PERM GEOGRAPHIC RESEARCH SCHOOL WITHIN THE TOURISM CLUSTER THEORY: HISTORY, TRADITIONS, PROSPECTS

Abstract

This investigation represents one of the first attempts at a comprehensive conceptual analysis of the Perm geographicresearch school within the tourism cluster theory. It aims to examine the current state of the research school and to forecast its futuredevelopment, thus contributing to the conceptualization of the school as a theoretical and methodological system and to the popularization of its ideas.The investigation is based on the author’s system-criteria approach, which was used to define the school’s limits, describe itsstructure, and distinguish four stages of its modern development. The analysis of the school’s current stage showed its key substantiveaspects and cluster innovations, including: the concept of a temporary tourism cluster, the idea of attractions as part of a tourismcluster, the idea of antecedence of the geographical, the cluster-dominant approach, the circular tour route method, a special tourismzoning method, the concept of place formula, etc. The study into the formal aspects of the Perm geographic research school within thetourism cluster theory showed it as an informal, local, narrow-focused, fundamental system of scholarly views referring to the ‘invisiblecollege’ type.An analysis of the school’s publication activities based on the ‘naive model’ and on the dynamics of previous years showed itsinability to reach the level of ‘scientific movement’ in the medium term. However, the school is sure to bolster its academic position,and the number of its followers, including international ones, is expected to increase.