NB: This is not a well-researched academic article, just some observations from my travels.
After the closure of coal mines in the UK, Wales was forced to revamp its economy, and find other sources of income. One of the methods of so doing has been to develop the country's tourism industry, including a large eco-tourism sector. With the natural beauty of the lush green mountains and hills, and the picturesque ruins and flocks of sheep that dot the countryside, and its relatively easily-accessible location (approximately a 3 hour drive from London) Wales is ideally situated for a tourist industry. Some creative Welsh groups have even taken Wales' industrial past and used it to attract tourists. For example, at Pyll Mawr (Big Pit), visitors can visit a coal mine and see it's inner workings. The Museum of Welsh Life in St. Fagan shows architecture from many periods of Welsh history, from a Celtic Village to a Coal-Miner's home in the 1980s. My impression was that the locals were glad to have tourists, and didn't mind sharing their stories and histories with visitors, as long as you didn't call them English.
After the closure of coal mines in the UK, Wales was forced to revamp its economy, and find other sources of income. One of the methods of so doing has been to develop the country's tourism industry, including a large eco-tourism sector. With the natural beauty of the lush green mountains and hills, and the picturesque ruins and flocks of sheep that dot the countryside, and its relatively easily-accessible location (approximately a 3 hour drive from London) Wales is ideally situated for a tourist industry. Some creative Welsh groups have even taken Wales' industrial past and used it to attract tourists. For example, at Pyll Mawr (Big Pit), visitors can visit a coal mine and see it's inner workings. The Museum of Welsh Life in St. Fagan shows architecture from many periods of Welsh history, from a Celtic Village to a Coal-Miner's home in the 1980s. My impression was that the locals were glad to have tourists, and didn't mind sharing their stories and histories with visitors, as long as you didn't call them English.
Image 1: The Wye River near Tintern Abbey.
Russian eco-tourism, however, has a different feel to it. It hasn't developed as an industry from a previous industry, but has developed on its own. The populace seems less responsive to eco-tourism, mainly because it seems that it will do more harm than good to the environment.
Russian eco-tourism, however, has a different feel to it. It hasn't developed as an industry from a previous industry, but has developed on its own. The populace seems less responsive to eco-tourism, mainly because it seems that it will do more harm than good to the environment.
Image 2: A Russian Conservation sign at Shaman's Rock on Olkhon Island.I see three main differences between the Welsh and Russian eco-tourism industries that have allowed the Welsh industry to be largely integrated, while the Russian industry remains on the fringe. The first of these is the previous condition in the area. With Wales' industrial past, much of the country's national beauty was in danger, so eco-tourism was a boon which saved and preserved many of these sites. A poster I saw in Wales said "Protect the Best, Restore the Rest" (or something along those lines). In Russia, though, because of the vast size of the country, many areas had been minimally effected by industry, and were not screaming to be saved and protected. To many people it seems that eco-tourism will harm the environment, rather than save it as it did in Wales. The second difference between Wales and Siberian Russia which effects the effectiveness of eco-tourism is the comparative degree of infrastructure in the countries. Again because of Wales' industrial past, it has well-developed roads and bridges which can support the tourist traffic. In the Baikal area, however, the main source of transportation is boating, which can be a difficulty for tourists. The third difference between the two countries is government regulation and support. Wales, as part of the United Kingdom, has a strong and effective centralized government which can reasonably effectively enact and enforce environmental protection regulations. Russia on the other hand, although it has a strong central government, is less effective at enforcing environmental protection regulations. Because of this difficulty, eco-tourism can become a can of worms in Russia, where tourists could destroy the national beauty because laws are not enforced.
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