SPECIAL FEATURES OF TOURIST MAPMAKING IN RUSSIA

A.V. Chernishev, M.O. Chernicheva

MSU, Geography Dept., Moscow, Russia

acher@geogr.msu.ru

 

Tourist mapmaking can be hold on three different administrative levels. For example thematic tourists maps on the territory of Russia can present the whole territory of Russia (a federal level); districts and subjects of the Russian Federation; small territories that possess recreation and tourist resources (a local level).

The key ideas and peculiarities of the tourist maps contents are defined by part of their users. Those are the following: actually tourists, tour operators and authors of tourist routes, investors, experts in sphere of tourist industry and geographical sciences; administration of various regional levels.

For all groups of tourist maps consumers of it is possible to define the basic thematic directions of mapping that should be listed:

  • tourist routes ( automobile, by foot, sea and river, etc.);
  • cultural tourism
  • ecological tourism
  • international tourism;
  • economic and geographical aspects of tourism;
  • cadastre of  recreational resources
  • formation tourist image of territories
  • estimation of region recreational potential
  • tourism infrastructure
  • law aspects of tourism
  • evaluation of "risks" of tourist activity.

Peculiarities of mapping in those thematic directions are shown in criteria estimation of elements for map contents elements, for selection and use of information sources, development of maps symbol systems and legends and etc.

The greatest variety of the cartographic products containing the data that can be qualified as tourist cartographic materials is obtained at the local territorial level. A special role there belongs to such factors as:

·         popularity of some territories for tourists (those areas are traditionally known as recreation regions),

·         tourist infrastructure,

·         sufficient quantity of information necessary sources on these places that also provide

·         opportunities of local recreational research (by scientists, experts or even by enthusiasts.

Further we shall note, that tourism subjects take great part in the Internet. And as a rule there are the highly developed and well structured websites displaying (in a full mode) both components of tourist sphere and concrete territories.

So we can suppose that the problem solution of the information support for tourism can be found by making tourist maps more popular and by involving into cartographic process more interactive Internet projects including online publications and IT technologies.

Such publications completed by paper editions and other materials can serve a unique source for compiling various tourist maps and atlases at higher levels. From the point of geoinformatic modelling that can be applied in this thematic field it is necessary to note an creation opportunity of specific cartographic multimedia projects including the elements of GIS (Geographic information systems). Those subjects can be positioned as a method of creation and use multimedia technologies that serve cartographic systems in tourist sphere.