Novgorod tourism industry offered to bet on gastronomic routes

NovSU economists have solved the paradox of local tourism: with a rapid growth in the number of travelers, hotels and restaurants account for only 3.7% of regional investments, the press service of Yaroslav the Wise Novgorod State University reported.

To correct this skew, scientists proposed to bet on gastronomic routes and IT-cluster, and also created a methodology for assessing the region's brand not by the number of guests, but by real investment income. The study was conducted by graduate student of the Department of Management Technologies Dmitry Mikhalev and Professor of the Department of Digital Economy and Management of NovSU Tatiana Eldiyeva.

Travel is short, business is careful

According to the researchers, the business is cautious due to short trips and pronounced seasonality. On average, tourists visit the region for only three days, with almost half of all arrivals occurring in July and August. Because of this, hotels are loaded by only 32%, and the hospitality sector receives a small share of investments in fixed assets.

Mathematical analysis of data for 2022-2024 using the Pearson correlation coefficient clearly confirmed this. While package sales depend on the number of tourists, showing a value of 0.98, the influx of guests does not stimulate capital investment, where this ratio barely reaches 0.37. There is a so-called tourist gap: people are actively going for history and architecture, but business is not in a hurry to invest in infrastructure.

Comprehensive measures are needed to remedy the situation

To reverse the situation, scientists have developed a set of measures covering several areas at once.

First, by 2030, it is planned to create an investment cluster “Heritage plus digital technologies” with a target investment volume of three billion rubles. It will bring together museums, the IT sector and research centers to implement AR/VR restoration and excursions based on 5G networks.

Secondly, it is necessary to increase the stay of guests to at least four days. To do this, the authors of the idea propose to launch gastronomic routes “Tastes of the Novgorod Volnitsa”, open art residences, promote an interregional route from Novgorod through Pskov to St. Petersburg and organize an open vote of residents for a new slogan and logo of the region.

Third, a digital platform will be needed to monitor the situation. The calculations of economists show that by 2028 these measures will increase the share of tourism in the gross regional product from 4.68% to 6.5% and raise the investment ratio to 0.70.

Image decides

At the heart of all offerings is a dynamic brand management system that includes the stages of diagnosis, conceptualization, launch and quantitative evaluation. Dmitry Mikhalev explains that such a closed feedback between assessment and diagnosis allows you to quickly eliminate failures and systematically develop the image of the territory.

Classic theoretical models of branding often overlook the financial returns of reputation and fail to explain why rich historical and cultural heritage is not always converted into revenue. After all, in a broad sense, a regional brand consists not only of material resources and infrastructure, but also of intangible factors: history, culture and the quality of the institutional environment.

The foundation of the territorial brand, according to the authors, relies on four interrelated elements. The basis is a functional core, including economic indicators, transport accessibility and resources. It is followed by emotional positioning, reflecting the value image of the region. The third element is a visual identity that combines style, logos and slogans. Finally, institutional support is essential, through a robust regulatory framework, including the registration of geographical indications and appellations of origin.

Earlier we wrote about the new tourist agenda developed by the Polytechnic Museum. The museum team plans to create a program that will interest both adults and children.