Tourist routes belong to linear forms of tourism organization. A tourist route with tourist centers located within it can be defined as a linear-nodal form of tourism organization. Any trips, trips and tours are carried out along predetermined routes. Consequently, a tourist route is a geographically defined route of a hike or trip, tied to a given area and special objects, and described with varying degrees of detail.

Tourist route are defined as a pre-planned route for the movement of tourists over a certain period of time in order to receive the services provided for by the program and additional tourist and excursion services. Tourist routes are one of the main types of services provided to tourists.

Route is defined as the route followed by a tourist, indicated by a list of all geographical points and places sequentially visited by him during his trip, indicating the types of transport used by the tourist to move between stopping points along the route. The starting and ending points of the route are the starting and ending points of the journey. The beginning of the route is the place where the first tourist service specified in the contract is provided to the tourist, and the end of the route is the place where the last tourist service is provided. Depending on the movement along the route, linear, circular, radial and combined types of tourist routes are distinguished (Fig. 7.3.).

Linear route – a route, the beginning and end of which occur at different geographical points. This is the most common type of route. The tourist stays in the destination for a certain time, while making one-day excursions from his place of stay. After rest, the tourist returns back to his place of permanent residence.

In this case, one feature of linear routes should be considered. There are two options for organizing them. The first assumes that the starting and ending points of the route do not coincide. For example, the Volga cruise “Saratov – Samara – Ulyanovsk – Kazan” is a classic example of a linear tourist route. The starting point of the journey is Saratov, and the final point is Kazan.

However, there is one thing. Let's assume that a tourist, having reached Kazan, returned back to Saratov on the same ship, visiting the same set of tourist centers as on the way from Saratov to Kazan. In this case, this option should also be considered as a linear tourist route. If a tourist, having reached Kazan by boat, returns home by train, then this option (the second) does not fit into the definition of a linear route, since his path is organized along a circular route.

But this route will only be circular if tourist services continue throughout the entire trip. Most of cruises involve one-way service only. The issue of returning home is decided by the tourist independently and at his own expense. In this case, the route remains linear.

1. Linear type of tourist route

2. Circular type of tourist route

3. Radial type of tourist route

4. Combined type of tourist route

Rice. 7.3. Types of tourist routes

Radial route – a travel route, the beginning and end of which occur in one geographical point of stay, located in which the tourist travels to other points of stay, returning at the same time to the point of origin of the journey. For example, tourists from Volgograd came to St. Petersburg and after a three-day stay in the city, leaving their pre-booked hotel rooms, they made several trips to Novgorod, Pskov and Pushkin Mountains.

The main condition for the implementation of a radial route is the fact of maintaining a reservation at the hotel of the tourist center from which trips to other tourist centers are made. The presence of overnight stays in permanent accommodation facilities in Pskov and Novgorod somewhat complicates the task, while maintaining the radial nature of movements.

Ring route – a route that begins and ends at the same geographic location. A classic example of routes of this kind is the tour route “ Golden ring Russia”, which passes through the following cities: Moscow – Vladimir – Suzdal – Rostov – Yaroslavl – Kostroma – Ples – Ivanovo – Moscow.

The place of arrival at the destination can be:

A) unchanged, when tourists arriving at a tourist destination pass through only 1-2 transit cities. Such cities were called “gateways”. In Russia, the gateways are St. Petersburg and Moscow. Often the gateways are the cities in which the major airports or train stations - for example, Chicago, Frankfurt am Main, Hong Kong, London, Dublin, etc.

b) different from the place of arrival, when tourists arrive in one city and fly home from another city. For example, a tourist begins a tour of Russia from Moscow, arriving at Sheremetyevo Airport, and ends it, flying home from Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg. These tours are called crossing tours.

Combined route – a route that contains elements of two or three other types of routes in one or another combination. For example, you can take a river cruise on the Volga with the organization of transfers by bus to tourist centers remote from the main channel of the Volga, such as Rostov, Vladimir, Semenov, Elabuga, Ivanovo, etc.

Tourist routes are divided according to seasonality: year-round, that is, valid throughout the year and seasonal operating during any season. We will highlight in a separate group holiday routes, tied to certain holidays. According to the duration of the trip, routes are divided into multi-day(vacation pay) and weekend routes(weekend tours).

Tourist routes must also be classified according to the types of transport used. There are aviation, railway, bus, road, river, sea and combined tourist routes.

Aviation tourist routes are reduced to use as the main aviation transport and are implemented in two forms: a) regular air routes and b) air routes on charter flights(irregular, by appointment). The duration of air routes can vary widely, although the actual air transportation process is quite short - no more than 10-12 hours.

Railway tourist routes involve the use railway transport in two main forms: a) regular tourist routes and b) special tourist and excursion (charter) trains. The duration of train tours is usually quite long - from one to two weeks or more.

Bus tourist routes There is organized trips tourists using tourist buses. Bus tours can be either regular or irregular. Duration bus routes can vary widely - from an hour-long excursion to three-week bus tours throughout Europe.

Unlike buses, automobile tourist routes involve travel of unorganized groups of tourists both in their own and rented cars. The duration of such trips is determined by tourists independently and can vary widely - from one day to six months.

River And sea ​​tourist routes are based on the travel of organized groups of tourists using sea and river transport as the main modes of transport. Travel with aquatic species transport is implemented in three forms: a) sea and river cruises; b) excursion and pleasure flights; c) yachting and individual travel. The duration of water travel can be very different - from one day (excursion and pleasure cruises) to six months (expensive cruises).

Combined tourist routes involve the use of two or more modes of transport in various combinations. Multimodal transportation has become widespread in the practice of the tourism business, as it allows optimizing the structure of the tour and the time costs for its implementation.

Considering the spatial organization of tourist routes, it should be noted that it is the completeness of their system that is the factor that helps to distinguish tourist areas and especially microdistricts. When delineating a territory with a completed system of routes, an elementary territorial tourism system is actually created. In addition to the network of tourist routes, the system will also include settlements as places of demand formation, as well as transport communications as a means of communication between the destination and the place of demand generation. ABOUT tourist centers and destinations we will tell in the next paragraph.

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The basic principles of organizing excursion tourist routes are the following: attractiveness, accessibility, content, functionality, versatility, comfort, awareness.

To attract tourists, there must be something on the route that they would want to see, hear or do. You can attract tourists with anything: historical places, scenic areas, cultural events and exhibitions, hunting, fishing, festivals: and, rare animals, birds and much more. Therefore, when organizing tourist routes, special attention should be paid to thematic excursions.

Availability assumes use on a tourist route various types transport: car, bus, train, plane, and for walking routes - an equipped tourist route. Most tourists will prefer those places that are easy, cheap and convenient to get to.

Content a tourist route means the presence of educational elements that promote acquaintance with nature, natural resources and monuments of culture, history, architecture, and so on. The principle of content allows tourists to learn more in a relatively short period of time, enrich themselves with knowledge of many cultures, interesting sights, and stimulate the desire for further exciting travel.

Functionality involves year-round use of the same tourist route, but with a different set of seasonal services. Yes, in the summer mountain route largely consists of hikes and excursions through gorges with inspection of mountain lakes, waterfalls, snowfields and glaciers, and simple ascents to panoramic peaks to survey the area. IN winter time the main focus is on alpine skiing.

Multidimensionality tourist route requires the presence of pre-prepared options in the tourist service program. The need for multivariance is determined by the variability of weather and climatic conditions, the variability of the composition of tourists staying on the route (differences in their physical fitness, capabilities and demands).

Comfort. Tourists will give preference to those routes where, in addition to excursions, conditions for housing and food will be created. The absolute minimum is some food and a tent, the optimum is three meals a day, sleeping indoors on a bed, hot water supply. Tourists can stay in a hotel, individual houses, small hotels, boarding houses, trailers, and private houses. In rural areas, motels and campsites may be available for tourists. Restaurants and other eating places can be either indoor or outdoor, large or small, simple or elegant. The most important thing is that the food has good taste, even with a simple menu.

Awareness. A tourist route may meet all the requirements listed above, but there may not be tourists on it, since they have not heard or known anything about it, that is, they were not informed. Awareness of the tourist route is achieved through various means of advertising - in brochures, magazines, newspapers, radio and television, as well as through agents, travel agencies and through tourists who have extensive travel experience. A tourist must know what he will see, what he will do on the route, how he will get there and where to stop before he decides to go along this route (Basics..., 2002).

Classification of tourist routes can be built according to various criteria.

There are different types of routes::

• - thematic - with a predominance of excursion services and educational orientation;
• - hiking - routes with active modes of transportation;
• - physical education and recreation - with a predominance in the program of sports and physical education and recreation activities;
• - combined - routes that combine elements of all of the listed routes.

According to seasonality of action routes are divided:

• - year-round (out-of-season);
• - seasonal - operating during a certain season (ski, water, mountain, etc.).

By route construction routes are divided into:

• - linear - with a visit to one or several points (except the initial one) located on the route;
• - radial - (stationary) with a visit to one point on the route;
• - circular - with the coincidence of the starting and ending points of the route and visiting several points along the route.

By duration routes are:

• - multi-day (14-30 days);
• - several days (1-3 days) - weekend routes;
• - several hours (excursions).

By type of transport on the route:

• - the travel company’s own transport;
• - rented (chartered) transport from other organizations;
• - personal transport tourists.

By mode of transportation on the route:

• - bus;
• - motor ships (sea, river);
• - aviation;
• - railway;
• - combined.

A simplified classification of tourist routes is presented in Figure 3.

Figure 3 - Classification of tourist routes

Route development- a complex multi-stage procedure that requires fairly high qualifications and is the main element of tourism service technology. It takes a long time and sometimes takes several months.

The organization and conduct of a tourist route of various types and types includes the following stages: preparatory, route, final (Fig. 4).

Figure 4 - Stages of completing a tourist route

The implementation of a tourist route is preceded by very serious preparation of the leader of the tourist group. At the preparatory stage, he first of all carefully studies the tourist route, the travel program and the conditions of service for the group at each point of the route.

The program of each tourist route must correspond to the purpose of the trip and contain a plan of activities implemented to satisfy the specialized or specific requests and interests of tourists (Kabushkin, 1999).

The organization and conduct of a tourist route must be reflected in the route documentation. The following groups of documents can be distinguished in it.

• 1. Technological documents for the route, hike, excursion.
• 2. Documents for the implementation of the tourist route.
• 3. Documents for servicing a group of tourists on the route.
• 4. Reporting documents.

The documentary basis of a tourist trip are:

• - technological map of tourist travel;
• - information leaflet for the tourist package with a description of the trip.

When organizing an excursion, fill out:

• - technological map of the excursion;
• - controlling interest excursions;
• - materials from the "Tour Guide's Portfolio";
• - route diagram of the transport excursion route.

Methodology for conducting an excursion tourist route- this is a set of techniques that form the basis of the work of the route leader (tourist group) during a tourist trip. The methodology for conducting a tourist route consists of two parts:

• - verbal technique,
• - practical methodology (Fig. 5).

Verbal technique involves the use by the leader of a tourist group of methods of oral presentation of travel information on the route, conducting introductory and final conversations with tourists.

Travel information- an important part of the leader’s work with tourists along the route. Materials for travel information should be prepared by employees of the travel company long before the start of the route, well studied by the head of the tourist group, updated or supplemented if necessary. To do this, the leader must have a good knowledge of the route, the history and sights of the country, region, region, district or city through which the route passes, and the objects of display encountered along the way.

Figure 5 - Methodological scheme for conducting a tourist route

On the route the leader uses the following methodological methods of travel information:

Announcement- reception of information that is used by the manager most often along the route. Announcements are made during the preliminary gathering of the group, for example, about the departure time of the train, during the trip - about the places of transport stops, the time and place of operation of various services, and meals for tourists.

Explanation- reception of information, with the help of which tourists’ attention is focused on the features of an object, event, phenomenon, or human activity. The clarification technique should be used when children travel, in cases when the transport schedule changes, etc.

Message- reception of information, with the help of which the essential aspects of phenomena, processes, events related to the route are clarified. Thus, the leader of a tourist group, using this technique, informs tourists about the service program, interesting historical facts, features of service for tourists in the host country.

Reference- reception of information, with the help of which there is a concise presentation of factual material about an object or events and facts related to the topic, content of the route. This could be a certificate about excursions not planned on the route, the possibility of visiting museums, theaters, etc. etc.

Conversation- receiving information that is used by the leader when meeting with a tourist group and completing the route. There are introductory and closing conversations.

Introductory conversation The group leader conducts at the beginning of the journey. During the meeting it is advisable to give brief description route, and which should reflect its specificity and main goal.

You should tell about the sights of the places you stay along the route, memorial complexes and places associated with the lives of wonderful people, inform that before each stop there will be a detailed description of the plan and theme of the excursion, daily routine, social events, the possibility and procedure for organizing additional excursions at the expense of tourists.

The introductory conversation is the first meeting of tourists with the leader of the route, and the mood of the tourists, the authority of the leader of the tour group and the implementation of the route program largely depend on how it is conducted.

At the end of the trip, the route director must conduct final conversation. It should be organized so that tourists have the opportunity to express their impressions of the trip, complaints, wishes and suggestions (Gomilevskaya, 2002)..

The practical methodology allows the leader of the tourist group to purposefully manage the organization of all activities provided for by the route program. It provides for the active use of methods for organizing excursions, conducting social work, leisure activities, accommodation and meals for tourists during the trip.

Comprehensive service tourists on the route are usually carried out by several performers: guiding and receiving travel agencies, transport organization, accommodation and catering establishments, excursion bureaus and leisure organizations.

Methodology of excursion services provides for scheduled excursions included in the price of the tour. And unscheduled ones, carried out additionally at the expense of tourists.

When determining the excursion program in a particular city along the route, it is also necessary to proceed from the schedule of the ship, train, opening hours of museums, and to link the topics of the excursions with the route and its name.

Social work methodology involves a rational combination of it with the daily routine and free time of tourists. The content of the activities must be linked to the main purpose of the trip.

Thus, in the modern understanding, an excursion is a methodically thought-out display of places of interest, historical and cultural monuments, which is based on an analysis of the objects in front of the sightseers, as well as a skillful story about the events associated with it. Through the excursion, knowledge and perception of the surrounding world occurs.

The methodology for drawing up a tourist route, in particular an excursion route, is very complex. A tourist is attracted not just by relaxation, by the presence of picturesque areas, sea, mountains, etc. It is always much more interesting when a trip includes excursions, where you can not only see, but also hear about some of the sights and stories of the area. Therefore, the basic rule of the methodology for conducting a tourist route is to fully satisfy all the needs of the tourist, to provide related services that justify the purpose of his trip and give him pleasure.

Successful implementation of this rule requires workers tourist organizations serious attitude to the preparation of the route and its implementation.

The point is not only to prepare for each tourist route the text of travel information, an agreement for the provision of services to the tourist group, and other documents. The basis for conducting a tourist route should be a methodology that will always allow it to be carried out in an interesting, organized, and responsible manner. Here a lot depends on the leader of the tourist group. The skill of the route manager lies in the ability to connect all the activities of the service program along the route together.

In accordance with the Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activities in Russian Federation» No. 132-FZ dated November 24, 1996

“...The priority areas of state regulation of tourism activities are the support and development of internal, entry, social and amateur tourism...".

Russia has enormous potential both for the development of domestic tourism and for receiving foreign travelers. It has everything you need - a huge territory, rich historical and cultural heritage, and in some regions - untouched, wild nature.

IN rich history Russia in different times The Vikings, ancient Slavs, Mongol-Tatars, Cumans, Scythians, Swedes, Teutons, Greeks, Genoese and other peoples left their traces. Our ancestors inherited from them their appearance, faith, different cultures, languages ​​and traditions. This stimulates the development of domestic and inbound tourism - makes modern Russians and foreign tourists interesting to each other. Grand dukes, monarchs and emperors annexed and lost lands and peoples, travelers went further into the depths of the North, Siberia and Far East and opened up new spaces, rivers, seas and oceans. Democratic and authoritarian rulers, succeeding each other, built palaces and estates, created museums, destroyed churches and Buddhist temples, left behind mausoleums, grandiose high-rise buildings, powerful hydroelectric power stations and at the same time camps for the repressed, corn fields, opened the space age, created unique designs weapons and restored temples. All these events and actions made Russia the way everyone in the world can see it. excursion (cultural and educational) tour.

The following types of tourism can be distinguished.

Excursion tourism– travel for educational purposes. This is one of the most common forms of tourism.

Recreational tourism – travel for relaxation and treatment. This type of tourism is very common all over the world.

Ethnic tourism– trips to visit relatives. Travel agencies help with issuing transport tickets, passports, visas, etc.

Sports tourism– travel to participate in sporting events. In this case, the services of travel companies are resorted to by both the leaders of sports teams, competition organizers, as well as fans and those simply wishing to attend the competition.

Target tourism represents trips to various public events.

Religious tourism– a journey aimed at carrying out any religious procedures or missions.

Caravanning– traveling in small mobile houses on wheels.

Adventure (extreme) tourism– tourism associated with physical activity and sometimes with danger to life.

Water tourism – trips on board a motor ship, yacht and other river and sea vessels along rivers, canals, lakes, and seas. Geographically and temporally, this tourism is very diverse: from hour-long and one-day routes to multi-week cruises across the seas and oceans

Business tourism– travel related to the performance of professional duties. Due to universal integration and the establishment of business contacts, business tourism is becoming increasingly important from year to year.

The main objects of interest of tourists on educational tourist trips (excursion tourism) are the historical, ethnographic, architectural, social, and cultural resources of the country.

To approach the disclosure of the theme of the organization excursion programs for tourist routes, you must first define the terminology for tourist and excursion subject.

Many authors of specialized literature on tourism and service issues give their own interpretation of terms on tourism topics. Thus, Donat Karimullovich Ismaev in his book “The Main Activities of a Tourism Company” believes, for example, tourism product- a set of services purchased by a tourist from a travel company necessary for his tourist trip. This complex, in his opinion, usually includes various options for transportation, accommodation in accommodation facilities, meals, meetings and seeing off at stopping points, excursion and entertainment activities .

Further, D.K. Ismayev considers the term “ package of services» one of two components tour, tourist route. From this definition it is clear that the concept of “service package” at same concept of tour.

According to this terminology, the concept tour can rightly be considered much broader than the concept tourist product, since only the right to a tour is considered a tourist product.

In addition, the corresponding terms with definitions are adopted in the legal and regulatory documentation regulating tourist and excursion activities in our country.

This work uses the following basic concepts enshrined in the Law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activities in the Russian Federation” and state standards (GOSTs) regulating tourism and excursion services:

tour operator activities- activities for the formation, promotion and sale of a tourist product, carried out by a legal entity (hereinafter referred to as the tour operator) (GOST R 50690-2000);

travel agency activity- activities for the promotion and sale of a tourist product, carried out by a legal entity or individual entrepreneur (hereinafter referred to as a travel agent) (GOST R 50690-2000);

tourism activities- tour operator and travel agent activities, as well as other activities for organizing travel (Law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activities” No. 132-FZ of November 24, 1996);

tourism industry- a set of hotels and other accommodation facilities, means of transport, sanatorium-resort treatment and recreation facilities, public catering facilities, entertainment facilities and facilities, educational, business, medical and recreational, physical education, sports and other purposes, organizations providing tour operators and travel agents activities, operators of tourist information systems, as well as organizations providing tour guide services), guides-translators and instructors-guides ( Law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activities”);

tourism - temporary departures (travels) of citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons (hereinafter referred to as citizens) from places of permanent residence for health, educational, professional, business, sports, religious and other purposes without engaging in paid activities in the country (place) of temporary residence (GOST R 50690-2000);

inbound tourism- tourism within the territory of the Russian Federation of persons not permanently residing in the Russian Federation (the term is taken from GOST R 50690-2000. Tourist services. General requirements);

tourist - a person visiting the country (place) of temporary stay for medical and recreational, educational, physical education, sports, professional, business, religious and other purposes without engaging in activities related to generating income from sources in the country (place) of temporary stay, for a period from 24 hours to 6 months in a row or spending at least one night in the country (place) of temporary stay (GOST R 50690-2000);

tour - a set of services for accommodation, transportation, meals for tourists, excursion services, as well as the services of guides-interpreters and other services provided depending on the purpose of the trip (GOST R 50690-2000);

tourist route- a pre-planned route of a tourist trip (excursions, travel), characterized by a certain order of movement of tourists along geographical points(the term is taken from GOST R 50681-94. Tourist and excursion services. Design of tourist services.)

excursionist - a person visiting a country (place) of temporary stay for educational purposes for a period of less than 24 hours without spending the night in the country (place) of temporary stay and using the services of a guide (guide), guide-interpreter (GOST R 50690-2000);

tour guide (guide)- a professionally trained person carrying out activities to familiarize excursionists (tourists) with objects of display in the country (place) of temporary stay (GOST R 50690-2000);

guide-translator- a professionally trained person who is fluent in a foreign language, knowledge of which is necessary for translation and activities to familiarize excursionists (tourists) with objects of display in the country (place) of temporary stay (GOST R 50690-2000);

excursion service - a tourist service to satisfy the cognitive interests of tourists/excursionists, including the development and implementation of excursion services or individual excursions, organization and conduct of travel excursions (from GOST R 50690-2000);

excursion(from lat. excursio- walk, trip) - collective visit to a museum, landmark, exhibition, enterprise, etc.; a trip, a walk for educational, scientific, sports or entertainment purposes. The display of objects takes place under the guidance of a qualified specialist - a guide, who conveys to the audience a vision of the object, an assessment of the memorable place, and an understanding of the historical event associated with this object. Excursions can be either an independent activity or part of a package of tourist services. (Wikipedia):

technological map of the excursion- a technological document defining the logical sequence of sightseeing along the route. (from GOST R 50681-94.)

Tour operating is a type of tourism business that packages tours from services offered by partner service provider organizations (transport companies, hotel companies, excursion, entertainment enterprises, etc.). However, in reality, tour operating is much broader and involves providing tourists with both basic (tour package) and additional (consumed on the spot for cash) services.

The development of tourism within the country, including domestic and inbound tourism, is impossible without the development of domestic tour operating. There are two models of tour operating on the market - proactive and receptive. Initiative tour rating is tour rating at departure, receptive - at reception. In a general sense, both types of entrepreneurial activity in the tourism market are defined as the activities of tour operators, i.e. activities to complete the tourism product. However, despite the general similarity of the activities of proactive and receptive tour rating, there are still significant differences.

Sending tourists abroad, an enterprising tour operator forms its tourism product from a set of services of receptive tour operators at reception in the countries visited, transport, visa, insurance and some other services. The service infrastructure for its consumers is created by service providers.

The tourism product (tour) consists mainly of transportation, accommodation and entertainment. Aviation, sea, railway, automobile companies, as well as hotels and other accommodation facilities, work to produce the tourism product. museum and excursion business, places of mass entertainment, sports, resort organizations, etc. Manufacturers of tourism products - tour operators (TOs) sell their products both directly to the buyer and indirectly - through travel agents (TA). (see diagram in Fig. 1).

A tour operator is a travel company (organization) engaged in arranging tours under contracts with service providers and in accordance with the needs of tourists. A tour operator is a manufacturer of a tourist package. He is engaged in the development of tourist routes and tour packages; ensures their functioning, organizes advertising, calculates prices for tours on these routes, sells tours directly to tourists or through the intermediary of travel agencies. The tour operator provides tourists with a variety of choice of tourist services and at the same time simplifies the ordering of services in other cities and localities, taking on these functions.

The functions of a tour operator in the market can be compared with the activities of a wholesale trade enterprise: it purchases large volumes of services from hotels, transport and other tourism industry enterprises and combines them with its own tour programs, which it sells through travel agencies or directly to the consumer (tourist).

Figure 1 shows a diagram of the formation of a tour (tour package) and its implementation.

The functions of the tour operator are:

1. Studying the needs of potential tourists for tours and tourism programs.

2. Drawing up promising service programs, tours and testing them on the market in order to identify compliance with the needs of tourists.

3. Interaction with service providers for tours on a contractual basis, with:

Hotels - to provide tourists with accommodation;

Catering establishments - providing food to tourists;

Transport enterprises, firms and companies - to provide transport services to tourists;

Excursion companies, museums, exhibition halls, parks and other institutions - to provide excursion services to tourists;

Firms providing various household services - for appropriate services to tourists;

The administration of sports facilities - on the opportunity for tourists to use sports facilities;

Managers of shows, cinema, video, theatrical enterprises - for tourists to visit them;

Directorates of nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, gardening, hunting and fishing farms - in order to provide tourists with recreation and services in such areas;

1.1 Tour content

As already said, " package of services"is one of two components tour, which in its content, functional and quality properties should satisfy the traveling tourist. The first component of the tour is tourist route, which plays a big role in giving it the necessary attractiveness, satisfying the dreams, wishes and interests of tourists.

Package of services– this is the second component of the tour, which in its content, functional and quality properties should satisfy the traveling tourist. Service packages can have a wide variety of options depending on the quantity, functional properties and quality of the services included in them. A typical package model is a complex that includes accommodation, meeting and sending services, meals and excursions (see Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Components of the service package.

Based on the interests of tourists, availability of free time and financial capabilities, tour operator companies should present various tour options, for example:

Tours of various durations (7, 10, 14 and other number of days);

Tours with different services (bed plus breakfast, half board, full board, "all inclusive");

Tours of various classes (accommodation in hotels of various classes);

- various excursion options;

Tours at different times of the year (seasonal, off-season, off-season travel).

Technological documents of the tour are regulated by GOST R 50681-94.

In table 1 shows the priorities of tourists depending on age.

Tour development is complex and labor-intensive process, since during the development process it is necessary to take into account many little things in order to ultimately develop and put into operation a competitive tour.

The tour development technology includes 18 main stages, including:

- tourist and excursion service program: days of service, list of excursion topics, duration of excursions;

Route map;

Reference materials along the route.

If the tour operator does not have its own excursion department, then an agreement is concluded with excursion company, which includes the following items:

Name and duration of excursions, method of transportation (bus, pedestrian, motor ship, etc.);

Prices for excursions;

Number of tourists in the group on each excursion

Financial liability for the failure of the excursion (the fault of the excursion company or tour operator).

Agreement with the museum. The agreement with the museum includes:

Options for excursions and their topics;

Number of excursionists in the group;

Prices for excursions (differentiated - for group and individual, by age, etc.);

Discounts for group visits to the museum;

Deadlines for submitting applications for excursions;

Deadlines for cancellation of applications;

Financial liability for disruption of a museum excursion due to the fault of one of the partners, etc.

We should not forget about additional services, i.e. about those that are not included in the tour package. They are provided to tourists on site for an additional fee. These are usually specific excursions, show, sea, mountain or river walks, visiting water parks, national parks and nature reserves, safaris in the mountains and deserts, hunting, fishing and much more. Contracts are drawn up with enterprises providing these services separate contracts in order to provide them to tourists and obtain preferential prices by purchasing tickets for a group visit.

Table 1. Tourist priorities depending on age

Place of priority	Young single people	Young single couples	Married couples with children	Average age (45 years –	Third age (over 64 years old)
	Visiting bars, clubs, discos	Passive rest	Holidays with family	Excursions	Excursions
	Sunbathing	Gastronomy	Passive rest	Passive rest	Trips to nature
	Excursions	Excursions	Excursions	Trips to nature	Gastronomy
	Passive rest	Holidays with a partner	Sunbathing	Gastronomy	Passive rest
	Trips to nature	Sunbathing	Gastronomy	Trips to nature	Holidays with partner/friends

2. EXCURSION PROGRAMS.

The concept and essence of the excursion. Excursion preparation technology. Technological map of the excursion

The modern tourist market requires a new approach to organizing excursion activities as one of the main components of the tourist product. Tour operators creating an excursion product as a package of services must have their own original brand, take into account consumer demand and differentiation of services. (B.V. Emelyanov)

The birth of new tourist routes leads to the emergence of new excursion sites and a variety of tourist products.

It is obvious that the excursion program is one of the important components of the “tourist product” and represents a visual process of a person’s knowledge of the world around him. The impression of the country we are visiting depends on how well it is compiled and at what level the excursions are conducted. In other words, excursion is the main component of the tour, its core. Only difficult sports trips and a few specialized tours, such as hunting and fishing, can do without it. When organizing other types of tourism - cultural, archaeological, botanical, scientific, environmental, contemplative, religious, educational, training - excursions are necessarily included in the travel program.

According to the classification of B.V. Emelyanov, excursions are classified:

- review(multifaceted), thematic, educational and advertising . Overview The excursion is usually multi-themed, using historical and modern material. It is built on the display of various objects - historical and cultural monuments, buildings and structures, natural objects, places of famous events, elements of city improvement, industrial and agricultural enterprises, etc. sightseeing tours events are presented in close-up. This gives general idea about the city, region, region, republic, state as a whole. The chronological framework of such an excursion is the period of existence of the city from the first mention of it to the present day and development prospects.

Thematic the excursion is devoted to the disclosure of one topic, and the process of perception of objects by excursionists is subordinated to the task of its disclosure. Thematic excursions are divided into historical (historical and local history, archaeological, ethnographic, military-historical, historical-biographical, excursions to historical museums); production (production-historical, production-economic, production-technical, vocational guidance for students); natural history or environmental; art history (historical and theatrical, historical and musical, on folk arts and crafts, on the places of life and work of cultural figures, in art galleries and exhibition halls, museums, in the workshops of artists and sculptors); literary (literary-biographical, historical-literary, literary-artistic); architectural and urban planning (with display of architectural buildings of this city related to the display of architectural monuments of a certain historical period, giving an idea of ​​the work of one architect, introducing the layout and development of cities according to master plans, demonstrating examples of modern architecture, excursions to new buildings).

Educational the excursion is considered as a form of educational work for various groups of excursionists (excursion-consultation, excursion-demonstration, excursion-lesson, educational excursion for a special audience)

2. By composition and number of participants divided into individual, collective, for local population, visiting tourists, adults and schoolchildren, etc., taking into account the peculiarities of perception.

3. By venue: urban, suburban, industrial, museum, complex.

4. By method of transportation: pedestrian and transport, consisting of two parts: analysis of excursion objects at stops and narration along the way of material related to the characteristics of monuments and memorable places that the group passes by.

5. By duration.

6. According to the form of conduct: excursion-extras, excursion-walk, excursion-lecture (the story prevails over the show), excursion-concert dedicated to a musical theme with listening to musical works, excursion-performance based on specific works of fiction, etc.

Currently, the majority of tourists use group excursions. There are certain requirements for excursions. The main requirement for any excursion is that it must be conducted by a highly qualified guide who has a license issued by the country's tourism authorities.

The quality of the excursion program, in addition to the professionalism of the guide, depends on many factors (intensity of traffic near the display objects, the possibility of parking a bus or car near the display object, weather, operating hours of excursion objects, the organization of tourists), which the tourist operator must take into account.

It is worth noting that the main competitive advantages of educational tours are the originality, content and quality of execution of excursion programs in their composition.

Recently it has become increasingly popular individual tourism. Tourists can order individual excursions. Consequently, excursion services are both an independent activity and part of a range of tourist services.

Preparation process new excursion includes:

Defining a theme

Setting the goals of the excursion,

Study and selection of excursion objects,

Compilation excursion route,

Studying literary sources on the topic of excursions, exhibitions and museum collections,

Consultations with specialists,

Writing a control text for the excursion,

Picking « guide's briefcase»,

Selection of methodological techniques for conducting an excursion,

Drawing up a technological map of the excursion.

Stage 1: Determining the purpose and objectives of the excursion (inbound tourism).

The purposes of the excursion may be:

Showcasing the city’s achievements in the country’s economy

Showcasing the historical role of the city

Getting to know the work of an outstanding architect

Getting to know the natural features of the region

Expanding your horizons

Obtaining additional knowledge in various fields of science and culture.

Goals and objectives determine the final selection of excursion objects, the excursion route, the content of the excursion story, the selection of visual aids from the “guide’s portfolio,” the emotional mood of the excursion and its individual parts.

Stage 2: Selecting the topic of the excursion.

The choice of topic depends on potential demand, a specific order or the purposeful creation of a specific topic for the excursion. Each excursion must have its own clearly defined theme (see classification according to B.V. Emelyanov).

General requirements for excursion name the following are considered: individuality, accuracy, imagery, ease of memorization and reproduction, euphony, absence of negative associations, meaningful meaning

Stage 3: Selection of literature and compilation of bibliography.

During the development of a new excursion, a list of Internet resources, books, brochures, articles published in newspapers and magazines that explore the topic is compiled.

Other sources may also be used. The author of the excursion compiles a list of them, which includes state archives, museums, newsreels, documentaries and popular science films, which contain materials on the topic of the excursion. Memories of participants and eyewitnesses of historical events can be used as a source. At the same time, only reliable, carefully verified facts and information should be selected for the story.

Stage 4: Selection and study of excursion objects.

The display of objects, as already noted, is the part that occupies a dominant position in the excursion. The correct selection of objects, their quantity, and the sequence of display influence the quality of the excursion.

The objects can be:

Memorable places, related to historical events in the life of our people, the development of society and the state (for example, Kulikovo Field, Borodino, places of the Battle of Kursk).

Buildings and structures, memorial monuments related to the life and work of outstanding personalities, works of architecture and urban planning, residential and public buildings, industrial buildings, engineering structures (fortresses, bridges, towers), mausoleums, cultural buildings and other buildings.

Natural objects– forests, groves, parks, rivers, lakes, ponds, nature reserves and sanctuaries, as well as individual trees and relict plants.

Expositions of state and folk museums, art galleries, permanent and temporary exhibitions

Archaeological monuments - fortifications, ancient sites, settlements, mounds with burials, earthworks, roads, mine workings, corrals, sanctuaries, canals.

Monuments of art - works of fine, decorative and applied art, sculpture, landscape gardening and other art.

Excursion objects are classified:

By functional purpose - the main ones, which serve as the basis for the disclosure of subtopics, and additional ones, shown during transitions between the main objects during logical transitions in the story.

According to the degree of preservation - completely preserved, surviving to this day with significant changes, partially preserved, lost.

Stage 5: Drawing up the excursion route.

The excursion route is the most convenient route for the excursion group to follow, facilitating the development of the topic. It is built depending on the most correct sequence of inspection of objects for a given excursion, the availability of sites for the group, and the need to ensure the safety of excursionists. One of the objectives of the route is to contribute to the most complete disclosure of the topic.

The main requirements that must be taken into account by the compilers of the route are the organization of display of objects in a logical sequence and the provision of a visual basis for revealing the topic.

In the practice of excursion agencies, there are three options for constructing routes:

Chronological. An example of a chronological route would be excursions dedicated to the life and work of outstanding people;

Thematic. According to the thematic principle of building an excursion, we can note excursions related to the disclosure of a specific topic in the life of the city;

Thematic and chronological. All city sightseeing tours are structured according to a thematic and chronological principle.

Route development is a complex multi-stage procedure that requires fairly high qualifications and is one of the main elements of the technology for creating a new excursion. The route is built on the principle of the most correct sequence of inspection of objects and is planned taking into account the following requirements:

The display of objects should be carried out in a certain logical sequence, avoiding unnecessary repeated passages along the same section of the route

Availability of the object

Moving or transitioning between objects should not take 10-15 minutes, so that there are no too long pauses in show and tell

Availability of well-equipped stops, including sanitary stops, and parking areas for vehicles.

The development of the route ends with the drawing up of a diagram of the excursion route with the names of all the streets and squares that the group should follow, with the objects of display marked on it and the places where the excursionists get off the bus, with instructions on which sections of the excursion are considered.

Stage 6: Completing the “Tour Guide Portfolio”.

“The guide's briefcase” is a set of visual aids for the excursion, which should complement and restore the missing links of the visual series. This is especially important in cases where the objects on display have come to us in a modified form or have not been preserved at all. Then photographs, drawings, drawings will help restore the original appearance of the object.

The “guide’s portfolio” includes: photographs of people related to the topic of the excursion, reproductions of paintings, geographic Maps, maps depicting, for example, military events, samples of industrial products, herbarium sheets, geological samples, tape recordings and other illustrative material that helps to saturate the excursion with visual images.

Stage 7: Determining the excursion technique

The excursion technique combines all organizational issues of the excursion process. At this stage, it is important to formulate recommendations: on the use of pauses in the excursion; on compliance with the time allotted for covering subtopics; organizing answers to tourists’ questions; about the technique of using the “portfolio” exhibits and more. No less important are the instructions about the place of the guide when showing objects, guiding the independent work of excursionists along the route, and conducting a story while the bus is moving.

The final document of the excursion is the technological map of the excursion, which is the main document that is required for voluntary certification of a tourist excursion organization that claims to conduct excursion activities.

The technological map of the excursion is drawn up at the end of the creative process of creating an excursion, before its last stage - delivery admissions committee during a trial tour. It indicates the topic, purpose, objectives, the optimal route, its length and duration, objects of display, stopping places, subtopics, organizational and methodological instructions, methodological techniques of showing and telling that the guide should use in his story. The technological map shows how to more effectively convey the content of the excursion to tourists at specific sites. Its purpose is to show the guide the right path to achieving a positive result during the excursion.

3. SAFETY ISSUES

IN TOURIST AND EXCURSION ACTIVITIES

The requirements for the service quality system are established in the main provisions of GOST R 50691-94 “Model for ensuring the quality of services”.

Important indicators of the quality of a tourism product are the guarantee of safety and the provision of prepaid services.

Requirements to ensure the safety of tourists and excursionists are developed in GOST R 50644-94 and must be taken into account when developing excursion programs for tourist routes.

Measures to ensure the safety of tourists carried out by subjects of the tourism industry are:

1) providing tourists (excursionists) with comprehensive information about the features of the tour, as well as about the dangers that they may encounter during the trip (excursion);

3) reconnaissance and equipment of tourist routes;

4) logistical and medical support for tourists (excursionists) in the process of preparing and conducting a trip (excursion);

5) providing assistance in organizing and conducting emergency rescue operations;

6) instructing tourists (excursionists) on methods of protection from injuries and accidents, providing first aid medical care;

7) development of instructions for tourists (excursionists) in accordance with the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation;

8) verification and control of physical, tactical, technical, special training of tourists (tourists), travel organizers, leaders of trips to travel (excursions), trips along tourist routes, competitions and other tourist events when organizing sports tourism;

9) other measures to ensure the safety of tourists, developed independently.

It seems to me that special attention should be paid to transport transportation tourists during excursions, which must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the current rules of passenger transportation on specific types of transport (road, water, etc.).

The decision to organize an excursion is always associated with the choice of vehicle. After all, you should not only conveniently accommodate the tourist group, ensure maximum comfort and safety of the trip participants during the trip, but also take care of the possibility of providing the group with excursion material along the way, and ensure cooperation with the guide group. Naturally, the ideal mode of transport in this case is the bus.

The capacity of the bus allows you to organize an excursion for the optimal group of tourists, ensure both the effective work of the guide during the move, and the availability of a convenient overview of the route for the trip participants. Equipping the bus interior with comfortable seats, air conditioning, video and audio systems ensures that excursionists have a pleasant time during the trip. Also, thanks to its mobility, the bus allows you to deliver a tourist group to excursion sites, moving from one to another, when combining transfers with walking excursions.

Ordering a bus for an excursion is a fairly popular service. Except listed benefits of this vehicle, an excursion on a booked bus is a journey along an individual route agreed with the customer. Coordination of the route with the organizers of the excursion allows for a wider use of the tourism potential of the chosen destination, and therefore maximally meets the customer’s expectations. If the planned excursion trip takes a long time, choosing a custom bus also allows the customer to decide on the places and times of parking, rest stops, and, if necessary, makes it possible to make stops on demand. Therefore, bus transportation for excursion groups is very often used when organizing excursions for children.

The bus is also ideal for excursions vehicle for transporting luggage of a tourist group. In the trunks of the bus it is easy to place not only the belongings of the travel participants, food and a supply of drinking water, but also, if necessary, camping equipment, equipment for organizing road picnics, and setting up a camp. The bus rented for organizing an excursion trip is provided with the necessary list of regulatory accompanying documents.

Excursion buses, plying along difficult routes (mountainous terrain, for example), must be equipped with special engines and a braking system that ensure maximum safety when transporting tourists.

It is also important that motor transport enterprises providing such transport services have the appropriate license for passenger transportation, as well as certificates of conformity: for work (services) for the maintenance and repair of vehicles and for passenger transportation.

CONCLUSION

As you can see, the excursion is one of the main elements in the structure of the tour. Excursion programs can be very diverse in their topics.

Our country has everything necessary - a huge territory, a rich historical and cultural heritage, and in some regions - untouched, wild nature, in order to develop the tourism industry.

The historical and cultural heritage of Russia is the most important competitive advantage of the country's tourism industry. Travel for cultural and educational purposes accounts for about 20 percent of the domestic tourist flow. In 2009, the number of tourists traveling for cultural and educational purposes was about 7.1 million people.

But there are also problems. The main factors constraining the growth of domestic and inbound tourist flows are:

Poorly developed, and in some regions, absent engineering infrastructure (including power supply networks, water supply, transport networks, wastewater treatment plants, berths, marinas, dredging and shore protection), which is an obstacle to attracting private investment in the tourism sector;

Low level of development tourism infrastructure(inadequacy, and in some regions the absence of tourist-class accommodation and leisure facilities, the unsatisfactory condition of many tourist attractions, the lack of high-quality roadside infrastructure on almost all highways in the country);

Low quality of service in all sectors of the tourism industry due to a lack of professional personnel;

Insufficient promotion of Russia as an attractive destination for tourists, due to the low level of budget funding.

The Russian government approved the concept of the Federal Target Program "Development of Domestic and Inbound Tourism" for 2011-2016.

The Russian government has decided to increase the flow of tourists into the country from abroad. Almost 352 billion rubles will be allocated for these purposes in the next 5 years. The money will be used primarily to modernize infrastructure, train staff and improve their skills, as well as launch a powerful advertising campaign abroad. Due to these measures, it is planned to increase the incoming tourist flow to 40 million tourists, those. 20 times (!!!).

However, tour operators involved in the inbound tourism segment note a number of more pressing problems, without solving which there will be no increase in tourist flow.

According to Russian tour operators, there are problems that have long been the “Achilles heel” of Russian tourism reality, and they cannot be solved with the help of one advertising campaign, albeit a very expensive one. We have a number of problems that do not allow us to increase the number of foreign tourists. For example, this is an expensive visa, problems with tourism infrastructure and the lack of basic information about our country from foreign travel agencies. All these problems must be solved comprehensively, since individually this will only lead to even greater complications.

Bibliography

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	G. P. Dolzhenko. Excursion business. Moscow. Publishing center MarT. 2006
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	Rubanik A. N., Ushakov D. S. Technology of incoming tourism. Tutorial. Moscow. Publishing center "MarT". 2010
	GOST R 50690-2000. Tourist services. General requirements
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	GOST R 50681 Tourist and excursion services. Design of tourist services
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