Abstract:

The development of the Russian ski tourism industry has been relatively mature. Diversification of tourism and the opportunity to build the Polar Silk Road have brought great potential for the growth of the ice-snow tourism market in China and Russia. In this study, the spatial distribution characteristics of tourist ski resorts in Russia were quantified and examined with spatial analysis methods, which result in an index to evaluate the accessibility of ski resorts. There are three major findings. First, the ski resorts in Russia are dense in the west and sparse in the east, and their distribution is concentrated in six regions. Second, ski resorts in Russia can be reached within 15 hours on average. The areas of high accessibility, with travel time less than 6 hours, account for 40% of the total area of Russia. These regions with better accessibility are located in the mountainous areas of the East European Plain and the southern West Siberia, and tend to cluster along the main traffic lines. Finally, the federal districts surrounding Moscow have more geographical advantages with an ice-snow tourism industry of the largest scale and strength. Federations on both sides of the Ural Mountains have close relationship to the ski resorts. This article summarized the spatial distribution pattern as well as the advantages and disadvantages of Russia’s ski resorts with regard to their spatial layout. Key development recommendations were also put forward in this article to provide practical advices for China’s ice-snow tourism industry.

Key words: ski resorts, ice-snow tourism, ski tourism resources, spatial pattern, accessibility, potential location advantage, Russia