Domestic Tourism as a Conductor for the Russian Identity Development

Introduction. The post-Soviet period in Russia has put the term “Soviet people” that was established in previous times out of the equation. Meanwhile, more than 190 ethnic groups with a common historical experience live on the territory of the Russian Federation, where the cultural diversity of peoples preserved for centuries is multiplied by common spiritual values that form a civil identity. In this regard, in order to achieve terminological literacy in the case of the uniqueness of the Russian state, it is legitimate to speak of the Russian people as a single nation. This issue was clearly posed more than 20 years ago by the speech of President Putin at a meeting on interethnic and interfaith relations in Cheboksary on 05.02.2004: “We have reason to speak of the Russian people as a single nation. Our ancestors did a lot so that we could feel this unity”¹.

In this regard, in order to achieve terminological correctness, it is necessary to dwell on the applicability of the concepts of “multiculturalism” and “inculturalism” in relation to Russian reality. The term “multiculturalism” was introduced in the 60s of the last century in Canada as an Anglo-French country to prevent separatist sentiments. Since 1971, multiculturalism has become the basis of state policy aimed primarily at easing tensions between the Englishspeaking and French-speaking populations of the country. The ideology of multiculturalism consisted in accepting the equality of various cultures and the rights of different cultural groups to their development within the framework of their traditions, customs and language within a single state space. Subsequently, there were attempts to introduce a multicultural model in a number of other countries (Australia, England, Germany, the USA, the Netherlands, Sweden, etc.), which was dictated by the economic need to attract migrant labor to the countries.

However, if in Canada and Australia the concept of multiculturalism turned out to be a fairly acceptable strategy in public policy, then by 2010 in other countries the challenges associated with the isolation of cultural groups from each other and the increase in social tension in society became increasingly apparent [1, pp. 108–109]. It is replaced by an understanding of the significance of the concept of “enculturation”, introduced by the American anthropologist Melville Herskovits in 1948. The main message defended by the author, which is reflected in the term itself, is the inadequacy of the process of socialization of the individual in society; adaptive integration into cultural codes characteristic of a specific environment is necessary [2]. Enculturation involves maintaining one’s own ethnic uniqueness while simultaneously immersing oneself in new cultural conditions, which is especially important in migration processes.

Until now, debates are being held in scientific communities of different countries on the issues of the contradiction of multiculturalism and inculturality. In Russia, with its thousand-year state history, such a confrontation practically did not exist. This gives the authors of the article grounds for asserting that Russia has a unique model of social structure, where to discuss multiculturalism or inculturalism separately means to consider a number of aspects and details (in imitation of new-fangled Western approaches) with the loss of integrity and systematicity of scientific research. In Russia, over the centuries, a special identity has been formed, uniting various cultures, traditions and ethnic groups. This special attitude was very accurately expressed by Empress Catherine the Great, who said: “Russia has preserved as many peoples as it has accepted”.

It is also incorrect to say that multiculturalism and inculturalism in the context of Russia can be considered as complementary processes. The principle of complementarity formulated by Bohr in quantum physics emphasizes the complementarity of processes occurring with the same object, but in different specific situations. In Russia, cultural diversity is combined with common civil and spiritual values within a single integrity. Such a unique synthesis has historically been formed over the centuries on the basis of the positive complementarity of the Russian people [3, 4] — from the passionarity of tsars and princes to the good nature and receptive interest of commoners in the cultural features of other ethnic groups, which played a decisive role in strengthening the state and expanding its borders.

It should be noted that this synthesis, this spiritual fusion, is quite stable, as confirmed by the events related to the special military operation. However, the greatest tragedy of Ukraine is unfolding in parallel, having become a bargaining chip in the games of Western states with the cultivation of outright Russophobia. This poses the task of not only relying on the positive legacy of the thousand-year history of Russian statehood, but also not forgetting that if today we can hope for some leveling in the defense of the globalist program in connection with the arrival of a new government in the United States, then it is not a fact that the disappearance of nation-states and their complete subordination to transnational governance, as predicted in Alvin Toffler’s work “The Third Wave” [5, 6], will not be remembered in the near future.

Therefore, the activity in the direction of nation-building in our country remains one of the most important tasks of the national security of the state. Dangerous tendencies of external influence “to destroy internal unity, inspire and radicalize the protest movement, support marginal groups and split Russian society remain. Indirect methods aimed at provoking long-term instability within the Russian Federation are being used more and more actively”². Therefore, all possible ways to strengthen “traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, preserving the cultural and historical heritage of the people of Russia”³ (emphasis added) must be constantly in the spotlight.

It is characteristic that the National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation defines the people of Russia as a single nation as the main subject of consideration. The purpose of this article is to explicate the contribution of the national project “Tourism and Hospitality” to the strengthening and development of Russian identity as a single people of Russia.

Materials and Methods. The study was conducted based on sources including regulatory and legal acts of the Russian Federation, data from the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation. Information articles from the website of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation dedicated to the National Project of the Russian Federation “Tourism and Hospitality”, websites “National Projects”, “Association of Tour Operators” were studied. Scientific works of domestic and foreign researchers in the problematic field of national identity, intercultural communication, and tourism development were also studied.

The research methodology is based on historical-philosophical, sociological and political science concepts using the dialectical method, system approach, structural and functional analysis, which allows us to explicate the role of tourism as a significant factor in the development of Russian identity. The use of the principle of historicism allows us to consider the stages of the formation of the national tourism project.

Results. First of all, it is necessary to dwell on the difference between state programs, federal projects and national projects proper, the designation of which was made quite recently in 2020.

Despite the successful development of the market economy in Russia, state regulation and state support of the most important sectors of the economy have acquired a major role in recent decades. The basis of public administration is strategic planning of the country’s socio-economic development.

In the difficult 90s for the Russian reality, the Federal Law of July 20, 1995 No. 115-FZ “On state forecasting and programs for the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation⁴ was adopted, which lost its force in connection with the adoption of the law “On strategic planning in the Russian Federation»” (2014)⁵, which restores the lost priorities of the planned approach to the development of the economy, socio- and technosphere in the country.

The tourism and hospitality industries are in this row. Even before the pandemic period and the aggravation of the political situation in the world, in the List of instructions of the President of the Russian Federation following the meeting of the Presidium of the State Council held on August 17, 2015⁶, the Government is delegated to develop amendments and introduce them into the Federal Law of November 24, 1996 No. 132-FE “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activity in the Russian Federation”⁷. The task is to reformat the emphasis on activating the development of domestic and inbound tourism. In accordance with this instruction, the Concept of the federal target program “Development of Domestic and Inbound Tourism in the Russian Federation (2019–2025)⁸ was developed and approved. Based on the Concept, the Strategy for the Development of Tourism in the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2035 was developed, adopted by the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of September 20, 2019 No. 2129-p⁹.

The Strategy¹⁰ places emphasis on the development of domestic tourism for Russian citizens, with their reorientation from outbound tourism to travel across the vast territory of their own homeland with the accompanying economic effect, which will undoubtedly contribute to increasing the contribution of tourism to the country’s GDP. It is clear that the implementation of this goal of the Strategy lies in the fact that in addition to raising the level of popular tourist centers, an incentive is given to transform unique topoi, which the country is extremely rich in, into new places of attraction for tourist flows.

And here, as it seems to us, is a very important point! We are dealing not simply with slogans about the fraternal union of the peoples inhabiting our country, but also opening up opportunities for direct acquaintance of Russian citizens with all the diversity and at the same time unity of spiritual and moral values with historical and national-cultural traditions of ethnic groups. Such interpenetration contributes to the prevalence of a sense of internationalism, patriotism and pride in the greatness of their homeland.

State regulation in the Russian Federation is carried out through the adoption of the following regulatory legal acts: Decree of the President → Concept → Strategy → Forecast → State Program → Federal or Regional Project. Meanwhile, since 2020, national projects have acquired special significance. Compared with state programs, federal projects, despite their importance, the introduction of national projects into the regulation of state activities means their higher complexity and greater significance at the national level. For the first time, national goals and strategic objectives were systematically and clearly set out in the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 07.05.2018 No. 204 “On national goals and strategic objectives for the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024¹¹ with an extension in the Decree of July 21, 2020 No. 474 “On national goals for the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030”¹², in which, however, there was no direct mention of tourism development.

Since 2018, national projects of federal scale have been developed in three areas — “Human Capital”, “Comfortable Living Environment” and “Economic Growth”. Speaking about economic growth, it is impossible to underestimate the contribution of the tourism industry to the country’s GDP. In Russia, the tourism sector, as noted in the Resolution of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation dated 02.12.2020 No. 546-SF “On the Development of Domestic Tourism in the Russian Federation”, stimulates the growth of “more than 50 other sectors of the economy, directly creates at least 2.5 million jobs, and taking into account related industries — about 7 million jobs”¹³.

This document raises the issue of active development of a national project in the field of tourism, which was already determined at that time by the Instruction given by the President of the country to the National Tourism Agency (Rostourism). The Resolution defines specific issues that are subject to development when including them in the content of the national project, and also sets the task of improving the regulatory framework for the industry. In 2021, after the pandemic period, which negatively affected the development of tourism, another area was included in the list of national projects — “Tourism and the hospitality industry”. Since 2022, after the abolition of Rostourism, the powers to develop the project have been transferred to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. But by this time, the structure of the national project had already been proposed, including three federal projects “Development of tourism infrastructure”, “Increasing the availability of tourism products”, “Improving tourism management”. Currently, the Coordinating body of the national project “Tourism and Hospitality” is the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Development of Tourism Infrastructure.

The incentive for the implementation of projects is the provision of state monetary investments. Thus, the project “Development of tourism infrastructure” provides for:

1) preferential loans for the construction and reconstruction of hotels and sanatoriums with a clear specification of the terms of obtaining a loan;

2) grants for the development of tourism projects in the region (through an application to the local administration);

3) subsidies for the creation of modular hotels (for the purchase and installation of modular non-capital accommodation facilities) with a specification of the terms of obtaining a loan;

4) construction of infrastructure for tourist clusters¹⁴.

In 2021, 29.9 billion rubles were allocated for the Federal Program “Development of Tourism Infrastructure”, in 2022 — 38.8 billion rubles, in 2023 — 41.9 billion rubles, in 2024 — 41.8 billion rubles¹⁵.

In the President’s Address to the Federal Assembly on February 29, 2024, attention was paid to the development of tourism in the country and forecasting a twofold increase in tourist flow by 2030, and a contribution of the tourism industry to the gross domestic product of up to 5%¹⁶. Already in 2022, the task was set to develop a master plan for the development of tourism in the Russian Federation. A master plan is an urban development document of longterm strategic planning that defines the concept of future development of the territory. That is, the coordination and synchronization of the tourism development strategy and the spatial development strategy of the Russian Federation is obvious. Because the master plan includes not only architectural solutions, but also socio-economic, environmental, etc. And reliance on spatial planning allows us to take into account the natural, historical, cultural and infrastructural features of the territories, including those that have sufficient potential, but the tourism industry has not been properly developed. Two levels of the master plan for tourism development were assumed — Federal, which covers all constituent entities of the Russian Federation; macro-regional — with the unification of “12 macro-regions, or main tourist brands, which accumulate 80% of tourist demand” [7].

In 2024, the National Project “Tourism and Hospitality Industry” was finally announced for the period of 2024–2030 with an adjustment of the name. The structure of the updated national project “Tourism and Hospitality” will include 5 federal projects:

1. “Creation of hotel rooms, infrastructure and points of attraction”.

2. “5 seas and Lake Baikal”.

3. “Production of domestic products for the tourism industry”.

4. “Tourist attractiveness of the country”.

5. “Personnel for tourism” [9].

Discussion and Conclusion. The authors [8] note: “Turning to the national policy of the USSR era, it should be noted that generations of Soviet people <…> lived by the rules of mutual respect, religious tolerance, and participation. <…> Most people living in this vast country did not suffer from xenophobia. <…> After the collapse of the USSR, this established national identity of the “Soviet people” was gradually lost, and its replacement in the Russian Federation had not been created by 2017.” [8, p. 104]. Today, many researchers point out that globalization and the spread of digital technologies create new challenges that may threaten the unity of Russia’s multinational population [10–14]. The country’s youth, who actively consume global content, are particularly targeted, under the influence of which the connection with national traditions, languages, and customs may weaken [12].

It should be said, and the events of recent years serve as evidence of this: the peoples of the country are immeasurably more connected by a common destiny, which determines the basis for the assertion of their civil identity, which has not been lost to this day. We share the opinion of the authors that “after 1991, during the period of post-Soviet transformation, significant changes occurred in society. Russian society experienced a change from a collectivist culture to an individualistic one. Nevertheless, in the sphere of spirituality and values, changes are slower, and a complete reorientation in the value system of Russians has not occurred” [10, p. 9]. The authors [8, 12] propose certain areas of activity in the sphere of education, work with youth, tolerance education, improvement of the media and works of art in this matter.

We would like to draw attention to the fact that in the complex of all these areas, an important role can be played by tourist immersion in the very core of the country’s ethnic diversity. Consideration of the national project from this point of view demonstrates the essence of the prerequisites for strengthening the unity of the people of Russia through closer acquaintance of people of different nationalities and religions with each other, which at first glance turns out to be hidden behind the financial components of the project. Therefore, it is legitimate to adjust the name of the national project with an emphasis on hospitality as intercultural interaction of high social significance [15].

It is noted that the total expenditure on the national project in 2025‒2030 may amount to 3.56 trillion rubles in the baseline scenario, with the government planning to attract 2.8 trillion rubles from extra-budgetary sources. From the federal budget — 501.1 billion rubles, and regional budgets in the amount of 260 billion rubles are also attracted¹⁷. It is important that it is planned to preserve the mechanism of a single regional subsidy. As noted by the Minister of Economic Development of Russia Maxim Reshetnikov: “for it and for the subsidy for modules, we propose to adhere to the proportion of co-financing with the regions of 70 to 30 from 2025” [9].

The involvement of all subjects of the Russian Federation in the implementation of the national project is a powerful conductor of the development of Russian identity. It is at the regional level that one can more thoroughly present the diversity of cultures of the population of Russia, including the indigenous small and autochthonous peoples of the North, Siberia, the Far East, their ways of managing, crafts, and cultural codes. The strategy undertaken in the national project to create a tourist infrastructure becomes an additional link in the consolidation of society “around common values that form the foundation of the state”¹⁸. For broader involvement of regions, the Government of the Russian Federation launched a program of national tourist routes (NTM) within the framework of the project by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 29, 2021 No. 2086 “On approval of the Rules for determining national tourist routes”¹⁹.

Currently, there are 56 NTMs operating, uniting 50 regions of the country²⁰. The complexity of NTMs with the requirement to cover at least three tourist resources of a certain thematic focus by the route makes it possible to widely present in the tour objects related to the most important events of Russian history and their connection with the ethnocultural values of the tourist locus. Thus, national tourist routes include facts about the foundations of Russian statehood: the role of key historical figures and events, which serves to reveal the historical and cultural potential of the regions, simultaneously causing tourists unique ethnographic impressions.

The theme of the foundations of Russian statehood, integrating into the development of tourist routes, not only promotes domestic tourism, but also plays a decisive role in strengthening Russian identity. The development and implementation of the National Project “Tourism and Hospitality” are aimed at preserving the cultural sovereignty of Russia, strengthening mutual understanding between various ethnic and religious groups, and enhancing the unity of the country’s multinational society.

1 Putin: The Russian people are one nation. URL: https://ria.ru/20040205/521146.html?ysclid=m70ngm1zma919575200 (accessed: 15.01.2025).

2 National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 2, 2021 No. 400. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/47046 (accessed: 15.01.2025).

3 Ibid.

4 Federal Law of July 20, 1995 No. 115-FZ “On state forecasting and programs for the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation”. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/8100 (accessed: 13.01.2025).

5 Federal Law of June 28, 2014 No. 172 — FZ “On Strategic Planning of the Russian Federation”. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/38630 (accessed: 14.01.2025).

6 List of instructions following the meeting of the Presidium of the State Council. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/assignments/orders/69735 (accessed: 14.01.2025).

7 Federal Law of November 24, 1996 No. 132-FE “On the Fundamentals of Tourist Activity in the Russian Federation”. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/10273 (accessed: 13.01.2025).

8 The concept of the federal target program “Development of domestic and inbound tourism in the Russian Federation (2019–2025)”, approved by the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 5, 2018 No. 872-р. URL: http://government.ru/docs/32585/ (accessed: 10.01.2025).

9 Strategy for the development of tourism in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2035, approved by the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of September 20, 2019 No. 2129. URL: https://www.garant.ru/products/ipo/prime/doc/72661648/?ysclid=m1rzwpfwuc242988208 (accessed: 10.01.2025).

10 Ibid.

11 Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 07.05.2018 No. 204 “On national goals and strategic objectives for the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024”. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/43027 (accessed: 14.01.2025).

12 Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 21, 2020 No. 474 “On the national development goals of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030”. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/45726 (accessed: 14.01.2025).

13 Resolution of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation dated 02.12.2020 No. 546-SF “On the development of domestic tourism in the Russian Federation”. URL: https://npalib.ru/2020/12/02/postanovlenie-546-sf-id102275/?ysclid=m1s6rzf5i2646948745  (accessed: 14.01.2025).

14 Federal Law of 13.07.2024 No. 177-FZ “On Amendments to the Budget Code of the Russian Federation and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation”. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/50839/ (accessed: 17.01.2025).

15 Tourism and hospitality industry. URL: https://национальныепроекты.рф/projects/turizm  (accessed: 02.02.2025).

16 Address of the President to the Federal Assembly, February 29, 2024. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/messages/73585 (accessed: 17.01.2025).

17 Expenditures on the updated national tourism project could amount to more than 3.5 trillion rubles. URL: https://www.interfax-russia.ru/tourism/news/bolee-3-5-trln-rubley-mogut-sostavit-rashody-na-obnovlennyy-nacproekt-po-turizmu (accessed: 10.02.2025).

18 National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 2, 2021 No. 400. URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/47046 (accessed: 15.01.2025).

19 Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 29, 2021 No. 2086 “On approval of the Rules for determining national tourist routes”. URL: https://www.static.government.ru/media/files/3HfcGTzeAzf3nZJLmFhZCi5fk7srZv6k.pdf (accessed: 10.02.2025).

20 National tourist routes. URL: https://www.economy.gov.ru/material/directions/turizm/reestry_turizm/nacionalnye_turisticheskie_marshruty/ (accessed: 10.02.2025).