Supporting tourism infrastructure. Tourist infrastructure. Theoretical and methodological aspects of the development of tourism infrastructure in the region

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Introduction

The global tourism industry is currently at a turning point. In most countries, there is a transformation in people's ideas about travel, which is increasingly perceived as a necessary attribute of life. This is also facilitated by the intensive growth in the speed of information circulation and the availability of transport services. The ongoing changes allow us to conclude that in the long term, tourism will develop at a high pace, regardless of the economic and geopolitical situation.

Despite the negative dynamics of the general macroeconomic environment, it can be noted that the Russian tourism market is demonstrating phenomenal growth. It is developing especially actively outbound tourism. Thus, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), expenses for international tourist trips Russians are increasing annually: if in 2010 this figure was 26.6 billion dollars, then in 2012 it was already 42.8 billion dollars (an increase of 61%). From an economic point of view, the rapid development of outbound international tourism indicates the export of capital and foreign currency savings of citizens abroad. In modern conditions, such “wastefulness” is unacceptable, especially in the presence of tourism, cultural, historical and recreational potential. Thus, the problem of developing domestic tourism becomes acute for the Russian economy.

The development of regional tourism is closely related to the tourism infrastructure, which either acts as a limiting factor in the development of the industry or determines its positive dynamics. At the same time, for most regions of Russia, infrastructure problems are becoming the main reason for the decline in the territory’s competitive advantages in the tourism services market.

In most regions, the tourism infrastructure has such features as: aging facilities, insufficient funding, lack of capacity in various segments providing accommodation, food, health and leisure for regional consumers tourism product. In addition, there is high wear and tear of utility networks, poor condition of roads and railways, poor development transport routes and roadside service. Of particular concern are problems in the service sector: low qualifications of service personnel, inconsistency of the quality of services provided with international standards, poor consideration of the needs of tourists.

Purpose This study was the development of a methodology for a comprehensive assessment of regional tourism infrastructure and justification of directions for its development.

To achieve this goal, the following were decided tasks:

– the theoretical and methodological foundations for the development of tourism infrastructure have been studied;

– the available methods for assessing tourism infrastructure are summarized and analyzed, and the author’s method for assessing it is developed;

– the level of development of tourism infrastructure in the regions of the Northwestern Federal District was assessed;

– directions and comprehensive measures for the development of regional tourism infrastructure are proposed.

The theoretical and methodological basis of the study was the works of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of tourism infrastructure research. Information base The research was based on periodicals and Internet resources, data from the Federal State Statistics Service and the Department of International, Interregional Relations and Tourism of the Vologda Region, regulations in the field of tourism. Methodological approaches to the study were based on a comprehensive analysis of tourism infrastructure; scientific methods such as comparison, analysis, generalization, graphical and tabular methods of information processing were also used.

The results of the study may be useful to regional authorities in the formation of program documents aimed at developing the tourism sector and making management decisions.

1. Theoretical and methodological aspects of the development of tourism infrastructure in the region

Currently, tourism is an intersectoral sector of the economy, covering accommodation facilities, transport, communications, the food industry, recreation and entertainment, trade enterprises, etc. The effective functioning of the tourism sector has a positive impact on all parties regional development, contributes to the growth of tax revenues to the budget, improvement of social and market infrastructure, solving the problem of employment, strengthening interstate and interregional ties. At the same time, the development of tourism in the region is possible only if there is an effectively functioning tourism infrastructure.

Tourism infrastructure is a necessary condition for the development recreational resources and development of the tourism industry. Its development, on the one hand, contributes to the tourist development of the territory, and on the other, improves the living conditions of residents of the area. In addition, the tourism infrastructure creates a large number of work places .

Although the concept of tourism infrastructure is not new, there is no uniform interpretation of it in the domestic literature. The ambiguity and vagueness of the substantive meaning of this concept is explained by the unfoundedness of clear signs of classifying certain types of tourism as infrastructure economic activity and the uncertainty of the range of its objects.

An analysis of the definitions of this concept presented in Table 1 allows us to agree with the opinion of D. F. Vasilikha, who understands the regional tourism infrastructure as “a set of material objects that are carriers of various material and intangible properties that ensure the highest possible quantitative and qualitative realization of the goals of tourists under certain spatiotemporal parameters (in a specific place and at a specific time).”

Table 1. Interpretations of the concept of “tourist infrastructure”

Regional tourism infrastructure is a set of enterprises that create conditions for meeting the needs of tourism (production infrastructure), and enterprises that directly satisfy the various needs of tourists (service infrastructure). In turn, the production infrastructure consists of transport, information and communication and utility infrastructures, and environmental treatment facilities. The infrastructure of the service sector includes such elements as tour operators and travel agents, accommodation facilities, recreation and entertainment enterprises, trade and catering, and security infrastructure (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Elements of regional tourism infrastructure

The assessment of the development of tourism infrastructure is of important methodological importance. In the scientific literature, a number of original methods are known that are used by specialists directly for these purposes (for example, the methods of V. S. Bogolyubov, I. G. Limonina, O. B. Evreinov, A. V. Kuchumov, etc.). Conventionally, two approaches to assessing the development of tourism infrastructure can be distinguished.

According to the first approach (I. G. Limonina, A. V. Kuchumov), the development of regional tourism infrastructure can be assessed through the totality of its elements. These methods make it possible to identify the most “weak points” of tourism infrastructure in a territorial context, and also make it possible to conduct a comprehensive economic and geographical study of the development of tourism infrastructure as a whole, but without reducing the importance of the development of its individual elements. However, these methods are not without a number of shortcomings, since they do not clearly define the significance of the system of those indicators within each group of infrastructural elements that make it possible to more fully characterize the actual state of the tourism infrastructure. At the same time, individual methods cover its incomplete component composition.

Representatives of the second approach (V.S. Bogolyubov, O.B. Evreinov) propose to evaluate the regional tourism infrastructure by analyzing its objects. The proposed model is very useful both for annual and operational planning at tourism infrastructure enterprises, and for strategic business planning. However, the disadvantage of such methods is that the current system of statistical indicators does not make it possible to test them at the regional level.

Consequently, all of these methods need improvement. At the same time, we emphasize that, first of all, a methodology is needed that would allow us to assess the degree of development of tourism infrastructure at the regional level. In this context, the most important requirement is the use of quality indicators obtained through expert assessments and based on the results of a survey of both tourists and managers of tourism industry enterprises. And of course, this methodology should provide a comprehensive assessment, taking into account all structural elements and ensure comparability of the level of infrastructure development in the regions.

In our opinion, these requirements are fully met by the definition of the development index of the region’s tourism infrastructure, which quantitatively characterizes the level of its development and represents the arithmetic average of the indices of the ten blocks of indicators included in it (Fig. 2). These blocks reflect the state of the structural elements of the region’s tourism infrastructure.

Rice. 2. Scheme for assessing the level of development of tourism infrastructure in the region

The sequence of calculating the region's tourism infrastructure development index includes a number of stages (Fig. 3). At the first stage, indicators characterizing various structural elements are presented in the form of normalized data by correlating the actual values with the best ones in the sample. At the second stage, the indices of individual blocks are calculated as the arithmetic mean of the values of the normalized indicators. At the third and final stage, the integral index of tourism infrastructure development is calculated.

Rice. 3. Methodological tools for calculating the tourism infrastructure development index

The value of the region’s tourism infrastructure development index ( I IT) lies in the range from 0 to 1000. Accordingly, the larger the value of this index, the higher the level of development of tourism infrastructure. The boundaries of the group intervals are formed depending on the average value of the index under consideration (Table 2).

Table 2. Interpretation of threshold values of the integral assessment of the level of development of tourism infrastructure

In our opinion, the proposed method allows:

– assess the state and level of development of the tourism infrastructure of a particular region in comparison with other subjects of the federation;

– analyze the state of each element of tourism infrastructure, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of infrastructural development;

– correlate the level of development of tourism infrastructure with the target indicators of long-term planning in the field of tourism in a given territory;

– group territories according to the level of development of tourism infrastructure;

– based on the identified problems, formulate directions for the development of the region’s tourism infrastructure.

2. Assessment of the current state of the region’s tourism infrastructure

In Russia one of the most favorable provisions from the point of view of tourism development, the North-Western Federal District (NWFD) occupies a unique combination of natural and climatic conditions and the largest objects cultural heritage. The incoming tourist flow to the Northwestern Federal District in 2012 amounted to about 14 million visitors (Fig. 4). At the same time, the leaders in terms of the volume of tourist flow over recent years are St. Petersburg, the Republic of Karelia, Leningrad and Vologda region. However, in last years tourism is actively developing in the Novgorod and Pskov regions, as evidenced by the increase in the volume of tourist services by 3 and 2 times, respectively (Table 3).

Rice. 4. Tourist flow in the regions of the Northwestern Federal District in 2012, thousand people

Still the most popular in the regions of the Northwestern federal district The following types of tourism are: cultural and educational, active, medical and recreational, business. A high share of cultural and educational tourism (from 35 to 67%) is noted in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, as well as the Vologda, Kaliningrad, Novgorod, Pskov regions, which is explained by the high historical and cultural potential of these regions.

Table 3. Volume of tourism services provided to the population on the territory of the constituent entities of the North-Western Federal District in 2009–2012, million rubles.

However, with enough good conditions There are a number of problems in realizing the tourism potential of regions in the tourism sector. First of all, they are associated with the lack of an effectively operating tourism infrastructure. To assess the level of its development in the regions of the Northwestern Federal District, we will use the methodology presented above.

To do this, first of all, we will calculate the indices of the condition and development of structural elements of the regions’ tourism infrastructure.

Transport infrastructure

The results of the calculations showed (Appendix 1) that the city of St. Petersburg is characterized by good transport availability (I 1 = 801). Next, with a significant gap, follow the Pskov region (I 1 = 439) and other regions of the district. The lowest values of the transport infrastructure development indicator are observed in the republics of Karelia (I 1 = 141) and Komi (I 1 = 245).

Main problems

There is a discrepancy in the pace of development in the regions highways sustainable growth of motorization, aging of fixed assets of transport infrastructure and their inefficient use. A significant factor hindering the development of tourist transport infrastructure is the lack of roadside infrastructure. In most regions of the Northwestern Federal District, this sector is poorly developed. There is an urgent need to create places for rest for drivers and passengers (meals, overnight accommodation and short rest on the way), campsites for motorists, etc.

For most regions of Russia, as well as the Northwestern Federal District, the problem of insufficient technological level of development of transport systems is relevant. It is in the transport infrastructure that there is a significant lag in the application of modern transport technologies and in the informatization of transport.

Problems such as the low level of river development and air transport, inconsistent quality of transport services, inconsistency of the highway network with traffic needs (both in terms of capacity and technical condition), high tariffs of transport enterprises, lack of highly qualified specialists in all sectors transport system, poor condition of bus stations and railway stations and etc.

Information and communication infrastructure

The development of mass communications and information and communication technologies is crucial for effective tourism activities. Modern electronic media play a major role: the creation of tourist information portals on the Internet, tourist information centers and terminals on major tourist routes etc.

Analysis of the information and communication infrastructure index (Appendix 2) allows us to conclude that the leading position in terms of the level of development of this structural element is occupied by the city of St. Petersburg (I 2 = 1000). The index value for all regions is quite high and varies in the range from 629 to 1000.

Main problems

1) backwardness of technical and technological equipment, lack of the required amount of modern telecommunication technologies and information technology;

Transport strategy of the Russian Federation // Official website of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. – Access mode: http://www.mintrans.ru:8080/pressa/TransStrat_Gossovet_Rab_Groop_6.htm

Tourism infrastructure is understood as a complex of structures, engineering and communication networks, including telecommunications, roads, related tourism industry enterprises, ensuring normal access of tourists to tourism resources and their proper use for tourism purposes, ensuring the livelihoods of tourism industry enterprises and tourists themselves.

These are both automobile and railways, stations and terminals, road, air, river and sea traffic control systems, heat supply systems, electrical and telephone networks and more.

Tourist infrastructure is a complex of existing structures and networks for industrial, social and recreational purposes, designed for the functioning of the tourism sector, ensuring normal access of tourists to tourism resources and their proper use for tourism purposes, as well as ensuring the livelihoods of enterprises in the tourism industry.

Tourist resources- a set of natural and man-made (economic, financial, cultural-historical, labor, social production) objects and phenomena that, given existing technical and material capabilities, can be used to organize tourism activities.

The tourism industry is a set of hotels and other accommodation facilities, means of transport, public catering facilities, entertainment facilities and means, educational, business, recreational, sports and other facilities, organizations engaged in tour operator and travel agency activities, as well as organizations providing excursion services and services of guide-translators.

In addition to these enterprises, those organizations that can exist without tourists, but whose activities expand when they are in tourist destinations, are also engaged in serving tourists. These are rental car companies that rent cars; motor transport companies providing buses for excursion services for tourists; taxi companies; restaurants; cafe; entertainment industry - sports clubs, museums, theaters and cinemas, zoos, casinos, exhibition and congress halls, etc.

Tourism infrastructure is an integral part of the tourism industry, which consists of two elements.

The first element is the hospitality industry, which includes enterprises providing accommodation and food services.

The second element of the tourism industry is the infrastructure component, which is a three-level system.

The first level of tourism infrastructure is represented by industrial infrastructure - a complex of existing structures, buildings, transport networks, systems not directly related to the production of tourism products (unlike the structures of the two subsequent levels), but necessary for the provision of tourism services - transport, communications, energy, utilities, finance, insurance, security.

The second and third levels of tourism infrastructure are formed by enterprises and organizations directly involved in tourism activities and the formation of tourism products.

The second level includes those structures that can exist without tourists, but whose activities expand when they are in places where tourists stay. These are car rental companies, taxi companies; cafes and restaurants; sports clubs, museums, theaters and cinemas, exhibition halls, circuses, zoos, casinos, etc. .

As part of the region's infrastructure complex, tourism infrastructure performs a number of important functions. These include supporting, integration and regulatory functions.

The supporting function of tourism infrastructure is to create the necessary conditions for organizing services for tourists.

Integration - organizing and maintaining connections between industry enterprises, forming territorial tourist and recreational complexes.

The most important is the regulatory function of tourism infrastructure in the economy: creating new jobs, influencing consumer demand, developing industries that produce consumer goods, promoting the growth of tax revenues to budgets at various levels.

Tourism industry- an interconnected system of enterprises and entrepreneurs that provide tourists with all the tourist services, works and goods necessary for consumption in the tourism process and sufficient for the implementation of the tourism process itself. Rapid development mass tourism in the world has caused adequate development of the tourism industry and related sectors of the economy, science and culture, and the education system.

Intermediation services of tour operators and travel agencies,

Transportation services, such as transfers, excursion services, and long-distance transportation by all types of vehicles,

Hospitality industry services (collective and individual accommodation and catering facilities),

Attraction services, including tourist excursions and other leisure and entertainment services,

Services of tourist information and guest centers,

Other special services.

Based on these premises, the tourism industry is a set of hotels and other accommodation facilities, means of transport, public catering facilities, entertainment facilities and means, educational, medical, health, sports, religious, religious, business and other purposes, organizations engaged in tour operator and travel agency activities, organizations providing tourist and excursion services and guide-translator services. This definition is given in Art. 1 of the federal law “On the fundamentals of tourism activities in the Russian Federation” (as amended in 1996).

At the present stage of development, regardless of government system country or territory of a tourist center, in the field of tourism there are several different types of enterprises engaged in tourism activities, namely tourism organizers (tour operators and travel agencies), carriers, hotels and other accommodation enterprises, catering establishments, entertainment attractions, as well as performers other typical and atypical tourist and related services. These include enterprises in the banking sector, insurance services, security, information and others. For special types of tourism, medical and health institutions, educational institutions, sports, etc. are involved. It is important that all these organizations harmoniously complement each other, carry out and provide all the services necessary for the consumer and sufficient in terms of quantitative, qualitative and assortment indicators.

tourist infrastructure Kuzbass

The "Dictionary of Business Terms" defines infrastructure as a complex of economic sectors that provide conditions for the production of goods: energy, communications, transport, education, healthcare. In the dictionary-reference book “Tourism, Hospitality, Service”, infrastructure is defined “as a complex of economic sectors that serve and create conditions for the location and operation of the main production, as well as the life of the population.” That is, infrastructure in the economic sense is understood as a certain set of auxiliary industries (industries), although necessary for the functioning of the main production, but participating in this production only indirectly. The “auxiliary” nature of the use is also confirmed etymologically: the meaning of this term in Latin is derived from infra (below, under) and structure (structure, device). In full accordance with this approach, the “Reference Dictionary” defines tourism infrastructure as “a set of auxiliary industries and institutions that organize and serve tourism industry, tourism activities generally" .

At the same time, such phrases as “social infrastructure”, “production infrastructure”, “industrial infrastructure”, “urban infrastructure”, “transport infrastructure”, etc. have become commonly used. Despite all the substantive differences in the concepts used, infrastructure is understood as a certain system of elements that allows the functioning of some holistic entity. In this sense, “market infrastructure” can be understood as a set of units of the national economy, the functioning of which is aimed at ensuring the normal functioning of the market and its development. The composition of a market economy includes various organizations and institutions (trade, banking, exchange, transport and others) that ensure the activities of various sectors of the economy.

But in the same dictionary-reference book "Tourism, Hospitality, Service" transport infrastructure is interpreted as "a network of roads and railways, as well as airports and sea (river) ports. A qualitative characteristic of transport infrastructure is the presence of modern comfortable vehicles." Here we have a different approach to the definition. Transport is a completely independent branch of the economy, and in the interpretation of the above definition, transport infrastructure is no longer considered as something outside the scope of the main production, but as internal to it, as something that, in fact, creates a transportation service.

So what characterizes the term “tourist infrastructure”: a complex of auxiliary industries that support the activities of the tourism industry, or the system of this industry itself? General overview the composition of the tourism infrastructure can be compiled on the basis of the definition of the tourism industry formulated in Federal Law No. 132-FZ “On the fundamentals of tourism activities in the Russian Federation”. "The tourism industry is a set of hotels and other accommodation facilities, means of transport, facilities for sanatorium-resort treatment and recreation, public catering facilities, facilities and means of entertainment, educational, business, medical and recreational, physical education, sports and other purposes, organizations providing tour operator and travel agency activities, operators of tourist information systems, as well as organizations providing the services of tour guides (guides), guides-translators and instructors-guides." Based on the first approach, the tourism infrastructure must include all those enterprises and organizations whose activities are not limited only to the tourism sector. Then the tourism sector will include organizations engaged in tour operator and travel agency activities, providing the services of tour guides (guides), guides-translators and instructors-guides, as well as operators of tourism information systems, unless they specialize exclusively in tourism activities. But most of the listed organizations do not themselves provide the consumption of services necessary for tourists, and, thus, are represented in the consumption of the tourist product only indirectly.

Tourist infrastructure is understood as a complex of existing structures and networks for industrial, social and recreational purposes, intended for the functioning of the tourism sector, while considering tourism infrastructure as an integral part of the tourism industry.

Tourist infrastructure can be presented as the material basis for the production of a tourism product. The material basis of tourism in a broad sense is formed by a complex set of industries, sub-sectors and activities of material production and the socio-cultural sphere, which either directly satisfy the various needs of tourists or create the necessary conditions for this. Of all its constituent enterprises, only a relatively small part specializes in the production of goods and services intended exclusively for the personal consumption of tourists, while most of them also satisfy the needs of the local population and indirectly contribute to the growth of tourist consumption. Thus, to satisfy the diverse needs of tourists, goods and services of a large number of enterprises and industries that are not technologically interconnected are needed. Some serve mainly tourists, others - tourists and local population, and the third ensure the functioning of the first and second. The mixed functions of these enterprises make their clear, formal organization within a single sector of the economy impossible. The list of main enterprises involved in the production of the tourism product can be presented in the following table.

Table 1 - List of enterprises contributing to the production of tourism products

Type of enterprises	Composition of enterprises
1. Enterprises providing accommodation services	- hotels, motels, campsites; - boarding houses, private apartments and houses; - tourist centers, holiday homes, shelters; - other accommodation facilities.
2. Food establishments	- restaurants, canteens; - cafes, bars; - other food establishments.
3. Companies engaged in transport services	- automobile enterprises; - aviation enterprises; - railway departments; - maritime and river transport and etc.
4. Travel companies for the development, implementation and support of tourism products	- tourist operators; - travel agencies; - excursion bureaus; - organizations providing guide-translator services, etc.
	- advertising agencies; - advertising bureaus; - news agencies.
6. Industrial tourism enterprises	- factories for the production of tourist and hotel furniture; - enterprises for the production of tourist equipment; - factories of tourist souvenirs, etc.
7. Trade enterprises	- shops selling tourist equipment; - shops selling tourist souvenirs; - rental points.
8. Leisure tourism enterprises	- cinema and concert halls; - night clubs, casinos; - slot machines; - theaters, museums, etc.
9. Institutions amateur tourism	- tourist clubs; - mountaineering clubs; - tourist cycling clubs; - amateur water tourism clubs, etc.
10. Scientific and design institutions	Research institutes and laboratories.
11. Educational tourist institutions	- higher and secondary specialized tourist institutions; - institutes for advanced training and retraining.
12. Tourism authorities	- committees and departments of tourism; - public tourist organizations and associations.

The list presented is not, and cannot be, complete. But it allows us to form the idea that the concept of “tourism infrastructure” characterizes the material component of the production of a tourism product. Tourism infrastructure must be distinguished from the material and technical base of tourism. "The material and technical base of tourism is the totality of all material elements used in the field of tourism. MTB includes industrial buildings and structures, vehicles, communications, equipment and equipment, all kinds of machines, mechanisms, apparatus, devices, etc." In contrast to this material component of the tourism sector, tourism infrastructure characterizes its organizational and production structure.

The development of the hotel industry is directly related to the development of tourism: the era of mass tourism contributed to significant changes in the hotel infrastructure.

The hotel industry as a type of economic activity includes the provision of hotel services and the organization of short-term accommodation for a fee in hotels, campsites, motels, school and student dormitories, guest houses, etc. This activity also includes restaurant services. In international practice, the Standard Classification of Tourist Accommodation Facilities, developed by WTO experts, has been adopted (Table 4.1). In Russia, on the basis of this classification, the State Standard “Accommodation Facilities” was developed, introduced in 1999.

Table 4.1. Standard classification of tourist accommodation facilities


Collective accommodation facilities for tourists	Hotels and similar accommodation facilities	1. Hotels 2. Similar establishments
	Specialized establishments	1. Health facilities 2. Labor and recreation camps 3. Public means of transport 4. Congress centers
	Other collective institutions	1. Dwellings intended for recreation 2. Camping 3. Other
Individual accommodation facilities for tourists	Individual accommodation facilities	1. Own homes 2. Rented rooms 3. Rented dwellings 4. Accommodation with relatives and friends 5. Other

By service level hotels are divided into several types, with the common service being the provision of accommodation, and all others in one way or another contribute to improving the quality of this basic service and can be provided in one set or another.

Hotellux: 100-400 rooms; city center; high-level service by well-trained staff who fulfill the various wishes of clients; the price is very high; consumers - heads of large organizations, high-level professionals, participants in high-level conferences; Elite conditions, expensive interior decoration.

High class hotel: 400-2000 rooms; within the city; a wide range of services provided by trained staff; price is above average; consumers - businessmen, individual tourists, conference participants; expensive furniture and equipment, large hall, restaurants.

Mid-range hotel: seeks to make maximum use of modern technology and reduce operating costs and therefore prices, including through labor reduction and automation. Prices are at the average level for the region or slightly above average.

Apart-hotel: 100-400 rooms; most often self-service; the price depends on the time of placement; consumers - businessmen and family tourists, stopping at long term; Conditions are the same as in a fully furnished apartment.

Economy class hotel: hotel with a limited range of services; 10-150 rooms; outskirts or middle part of the city; limited number of staff; the price is low, 25-30% below the regional average, which is why it is in demand; consumers - thrifty tourists those who do not need full board; conditions - modern, well-equipped rooms, but, as a rule, without meals.

According to the Russian standard, a hotel is classified as a temporary accommodation establishment with a capacity of at least 10 rooms. Is the category of hotels indicated by a symbol? (star). The number of stars increases in accordance with the improvement in the quality of service and hotel equipment. For hotels, categories range from one to five stars, for motels - from one to four stars. Classification of accommodation services and terminology presented in regulatory documents Russia and the Standard International Classification of Tourism Activities (SICTA), adopted by the WTO, differ significantly.

In different countries of the world, a number of symbols are used to designate the category of hotels and other accommodation facilities - from stars in France and Russia to crowns in England.

Attempts to introduce a unified international classification of hotels have not yet been successful.

Classification of hotels by category is made depending on the size and types of residential and office premises, equipment of enterprises, level of comfort of rooms and public premises, services provided and other factors. Payment for rooms and other services depends on the capacity. IN foreign countries There are about 30 hotel classifications. They can be divided into two groups:

0 “European” system based on the French national classification, common in most countries (the rank is established by assigning a certain number of stars - from 1 to 5);

o “points”, or Indian, system, which is based on the assessment of the hotel by an expert commission.

The number of stars of a European hotel corresponds to a certain term in the American version of the classification:

European classification American classification

***** Super deluxe
* * * * Deluxe
* * * Expensive
* * Moderate
? Inexpensive

Hotels are divided into three categories: upper class (luxury) - 4-5 stars; tourist class (medium) - 2-3 stars; economy class- 1-2 stars. Almost all classifications evaluate the following basic parameters of a hotel: characteristics of the room stock: room area, availability of utilities in the rooms and on the floors, room comfort; equipment and interior design; information support, including communications; availability of an elevator; characteristics of public premises; presence and characteristics of food establishments; providing the possibility of additional consumer services and others; characteristics of the building, access roads; infrastructure development, development of the surrounding area.

According to the WTO definition, a hotel is a collective accommodation facility, consisting of a certain number of rooms, having a single management, providing a set of services (minimum - making beds and cleaning) and grouped into classes and categories in accordance with the services provided and equipment of the rooms. The category of the hotel must be indicated on the TOUR 1 tourist voucher form, and the type of accommodation must also be indicated there: single room - OD N (SGL); double - DVM (DBL); triple - TPM (TRP); four-seater - CTM (QUATR), etc.

There are large and small hotels. The WTO recommends that small hotel with up to 30 rooms. Another point of view is that a small hotel should be considered to be one that can be serviced and managed by members of the same family. Small hotels are usually independent and not part of hotel chains.

IN organizational management structure hotels in the world hotel industry Two main models have emerged.

The first model is associated with the name of the Swiss entrepreneur Caesar Ritz. Many prestigious hotels in the world bear his name. The main emphasis in these hotels is on European traditions of sophistication and aristocracy (for example, the Palace Hotel in Moscow). Currently, the Ritz model is experiencing a crisis: over the past 25 years, more than 2 million palace-style hotel rooms have left the global hotel market.

The second model is associated with the name of American entrepreneur Kemons Wilson (Holiday Inn hotel chain). This model focuses on flexibility in meeting the needs of the client (regardless of which country the hotel is located in) combined with maintaining sufficient high standards service. Considerable attention is paid to the interior. The basic requirements for a hotel chain are as follows: unity of style (architecture, interior); unity of designations and external information; spacious and functional hall; speed of customer registration; rooms provided for regular customers; breakfast " Buffet"; availability of a conference hall; flexible tariff system; unified management, marketing and communications service. Under the control of hotel chains,

Built according to the second model, there are more than 50% of hotel rooms in the world. Such chains are essentially financial and economic empires controlled by one owner - the parent holding company.

There is a third model of organization - the so-called voluntary hotel chains (such as " Best Western", "Romantic Hotels", etc.). In this case, hotels are united under a single brand according to some homogeneous characteristics that meet certain standards and sets of services, regardless of the country of location. Hotels - members of the chain pay contributions to a single fund, which is spent on joint advertising and marketing activities, product promotion, etc. At the same time, their financial, economic and managerial independence is fully preserved. In essence, these chains are something like an association of hotels united by a single agreement.

Catering. Depending on the type of hotel, its purpose and class, the stated cost of accommodation may or may not include meals. In tourism practice, there are special plans regarding meals for tourists in hotels:

o European Plan (EP) - meals for tourists are not included in the price of accommodation. This plan is especially widespread in the US and most major cities peace;

0 continental plan (Continental Plan, CP) - the cost of accommodation includes a light “continental” breakfast consisting of coffee, rolls, butter, jam, etc.; o Bermuda Plan (BP) - the cost of accommodation includes a full “American” breakfast at the hotel. All other meals are not included; o Modified American Plan (MAP) - the cost of accommodation includes breakfast, “continental” (in Europe) or full, and one more meal, usually dinner. This plan is widely used in resorts in the Bahamas and Bermuda, Caribbean and Mexico. In Europe, this plan is usually called half board;

o American Plan (AP) - the cost of accommodation includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. In Europe, this plan is also called full board. Full board common on cruise ships, "villages" and similar resorts.

Generally, Bermudian and modified American plans are offered on popular resorts. The European plan is more often used in hotels designed mainly for transit passengers And business people. At some hotels, guests on the Modified American Plan are subject to certain menu restrictions. For exotic or expensive dishes, such as lobster, you have to pay extra.

In table 4.2 shows various options for catering at hotels and their international designations.

When organizing catering, various forms of service are used:

0 “table d'hôte” (common table) involves setting large tables in the halls of a restaurant, served with cutlery, the number of which corresponds to the number of guests;
0 The buffet is self-service and does not limit the number of dishes consumed. This type of nutrition is typical for a beach holiday;
0 “a la carte menu” involves a limited number of dishes, the tourist can only read their names, but cannot see them with his own eyes, and it is not possible to order an addition or change the order. Service is organized by waiters. This type of catering is typical for city hotels or expensive upscale beach hotels.

Table 4.2. Catering options

End of table. 4.2

Accommodation and 3 meals a day (breakfast + lunch + dinner)	FB (full board)
Infinitely many different dishes, almost unlimited time for organizing meals - the cost of this service is included in the tour price	All inclusive (AI - all inclusive)
Providing the guest with four meals a day and the opportunity to eat snacks, including without alcoholic drinks and locally produced alcoholic drinks during daylight hours (until 24.00)	Ultra all inclusive(UAI - ultra all inclusive)
Providing the guest with four meals a day and the opportunity to consume snacks, including soft drinks and foreign alcoholic drinks during daylight hours (until 24.00 hours)	Extra all inclusive (EAI - extra all inclusive)

There are also options for replacement when organizing catering:

o “packed rations” (picnic) - compensation for missed breakfast (lunch, dinner). Replacement is available upon prior order. The reasons for absence can be very different, most often it is an unscheduled trip, optional excursion etc.;

0 “cold dinner” - prepared for the same reasons as packed rations, but assumes the arrival of tourists after the end of the planned dinner and is a set table with all the dishes present at the planned dinner, except for hot ones;
0 Lunch or dinner can also be transferred to another day by prior agreement.

There are also three main types of breakfast:

0 “continental” consists mainly of buns and coffee (tea) and is typical for city hotels and motels;

o “European” with a wide variety of dishes and an unlimited number of them, typical for Great Britain and the Americas;

o "minibar" when in quality additional service In hotels starting from 3 stars, it is expected to use an in-room bar.

Hospitality models. In world practice, there are four models of hospitality.

The European model represents high-flying hospitality and high reputation. In addition, the European hotel market is the most widespread and developed. Distinctive features of European hospitality:

0 hotels are striving to reduce the number of rooms, which increases the individualization of customer service;
0 the main advantage of hotels is not luxury, but exquisite and stylish interiors, high reputation and fame, high-quality service;
0 most expensive hotels are located in unique places and buildings in historical centers cities;
0 expensive hotels preserve and maintain traditions in relations with guests;
0 automation of European hotels does not replace personal relationships with guests;
0 Hotel segregation is more pronounced than anywhere else in Europe, which leads to the fact that guests expensive hotel will never encounter a guest of a different social status in the hall;
0 at the same time, the European hotel market is distinguished by a diversified offer - from cheap roadside hotels to extremely expensive luxury hotels.

The Asian model of hospitality is the opposite of the European one, which is reflected in the Asians’ love for luxury, ostentatious wealth, and gigantism. It is in Asia that the tallest (Shanghai), most spacious (Bangkok) and most luxurious (Dubai) hotels in the world are located. If in Europe the category of a hotel is inversely proportional to its capacity, then in Asia it is the opposite. Distinctive features of Asian luxury hotels:

0 the most favorable location;
0 big square rooms and public spaces;
0 large capacity;

o luxury and richness of interiors and especially exteriors;

o low (compared to Europe) cost and availability of services;

o the opportunity to use a variety of infrastructure and additional services;

o the widespread use of “AN inclusive” and “Ultra all inclusive” service systems.

The American model of hospitality has features of both the European model and the Asian one. Thus, in the centers of the largest American cities, luxury hotels are common that meet the requirements of typical European hotels (style, small size, individual service). At the same time, the main resorts and tourist centers countries are built up with hotels, externally and internally reminiscent of Asian ones (they are distinguished by large capacity, luxury, and developed infrastructure).

The Eastern European hospitality model stands out due to the presence of a large share of post-Soviet hotel industry enterprises. On the other hand, the current stage of development of the hotel market in the post-Soviet space of Europe is characterized by the construction of new accommodation facilities, typical of both Europe and Asia.

Kuskov L.S., Ponukalina O.V. Management of transport services: tourism. M., 2004; Arzumanyan E.A. Hotel and restaurant service. Saratov, 2000.
Ushakov D.S. Applied tour rating. Rostov-n/D, 2005.