Mechanisms of tourist flows regulation in the Valley of Geysers (Kamchatka)

The paper discusses the possible ways of improving tourism development within the Valley of Geisers, a unique World Heritage site of the Kronotsky Reserve, basing on specific features of organization and regulation of touristic flows. The dynamism of volcanic landscapes and active development of modern geomorphologic processes, both slope and erosion, as well as the uniqueness and fragility of microrelief forms and plant communities of geothermal environments make such territories extremely vulnerable to the anthropogenic impact. At the same time, the high probability of hazardous natural processes in the zones of active geodynamics creates significant risks for tourism activities in such areas and requires a special approach to ensuring the safety of tourism during its planning and organization. However, the environmental monitoring data, collected since 2008, show that the construction of wooden paths in the Valley of Geysers made it possible to exclude the carrying capacity of soil and vegetation cover from the factors limiting the number of visitors on the route. At the same time negative impacts of tourism on wildlife, first of all, the noise and the effect of human presence, came to the fore, thus requiring to establish the scientifically substantiated seasonal restrictions, the so called “dormant period” in late spring - early summer time. The following mechanisms of tourist flows regulation reducing risks for visitors and mitigating the tourism impacts on the ecosystems of the Valley of Geysers are proposed, which may be also relevant for other similar volcanic environments: 1) competent spatial planning of tourist trails, with due account of the ecosystems resilience, the location of main attractive objects, the safety of visitors and the tourist flows management, including the maximum possible “looping” of a trail; 2) improvement of the trail design with the construction of both viewing platforms and special widened plots at the most attractive and viewing points; 3) regular environmental monitoring in the impact zone of the route, including the detailed zoological studies, as well as monitoring of natural hazards and immediate regulation of visiting regime; 4) provision of the highest possible visitors' experience by reducing the size of groups and the frequency of meeting other groups on the route; 5) improving the quality of information support, both on the route and in the visitor center, and increasing their educational role.

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