell anyone about their hobbies, and even more so 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 digging, urbanism, ruffing, post-pilgrimage.

Diggering

This leisure option involves the study of abandoned objects located underground, namely: sewertracks, metro (“ghost stations”), tunnels.

The exception is quarries and adits. 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 type of industrial tourist is addicted to those who enjoy scenic views from city rooftops. Many are ready to sacrifice everything in order to look at the city from a bird's eye view. Extreme leisure is especially popular in the city on the Neva, where the local architecture is optimal for ruffing.

Passive tourism

There is also a variant of industrial tourism that belongs to the “light” category.

His supporters also form groups and go to explore old abandoned households or closed military bases.

Urbanism

Does not contain "hard" extreme and this direction of rest. It involves taking 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 type of pastime involves exploring abandoned temples, churches and other religious heritage sites. Its adherents often manage to find rare things, the value of which is very, veryhigh.

Passive variant of commercial industrial tourism

Of course, the development of industrial tourism in Russia leaves much to be desired. And this is largely due to the lack of objective prerequisites for this. Most people are simply not mentally prepared for an extreme leisure option and for not always legal entry into the territory where empty objects are located.

Besides, not everyone is aesthetes when it comes to evaluating this or that industrial landscape: many have an absolutely indifferent attitude towards them. Therefore, the question of how industrial tourism is developing will be on the agenda for more than a year. But in the United States, travel companies specifically organize tours for those who are interested in "non-working" industrial facilities that need modernization. And there are indeed investors for them. This is another variation of industrial tourism.

Can I make money in this segment

Naturally, tracking how industrial tourism is developing in Russia, today it is impossible to say with absolute certainty that this is a highly profitable business line. Of course, it is fraught with entrepreneurial risks. But as you know: “Who does not risk, that …” And yet, before engaging in this field of activity, one should carefully weigh the pros and cons.

First, you should write a rough business plan. Secondly, it is necessary to determine the specific typeindustrial tourism. Thirdly, answer the question: “Will you have a core business or do you intend to expand your business in the future?”

Fourthly, analyze what objects of industrial tourism are located in your locality or its environs. Fifthly, you must advertise your services: for this, it will not be superfluous to create an Internet resource, on the pages of which you will describe in detail a ghost town or a deserted old estate located near where you live. You should also join the online community of those people who prefer non-standard rest. And these are just the first steps on the way to a successful business.

Implementation of the idea in 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 emphasized, this is a new direction of entrepreneurial activity. Objects located in Novosibirsk, Kazan, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Samara have been attracting adherents of non-standard pastime for several years now.

Let's consider how the development of industrial tourism is taking place on an example. It will be about the Sverdlovsk region. One of the largest industrial facilities is located here - the "Old Nevyansk Plant". It was opened for tourists five years ago. Over the past year alone, the company has been viewed by more than a hundred thousand people. The building is in need of repair, and in the future there will be a museum here."Secrets of Metal" and the Astrological Center. Not far from the Nevyansk leaning tower, a congress and exhibition site of the Nevyansk Historical and Architectural Museum called "Lord's mansions" will be equipped. Infrastructure for tourists will also be equipped: there will be places for living, eating and spending leisure time. And this is just one of the many projects of the regional Ministry of Culture.

Business Outlook

Of course, in our country, both urbanism, and ruffing, and digging, and post-pilgrimage are a “free” niche in terms of building a business. But what are the prospects for the development of industrial tourism in Russia? To make them clearly visible, it is necessary to do some analytical work. For example, it is possible to transform deaf, abandoned villages (they exist in almost every region) into natural museums. This does not require much investment, and profits can be made all year round. Industrial tourism is quite profitable today, in which a person can personally observe the production process. In particular, excursions to the B altika brewery are already popular in the Northern capital. Moreover, the Russians will be interested in enterprises of various types, whether it be confectionery factories, wineries, apiaries, oil rigs, and so on. The prospects are really "awful", especially since Russia is a storehouse of natural and recreational resources.

Problems

Of course, we should not forget that there are certain problems of industrial tourism. First, not built properly by itselfa system for organizing excursions to abandoned factories, and travel companies do not play a key role here. It is often very difficult to determine who is the owner of this or that abandoned object and with whom specifically to conclude an agreement. And here the help of local governments, which, unfortunately, are passive in this matter, would be very useful.

Secondly, the problems of industrial tourism development are that this activity is not regulated at the legislative level. In particular, the circle of subjects and the procedure for providing services for urbanism, post-pilgrimage, and so on have not been defined. Thirdly, the passion for some types of industrial tourism can lead to serious he alth problems and even death. Before going to a particular object, it is necessary to analyze it from the point of view of safety: this may require special equipment, and often ordinary tourists do not have it. In view of the foregoing, for the development of industrial tourism, we need to study and learn from the experience of Western European countries.