Today, mankind lives in an amazing time when the achievements of the technological revolution turned the overall iron aggregates of the last century into something unnecessary and impractical. Cars made in the Soviet era are becoming a rarity, and the “communist” factories and factories, workers' villages have sunk into oblivion, empty marinas and so on. In such places, as a rule, silence and peace prevail, which is why they are so attractive to aesthetes. The fact is that at present, a person is trying to diversify his leisure and experience the thrill to the maximum, planning his vacation not only in the lap of nature, but also in exotic places: abandoned enterprises, mines, settlements, residential buildings, etc. That is why in our country the development of industrial tourism needs a detailed study. But for our country this is a relatively new field of activity and not everyone is fully aware of its meaning.
Industrial tourism is a stay on the territory of ownerless enterprises, buildings for special or industrial purposes and other structures left without human supervision in order to satisfy research interest or get aesthetic pleasure. In other words, people traveling to the above objects, want to get positive emotions from the simple contemplation of rare buildings.
Of course, industrial tourism is one of the promising areas for representatives of domestic business, but how to properly organize the business and what difficulties will have to face is a big question. Let's consider it in more detail.
Historical reference
Of course, the development of industrial tourism is one of the important tasks for the state. This area of entrepreneurial activity could replenish the state treasury. And in fairness it should be noted that in some regions of our country the development of industrial tourism is in full swing. The fashion to study abandoned places and find interesting objects in them came to us from the West.
In Europe and the USA, the development of industrial tourism is no longer an “empty phrase”. Foreigners began to spend their leisure time in such an unusual way at the beginning of the 80s of the last century. In the Soviet Union, thanks to the Iron Curtain, only a few knew that it was possible to climb roofs and attend abandoned churches for recreational purposes. However, Soviet citizens showed an increased interest in leisure time in orphaned industrial zones after the release of the famous Strugatsky brothers' novel “Roadside Picnic” (1972). Well, his film "Stalker", filmed based on the works of the Strugatsky, warmed even more strongly. It was directed by everyone famous Andrei Tarkovsky in 1979. However, the rigid isolation of the USSR from the outside world “bore fruit”, therefore, a consolidated group of lovers of a non-standard type of recreation did not form at that time.
But time passed, power and mores changed, and industrial tourism in Russia began to gain popularity after a computer game called “STALKER” appeared in 2007. It was stalkers who began to call those who walk around abandoned enterprises and study the subway tunnels.
The World Wide Web also played its role in increasing interest in such a non-standard pastime. There are whole communities of people who like extreme types of recreation. Unlike the USA and European countries, industrial tourism in Russia is specific. His adherents do not tell anyone about their hobbies and even more so about the location of the objects that they like to visit.
Classification
There are several variations of industrial tourism. We list the main ones. It is, in particular, about diggerism, urbanism, ruffing, post-pilgrimage.
Digger
Such an option for leisure involves the study of abandoned objects that are underground, namely: sewer paths, subways ("ghost stations"), tunnels.
The exception is quarries and adits. As a rule, physically strong people become diggers, since this type of relaxation requires a certain dexterity and dexterity. In addition, you can not do without special equipment.
Ruffing
This type of industrial tourist is fond of those who like to enjoy the picturesque views from the city rooftops. Many are willing to sacrifice everything in order to view the city from a bird's eye view. Extremely popular extreme type of leisure in the city on the Neva, where the local architecture is optimal for ruffing.
Passive tourism
There is also a variant of industrial tourism, belonging to the category of "light".
His supporters also join in groups and go to study the old abandoned households or military bases of closed type.
Urbanism
It does not contain “hard” extreme sports and this is the direction of rest. It involves making city walks, but only in those settlements that are characterized by a high degree of urbanization, technological development, or, conversely, ruin and decadence.
Post-pilgrimage
This type of pastime involves the study of abandoned temples, churches and other objects of religious heritage. His adherents often manage to find rare things whose value is very, very high.
Passive variant of industrial tourism of commercial orientation
Of course, the development of industrial tourism in Russia leaves much to be desired. And this is largely due to the lack of objective prerequisites for this. Most of the people are simply mentally unprepared for the extreme option of leisure and for the not always legal penetration into the territory where empty objects are located.
Moreover, far from all are esthetes when it comes to assessing an industrial landscape: many have an absolutely indifferent attitude towards them. Therefore, the question of how industrial tourism is developing will be on the agenda for more than a year. But in the United States, travel companies specifically organize tours for those who show interest in "non-working" industrial facilities that need modernization. And investors are really for them. This is another variation of industrial tourism.
Is it possible to earn in this segment
Naturally, tracking how industrial tourism is developing in Russia, today it is impossible to say with absolute certainty that this is a highly profitable line of business. Of course, it carries with it entrepreneurial risks. But as you know: “Who does not risk, that ...” And yet, before you engage in this field of activity, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons.
First, you should write a rough business plan. Secondly, it is necessary to determine the specific type of industrial tourism. Thirdly, answer the question: “Will you have a profile direction or do you intend to expand your business in the future?”
Fourth, analyze what types of industrial tourism are located in your village or its environs. Fifth, you must advertise your services: for this, it will not be superfluous to create an Internet resource, on the pages of which you describe in detail the ghost town or the deserted old manor located near the place where you live. You should also join the online community of those people who prefer a non-standard holiday. And these are just the initial steps towards a successful business.
Implementation of the idea in Russian regions
It should be noted that at present, in some large cities on the periphery, a gradual development of industrial tourism is taking place. In Russia, as already emphasized, this is a new direction of entrepreneurial activity. Objects located in Novosibirsk, Kazan, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Samara have been attracting adherents of non-standard pastimes for more than a year.
Consider how the development of industrial tourism is an example. It will be about the Sverdlovsk region. Here is located one of the largest industrial facilities - “Old Nevyansk Plant”. For tourists, it was opened five years ago. Over the past year alone, over one hundred thousand people watched the enterprise. The building is in need of repair, and in the future there will be a Museum of the Secrets of the Metal and the Astrological Center. Not far from the Nevyansk inclined tower , the congress and exhibition venue of the Nevyansk Historical and Architectural Museum under the name “Lord's Mansions” will be equipped. The infrastructure for tourists will also be equipped: there will be places for living, food and leisure. And this is only one of the many projects of the regional ministry of culture.
Business prospects
Of course, in our country, urbanism, and ruffing, and diggerism, and post-pilgrimage are “free” niches from the point of view of building a business. But what are the prospects for the development of industrial tourism in Russia? In order for them to be clearly visible, it is necessary to do some analytical work. For example, you can transform deaf, abandoned villages (they are in almost every region) into natural museums. Investments for this will not be required much, and profit can be made year-round. Industrial tourism is also quite profitable today, in the framework of which a person can personally observe the production process. In particular, excursions to the Baltika brewery are already popular in the Northern capital. Moreover, the Russians will be interested in enterprises of various kinds, be it confectionery factories, wineries, apiaries, oil rigs and more. The prospects are really “awful”, especially since Russia is a storehouse of natural and recreational resources.
Problems
Of course, we should not forget that there are certain problems of industrial tourism. Firstly, the system of organizing excursions to abandoned factories is not properly built, and travel companies do not play a key role here. It is often very difficult to determine who owns an abandoned property and with whom to conclude a contract. And here the help of local governments, which, unfortunately, are passive in this matter, would be very useful.
Secondly, the problems of the development of industrial tourism are that this area of activity is not regulated at the legislative level. In particular, the circle of subjects and the procedure for the provision of services for urbanism, post-pilgrimage and so on are not defined. Thirdly, a passion for some types of industrial tourism can lead to serious health problems and even death. Before you go to a particular object, you need to analyze it from the point of view of safety: for this, you may need special equipment, and often ordinary tourists do not have it. In view of the foregoing, for the development of industrial tourism, we need to study and learn from Western European countries.