METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING THE TOURIST AND RECREATIONAL POTENTIAL OF THE REGION’S SPRINGS

Abstract

Springs are an important object in human economic activity and a place of attraction for regular and random visitors. The tourist and recreational potential of springs in Russia is poorly exploited, and only at individual sites. This research provides a methodology for determining the tourist and recreational potential of springs in regions, which can be helpful in choosing the most promising springs for the purposes of tourism. The study was based on field research at 202 springs of the Republic of Mordovia carried out in 2021. The authors identified 25 criteria combined into 5 blocks: natural attractiveness, cultural and educational attractiveness, infrastructure, landscaping, sanitary and ecological condition. The criteria are rated and given 3–5 points, and the blocks of criteria up to 10 points. The significance of the criteria in the blocks is different and varies from 0.1 to 0.3. The most important criteria are landscape composition and diversity, remoteness from large settlements, federal and regional roads, captage arrangement, physical and chemical properties of the water. For each criterion, description and ranking by characteristic properties are provided. The results of the general assessment of springs are ranked by the sum of points from low to very high tourist and recreational attractiveness. The paper provides detailed examples of the evaluation of springs according to the proposed methodology.