Scientists of Altai State University identify the most comfortable territories for health tourism in Altai Krai

4 February 2021 Department of Information and Media Communications
Scientists from the Institute of Geography of Altai State University obtained a number of interesting results in the course of a comprehensive study of Altai Krai's climatic conditions comfortable for tourism.

One of the research components is the study of the trends of observed regional climate changes and frequency of weather and climatic extremes, which is carried out by scientists and specialists of the Department of Physical Geography and Geographic Information Systems of Altai State University. Another research direction is being implemented within the framework of the project "Development of theoretical and methodological foundations for the territorial development of health tourism and the mechanism of its management as part of the natural and social system of Altai Krai" under the leadership of Director of the Institute of Geography of Altai State University Alexander Dunetz and supported by a grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research.

“The current climatic changes, associated with the increasing frequency of significant drops in air temperature and precipitation, concern not only Altai Krai and Siberia, but are also a global problem,” emphasized Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Geography and Geographic Information Systems, Candidate of Geographical Sciences Natalia Kharlamova. “In particular, the studies of the regional climate, which we have been conducting for over 20 years, confirm the data of the world climate centers that the planet is increasingly experiencing extreme weather and climate changes, accompanied by the occurrence of severe and especially dangerous weather phenomena. If not long ago scientists were often skeptical about such conclusions, nowadays such facts are a global trend.”

According to AltSU's scientists, currently, in many countries, a rather promising and relevant format of tourism is actively developing - medical and health tourism, which was partly facilitated by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The development and scaling of this direction of tourism is very important for Altai Krai due to the specifics and features of the unique climate of the region - the most comfortable and favorable both within the Siberian Federal District and throughout the vast territory beyond the Urals.

“We are working on the assessment of the natural resources of Altai Krai in order to identify resort and health-improving destinations as places of visit that attract tourists with their specific and most comfortable and healthy natural and recreational resources.

These are targeted studies, where one of the main factors is climate, as well as the duration of the comfortable tourist season and the long-term dynamics of its recurrence. All this is also necessary for the economic assessment of the feasibility of developing certain tourist destinations in specific territories, identifying the specifics of the needs of the population, etc. Thus, our research is not only of scientific interest, but very important for planning and taking into account in the development of a number of strategic directions of the regional economy," Natalya Kharlamova clarifies.

According to scientists, the study of natural conditions and resources of territories for the development of health tourism in the region has already brought interesting results. In particular, comprehensive climatic studies have confirmed that the Belokurikha destination is the most comfortable within Altai Krai. New results were obtained in the foothill-low-mountain zone of the Salair Ridge, in particular, in the vicinity of Togul and Tyagun, where there are quite comfortable conditions for recreation in the cold season. At the same time, in some areas of Kulunda, the frequency of occurrence has increased with relatively severe weather and climatic conditions in the summer, which should be considered when choosing a place for rest, guided by doctors’ recommendations.

Scientists of the Institute of Geography of Altai State University are carrying on a comprehensive and in-depth study of the territory of Altai Krai to identify the most favorable areas for tourism and recreation, and, in particular, health tourism.

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