Information technologies in inclusive tourism of the Russian Federation

Regional section

Abstract

The article examines the use of digital technologies in the context of inclusive tourism development in Russia at the regional level. International experience shows that the main purpose of such technologies for the tourism industry is to provide preliminary information on the availability of the necessary technical means to ensure unimpeded access for persons with disabilities at certain tourist sites, as well as the availability of related infrastructure at transport and social facilities in the populated areas of visits. That is, the technologies provide mainly information support, including a quick exchange of opinions and experiences. The functions of interactive visits to sites that support visual, sensory or neurodivergent digital tools for persons with disabilities, although they have significant potential, are currently presented pointwise and only for the world's largest tourist attraction centers due to the high cost of such solutions. In Russian reality, the main role of digital technologies is to provide information on the inclusive accessibility of sites in various regions of Russia. The current study is based on the analysis of the largest resource of the "Accessible Environment" - the map of the accessibility of social facilities. A number of regions have their own resources with a similar focus. But in general, they are all united by a focus on the topic of accessibility of social, educational and cultural facilities, transport - that is, as a rule, municipal or generally state property. Private property objects are practically not represented on such resources, and they form the basis of the tourist infrastructure of the regions of Russia. In other words, the main function of digital technologies as a source of information on the accessibility of objects in the context of inclusive tourism in the constituent entities of the Federation is practically not fulfilled. Only Krasnodar Krai stands out, where information on the accessibility of tourist objects is presented quite fully: about 20 thousand objects. Of which over 6 thousand are related to the transport sector, and over 5 thousand to the service sector (trade, hotels, organized recreation areas). The example of Krasnodar Krai is an exemplary illustration of the potential development of information digital resources in other regions of Russia.