With the development of tourism, transport routes are constantly expanding, as the increase in demand for travel influences the development of transport infrastructure. Transport, in turn, allows you to expand the geography of travel, i.e. there is mutual influence that is useful and beneficial to both parties.
Transport services are one of the main types of services in tourism. They account for the main share in the tour price structure. Depending on the duration and distance of the trip, this share in most cases ranges from 20 to 60%. Despite the current variety of different modes of transport used to transport tourists during travel, neither bus, nor rail, nor water transport over long distances can compete with aviation, therefore the main share in the overall structure of transport services belongs to air transport. The largest number of tourists traveling long distances use aviation services. At the same time, the airplane can be called a transport of individuals, since those traveling for resort, business, entertainment, and educational purposes are individual tourists. And they are the ones who most often use air transport.
According to statistics, the growth rate of the popularity of air transport is higher than the growth rate of this indicator for motor transport, which is due to the increasing expansion of the geography of travel and a steady tendency to reduce travel time in favor of their frequency (the growth of short-term long-distance tours). All this causes close attention of the tourism business to air transportation.
Light aircraft, and especially helicopters that do not require a take-off run, are a serious alternative to motor transport. The price of a light helicopter can be comparable to the price of a car, and in conditions of high congestion or simply in the absence of roads, the advantages of light aviation over motor transport are undeniable.
Light aviation has another significant advantage compared to motor transport. Insurance is significantly cheaper. The cost of annual comprehensive insurance for a helicopter is from 2.8%, for a light aircraft - 1.2 - 1.8%. The cost of insurance is reduced if the aircraft is equipped with technical safety equipment, if the persons admitted to piloting are highly qualified and have sufficient flight time, and in other cases.
Aviation tourism
Flights on light motor aircraft and helicopters, which are used for a variety of purposes, including tourism and entertainment, are extremely popular in Europe, the USA, and Australia. Unfortunately, this type of technology has not yet become widespread in Russia.
In addition to light aircraft, flights with serious equipment are becoming increasingly popular. In many countries, aviation tourism programs have long been in stable demand among tourists. Extreme enthusiasts fly almost all types of airplanes and helicopters. A very interesting program is offered by the German travel company Alpha Travel. It begins with training flights in Luftgansa pilot training simulators in Berlin. Then the “cadets” are given the opportunity to fly lightweight aircraft. The culmination of the program is a flight on the legendary Junkers. There are only five such aircraft in working order in the whole world.
Flights on Soviet and Russian equipment, especially military equipment, are in great demand among tourists. There are many Western companies that offer wealthy fans of extreme recreation to fly on Russian combat aircraft in the Moscow region and even over Moscow. The cost of such programs varies depending on the technology, duration and complexity of the flight from 6-7 to 40 thousand dollars. However, there are more than enough people willing.
The North American company Incredible Adventures, which specializes in extreme sports, claims that since the early 1990s. she managed to give rides to over 2,000 people in jet MiGs, Sushkas and Elks.
In general, aviation tourism in our country is in its infancy. Unlike the countries of Europe and America, its initiators were not travel companies, but flying clubs, which after the crisis of the early 1990s. and the collapse of the DOSAAF system, they were left to their own devices, or, more simply put, abandoned to the mercy of fate. When it became clear that “the rescue of drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves,” in order to survive, flying clubs began to look for various ways to finance themselves. It all started with familiarization flights, primarily for wealthy foreign tourists. Then the quantity and quality of tourist services increased noticeably. At the same time, wealthy extreme tourists appeared among our fellow citizens. The democratization of Russian society also played a role. The military departments have become more open.
Now almost anyone who has the necessary amount can make an air trip on any type of aircraft that interests him - from the Yak of the Great Patriotic War model and the “corn truck” to ultra-modern aircraft.
The program may include a very different set of pleasures: simple flights over the airfield, a flight along a specially ordered route or to the aerobatic zone. Naturally, flights outside the airfield require mandatory approval from various departments.
Particularly popular among extreme sports enthusiasts are sightseeing flights on airplanes (in Khabarovsk Yak-52) with complex and aerobatic maneuvers. But this is a real thrill for those who want to feel like a combat pilot.
Today in Russia there are a large number of flying clubs that have the widest range of aircraft. The most famous aviator training center is the Myachkovo airfield near Moscow. The flying clubs “Captain Nesterov”, “Aviatech”, “KVS”, etc. are based here.
In recent years, aviation tourism has been actively developing in the regions; fortunately, we still have a lot of military airfields and equipment from the times of the Soviet Union.
Use of helicopters
A helicopter is a unique aircraft capable of vertically taking off and landing on a small platform, hovering in the air, and carrying out horizontal controlled flight, including in different directions - forward, backward, sideways, making turns and other aerobatic maneuvers. This is a multi-purpose machine. Due to its inherent advantageous design characteristics, such as compactness, the ability to take off and land vertically, the absence of the need for special airfield sites, the ability to quickly deliver small quantities of cargo and people to hard-to-reach areas, high reliability, it determines a wide range of applications for military and civilian purposes. In the field of tourist transportation, helicopters are widely used:
1. For the purposes of transfer from airports, transportation of VIP passengers. Organizing the transfer stage using a helicopter is highly efficient and quite comfortable, it allows you to avoid the need to use vehicles, traffic jams, and improve safety. This was especially evident when flying on supersonic airliners. Is it worth it to use an extremely expensive supersonic aircraft to transport passengers and tourists to save two or three hours of flight time, and then have to wait in line at an immigration official, in a baggage line, or stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the hotel. That is why all ground service operations for passengers on supersonic airliners were organized on the principles of minimizing the operation time or stages, and a helicopter was used for transfer. A helicopter moves 3-6 times faster than a car, because it flies in a straight line and does not get stuck in traffic jams. A helicopter is especially advantageous for flights over distances of up to 300 km: airplanes usually do not fly there, and traveling by car is quite long.
2. Currently, a new tourist service for business representatives is being developed in certain tourist centers - an air taxi. Air taxis within cities and megacities in Russia, according to the plans of the Moscow authorities, for the first time, within the framework of the program, should begin to operate in Central Russia in 2008. True, deputies are concerned about how attractive the program will be for private investors. Small planes will fly between airports in medium-sized Russian cities and transport about 3-4 people at a time.
Air taxis and air taxis are urgent flights on 4-8 seat planes and helicopters to any city with airports and located at distances of up to 800 - 1,000 km. Its main difference from regular and charter VIP flights is that such flights are carried out using small, economical aircraft with low passenger capacity, with a flight time of up to 3 hours and no special services on board. This achieves the necessary compromise between urgency and cost of air transportation. The minimum time required to prepare the aircraft for flight allows tourists to organize their departure within 2 hours after receiving the request. As a rule, such air taxi flights are possible both on light and medium class aircraft, such as the Yak-40, Beechcraft King Air 200, Pilatus PC-12, Cessna Bravo and Excel, Learjet 45 and 60, Hawker 700, and Eurocopter AS350 helicopters and model 355, Eurocopter EC120 and 130. Bell 407 and Robinson 44. Delivery of an airplane or helicopter is possible to almost any city where there is an operating airfield. The big advantage of air taxis, compared to commercial airlines, is the absence of lengthy registration and boarding procedures. Serving passengers through VIP terminals allows you to minimize the time required to complete all necessary formalities at the departure airport.
Today, only one airline operates on the Russian aviation market - Dexter, which operates as an air taxi within 500 km from Moscow. The minimum ticket price for this company is at least 6,000 rubles. one way. Despite the fact that the air taxi service today is one of the most expensive, the main thing is that Russia already has a technical fleet of such planes and helicopters, but there is practically no legislative registration of “air taxi”: flights over Moscow are prohibited.
Air taxi is the fastest and, undoubtedly, the most convenient way to overcome distances. Air taxi services have been used by people all over the world for many years.
3. When organizing sightseeing tours in tourist centers. A bird's eye view gives a person a completely different and unusual idea of the appearance of architectural ensembles, centers of historical or ultra-modern urban development, palace and park buildings, and unique natural landscapes. In St. Petersburg, during the season, helicopter excursions over the city and surrounding area are regularly carried out from the Peter and Paul Fortress. Helicopter tours are available over Victoria Falls. During polar cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic, the ship always has a landing pad and is equipped with a helicopter that carries out ice reconnaissance and sightseeing excursions for tourists. The flight is carried out both on popular pre-prepared routes and on individual routes. Feeling like an air tourist is not a fantasy, but a real reality!
4. to organize the prompt delivery of tourists to remote and hard-to-reach tourist attractions, in areas where there are no airfields or sites for small aircraft. Usually this is a distance of 50-300 km from the tourist center. For example, tourists are delivered by helicopter to the ice in the North Pole region, where they, with a minimum of equipment, cover 20-25 km on skis and with an inflatable boat to the desired point, then the tourist group is picked up by a helicopter and transported back to the continent. It is practiced to deliver tourists by helicopter in the Republic of Karelia to the island. Valaam, on about. Kizhi to cultural heritage monuments, to monasteries.
Today, it is no longer uncommon to deliver tourist groups (raftsmen, athletes and others) to the place of rest, the beginning and end of the rafting, tourist route at the request of tourists. For many years, the Khabarovsk Territory has been actively developed by extreme tourists, lovers of fishing, hunting and eco-tourism.
Delivery of tourists to the beginning of the routes, carried out by helicopter, not only reduces the transfer time, but also in some cases allows you to avoid several days of rafting on calm water and pass only the most interesting part of the rivers in terms of sports. For hunters, fishermen, athletes and speleotourists who want to get as far away from civilization as possible, flying in a Mi-8 helicopter is the best solution to the problem. Rafting tours for physically fit tourists involve rafting down mountain rivers with obstacles up to the fifth category of difficulty. At the choice of tourists, it is possible to base a helicopter in the camp throughout the entire tour (fishing), daily transfers of fishermen to fishing spots with a rotation of places, as a result of which there is an opportunity to fish over a significant (up to 45 km) length of the river during a short tour. The services involve transporting tourists to hard-to-reach areas and drop-off (delivery from the final destination of the route). Delivery of speleologists to cave exploration sites with all necessary equipment. Excursion and educational speleological tours are carried out in caves specially equipped for excursion display. In such caves, tourists move along specially laid paths or by transport (for example, on mini-electric locomotives), they have lighting, and the routes are accompanied by qualified guides. Visiting equipped caves does not require special physical training.
5. Helicopter transfer of skiers onto unprepared mountain slopes followed by a puzzling descent - a particularly popular sport today, hely-ski, is becoming increasingly widespread among extreme tourists. The essence of this type of extreme skiing is that tourist skiers are transported to hard-to-reach slopes by helicopter and can enjoy an unforgettable off-piste descent on virgin snow. In a few minutes, a helicopter takes you to the top, and experienced guides accompany tourists throughout the flight and descent. The helicopter crews have extensive experience working in the mountains. You don't have to be a professional athlete to practice hely-ski. A distinctive feature of hely-ski programs is the uniqueness of the descents: each new descent is different from the previous one, taking place on a new, “untouched” slope. During the day, it is possible to make 6 descents or more, the total height difference will be almost 6000 m! The nature of the relief is very diverse - snow fields, ridges and couloirs. Hely-ski tour programs are offered in Kyrgyzstan, Andorra (a tiny triangle sandwiched between France and Spain), Kamchatka with its seven-day program of descents along the slopes of the volcanoes Aag, Arik, Vilyuchinsky, Koryaksky, etc.
6. to organize search and rescue of tourists in case of accidents or natural disasters. During ice fishing in the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, thousands of fishermen are rescued by helicopter every year. An hour of operation of a helicopter of the Ministry of Emergency Situations costs more than a thousand US dollars.
Light aircraft
Light aircraft, baby planes. Most often they are propeller-driven, mono- or biplanes, with a capacity of 1 to 10 people. Used in local, agricultural, postal, sports and private (small) aviation. The latter is historically absent in Russia for political and economic reasons and the legal norms of the Air Code. In the post-perestroika period, the legal position regarding private aviation softened somewhat, but, with the exception of isolated cases, it did not develop. The maximum that homemade inventors are capable of is creating a steam engine or hang glider with a light motor. Nevertheless, certain designs of light-engine aircraft, for example for sporting purposes, are mass-produced in Russia and are considered among the best in the world.
Today, few light aircraft are used in tourism, but a special place is given to a unique aircraft that has proven to be in demand anywhere and at all times - this is the domestic light multipurpose aircraft An-2, which turned 60 years old in September 2007. The An-2 has good takeoff and landing characteristics and a simple and reliable design. It is easy to pilot and maintain on the ground and can be operated from almost any airfield. Thanks to these qualities, the An-2 aircraft began to be used in the national economy not only for chemical treatment of fields and forests, but also for servicing expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic, carrying out aerial photography and geological exploration, extinguishing forest and peat fires, training parachutists, and transporting passengers. , cargo and mail on local air lines, as well as for medical care of the population in remote areas and other purposes. With the help of the An-2, reconnaissance of animals, birds and fish was carried out to assist hunters and fishermen. Having received the An-2, Aeroflot significantly expanded its network of local air lines. An-2P aircraft have mastered flights to the Far North, to remote areas of Siberia and the Far East.
There are many new models of light-engine aircraft from domestic manufacturers, the use of which in tourism seems very promising. One of these is the Accord-201 aircraft. This aircraft has the legal status of a multi-purpose aircraft, capable of operating in a wide range of geographical and climatic conditions.
In the basic version, the aircraft is equipped with two adjustable seats for a pilot and a passenger (or for two pilots), two double seats and one reclining seat. The second and third rows of seats can be quickly removed to replace them with a cargo safety net, aerial photography equipment, etc. Two large passenger doors on both sides of the fuselage and a large cargo hatch at the rear of the cabin facilitate loading and unloading operations and also provide the opportunity for paratroopers to be ejected. The Accord-201 is also suitable for aviation tourism for small groups of travelers on the “plane with you” principle, which is very popular today all over the world.
It is quite appropriate to call the aircraft an aerial “SUV”, since based on the basic transport model, VIP, cargo, amphibious, ski, patrol, aerial photography, etc. variants have been created. For this, depending on the purpose and wishes of the buyer, in addition to the currently certified version, the aircraft can be equipped with floats, skis, as well as photo and radio scanning equipment, other special research equipment, devices for parachute landing and much more. The float chassis deserves special attention, the design of which includes a remote-controlled drive that allows you to raise and lower the floats in flight. Thanks to this, the Accord-201 can take off from land and land on water, or vice versa.
Another indisputable advantage of the aircraft is that it is easy to transport, having previously dismantled the wing consoles and empennage. This can be done by road, rail, river, sea or air transport. The plane is easy to tow around the airfield, and even a Zhiguli can be used as a tractor.
The Accord-201 will be mass-produced at a specially built aircraft plant in Nizhny Novgorod, equipped with appropriate modern production equipment. Thanks to the new enterprise, additional jobs will appear in the city, which is also important from a social perspective.
A seaplane or seaplane (flying boat, seaplane) is an aircraft designed to take off from and land on water. There are a flying boat (the hull is shaped like a boat; it ensures take-off, landing and maintenance of a seaplane on the water), an amphibian (with a wheeled landing gear for landing on land) and a float-based seaplane (floats are installed instead of wheels). The seaplane has a waterproof streamlined hull and floats on the wings, allowing it to take off from the water surface and land on water. Widely used to deliver tourists to small tropical islands and lake areas, as well as for flights between islands. In Savonlinna (Finland) on Lake Saimaa there is a seaplane for excursion flights over a beautiful lake with many islands, over the city and an ancient fortress. Tourists can look at the area from a bird's eye view and take unique photographs.
Tourists are offered several types of seaplane excursions: a short excursion for aerial photography of the islands and their surrounding lagoons, coral reefs and, if possible, huge stingrays and schools of dolphins; excursions to distant islands and other atolls: visit to a fishing village, uninhabited islands with barbecue lunch, nearby tourist resorts. Flying over the islands in a seaplane is one of the most exhilarating holiday experiences. Particularly widespread in various areas of tourist activity are Greece (between the Greek islands), the Maldives, Fiji and other island countries.
Typically seaplanes are small propeller-driven designs, but there are examples of seaplanes with turbojet engines. A unique Russian aircraft of the BE series was shown at the air show in Gelendzhik (Russia) in 2000 - this is the Be-103 amphibious aircraft, which is produced by one of the world's leading manufacturers of tactical aircraft - KnAAPO (Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Production Association) . The light multi-purpose, 6-seat amphibious aircraft Be-103 (Beriev) is intended for use on short-haul routes in various regions of the world, especially in the coastal and island states of Southeast Asia, Oceania, Australia, North and Latin America, which have long coastal areas: regions with a large number of rivers, lakes, small reservoirs, difficult to access by other modes of transport. It is ideal for extreme types of tourism directly related to water.
Today, almost all charter companies are taking a wait-and-see approach to very light jets (VLJs). Even carriers who say they would never fly such planes acknowledge that VLJs could benefit their businesses by attracting more consumers to charter flights.
For big players, extra-light aircraft represent a completely new market segment. From a management perspective, this is good: it means new infrastructure, staff training, maintenance facilities, etc. All this is good for the industry as a whole. However, with regard to charter flights themselves, it should be noted that many of the clients would not like to use particularly light aircraft.
It is worth believing that due to ease of use and the presence of underserved areas, especially light aircraft will still be in demand. Once the people living there get a taste of affordable charter flights, it will be difficult for these people to return to commercial flights. The flow of passengers is growing, and, naturally, some of them will have to use especially light aircraft. Nevertheless, at present the companies do not plan to take control of particularly light aircraft for charter transportation.
Although, as for small operating companies, especially light aircraft will be useful for them, since they can lead to the emergence of a new group of companies capable of working with small airports, the load on which is low. This may mean diversification and expansion of the industry rather than consolidation and consolidation, as the arrival of such aircraft will expand the capabilities of many operators. VLJs are excellent for day trips, which account for up to 65% of total domestic charter flights, so they will fit well into an existing market. In addition, such aircraft will provide charter operators with another option to solve the problem of ferry flights.
Gliding
"Youth - on gliders!" This slogan, popular in the first half of the 20th century, which encouraged young men and women to master aviation technology, is almost forgotten today. And in the 1920s and 1930s. gliding was considered the second step in becoming a pilot. Tens of thousands of people across the country practiced this sport.
The glider is one of the lightest aircraft. Since it does not have a motor, in order to fly, the device must first be accelerated to a certain speed. This is done either by towing it with a cable by another aircraft, or from the ground by a vehicle or a special tensioning device. When the required speed of movement is reached, providing lifting force, the cable is unhooked, and the glider floats freely in the air.
Flying a glider requires certain flying skills, abilities and training of the pilot. Such preparation necessarily includes obtaining a certificate. The maintenance and servicing of gliders, the organization of flights, and the training of pilots are carried out in flying clubs. There are hundreds of gliding centers in the USA and European countries.
In Russia today, glider flights attract only a few enthusiasts. At the same time, in the countries of Western and Eastern Europe, in America, gliding is one of the most popular types of active recreation, the interest in which is constantly growing. And this is not surprising, because almost every person is familiar with the desire to fly. When choosing between an airplane and a glider, you will notice that the latter has a number of advantages. This sport is extreme, but it is relatively safe - the glider cannot catch fire, due to the lack of a propeller, leaving it with a parachute does not cause much difficulty, and the requirements for the landing site of the glider are much less stringent.
Until the early 1990s. Gliding classes mainly include such disciplines as flying at speed, over distance, and along routes. The successes achieved by glider pilots are impressive. For example, the world record for glider flight range is 3000 km - the distance between Moscow and Novosibirsk.
In the last 15 years, a new concept has appeared in gliding sports - “glider aerobatics,” i.e. aerial acrobatics. Today it is the main sports discipline. It may seem surprising, but modern aerobatic gliders - Polish "Swifts", "Foxes" and others - can perform absolutely all complex and aerobatic maneuvers available to sports aircraft.
Currently, the World Glider Aerobatics Championships (WGAC) are held annually. This spectacular event is held by Hungary, Sweden, USA, Spain, and Great Britain. The Russian team traditionally takes prizes at championships. This is not surprising, given the specifics of the training of our glider aerobatic pilots - almost all of them “transferred” to gliders from acrobatic aircraft.
In 2005, WGAC was held for the first time in our country at the Drakino airfield near Moscow, located near Serpukhov. More than 60 athletes from Poland, Hungary, France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands announced their participation in the competition. The organizers of the competition expect that, in addition to purely sporting interest, the event will help strengthen the tourist attractiveness of the Moscow region and develop infrastructure for active recreation. The competition program includes the following events. During the three days before the start of the official championship program, an extensive program of performances by parachutists, light aircraft, air force fighters, and balloon launches are planned. At the airfield in Drakino, construction is underway of a two-story hotel for competition participants for 70-75 people, as well as a house for judges and a catering facility.
The championship will attract the attention of tourists. In the future, on the basis of the updated Drakin and the complex of buildings located on its territory, it is planned to organize a center for extreme technical sports, mainly related to aviation. Trails for cyclists, skateboarders and roller skaters, as well as a wall for training and rock climbing competitions will also be built.
Equestrian and paintball clubs, saunas, gyms and tennis courts will begin operating. Active recreation can be combined with a rich excursion and educational program, since the Serpukhov land is rich in historical and cultural monuments.
A very common aircraft is the hang glider. Its flight requires acceleration from a mountain, land or water using towing by a car or boat. In order to expand the possibility of flight and reduce dependence on air currents, light motors with a propeller are often installed on hang gliders.
Paragliding
Paragliding is a sport for the young at heart and fairly financially secure people. Tourist athletes require a lot of special and very expensive equipment: a canopy costing from one to four thousand euros, a suspension system where the athlete stays during the flight, and uniforms - a helmet, overalls, special boots. Full equipment for a beginner paraglider costs at least two thousand euros. Many foreign hotels offer paragliding as a service to tourists.
Currently, world championships in paragliding are being held, including separate ones for women, at which Russians show very good results. The main goal of a paragliding competition is to reach the finish line the fastest, having completed a certain, pre-agreed route of several kilometers. In recent years, paragliding acrobatics have appeared. This requires enormous professionalism from the pilot, but it looks very beautiful and spectacular.
Balloning
A unique, but also expensive type of air travel is ballooning, or hot air balloon tours. One of the most popular types is airship travel. An airship, unlike a hot air balloon, is equipped with propellers, motors and a complex control system, so flights on it are much more targeted and depend not only on air flows, but also largely on the pilots.
Since the late 1960s. Mass travel by air has become widespread. Dozens of hot air balloon clubs have been created around the world. Every year, balloon festivals are held in many countries. As a rule, the program of such festivals necessarily includes racing on this rather dangerous form of transport.
Flights on hot air balloons, airships, gliders, paragliders or hang gliders not only allow you to admire the beautiful views, get unforgettable impressions and provide the opportunity to take unique photos and videos (for example, flights over waterfalls or volcano craters). They are very often used for various scientific and economic purposes, for exploring places that are practically inaccessible by other means.
In Pereslavl-Zalessky, the traditional ballooning festival “Golden Ring of Russia” is held annually, at which Russian and foreign participants demonstrate hot-air balloon flights over the cities of the Golden Ring. During the festival, night balloon glow shows and the “Air Fiesta” concert and entertainment program are held.
Parachuting
One of the extreme sports and tourism is parachuting, or skydiving. Skydiving is very popular all over the world among various categories of tourists. This sport is available to almost everyone (naturally, with the exception of people with medical contraindications), including the elderly and disabled.
In addition to simple jumps, for example, tandem with an instructor or from a standard height, there are more extreme types of parachuting. Among them, the most famous are long jumps, jumps from low heights (800 m) with forced deployment of a parachute, etc.
To engage in this type of sports tourism, you must master the basic techniques and skills of free fall, control and maneuvering of both a parachute and your own body in flight, and then obtain a license allowing parachute jumping.
New types of parachute entertainment are skysur-fing - free flight using a wide ski from a snowboard, as well as acrobatic stunts and somersaults in free flight. One of the most dangerous, but at the same time beautiful and exciting spectacles is aerial freestyle.
In addition to parachuting itself, the parachute is used in other tours. With its help, groups of tourists land in hard-to-reach areas, such as mountains, jungles, and the North Pole. Parachute jumps are carried out not only from airplanes, but also from high cliffs and mountain slopes.
One of the options for parachuting is paramotoring. In this case, the parachutist attaches a light motor to his back, which, in the presence of powerful air currents, allows him to make fairly long parachute flights.
As you can see, human imagination is limitless - professional designers and enthusiasts have already come up with many ways to travel through the air - in hot air balloons, airships, gliders, hang gliders, parachutes, paragliders, paramotors, seaplanes, helicopters, as well as airplanes of various purposes and models (from the "corn maker" to a supersonic fighter) - and almost all of them are used in one way or another in the field of tourism, recreation and entertainment.
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Aviation transport infrastructure. According to statistics, the rate of growth in the popularity of air transport is higher than that of road transport, which is due to the ever-increasing expansion of the geography of travel and the existing stable tendency to reduce travel time in favor of their frequency. As a result, air transport is the most dynamically developing sector of world transport. The international transportation network covers more than 150 countries.
There are now more than 1,300 airlines in the world. On average, about 1.5 billion people are transported on air flights per year. International air services are now provided by over 470 carriers, about 250 of them operate international scheduled flights. More than 1,000 airports around the world are involved in servicing international air services, about 650 of them serve international scheduled air transportation.
However, the international air transport system includes not only international air carriers and airports, but also states connected by international air lines and providing these communications, as well as international organizations in the field of air transport, taking measures to ensure its effective functioning and safety.
Almost every country in the world has an airline that is a kind of calling card of the country, whose reliability, punctuality, service and comfort meet the highest international standards. This company is called national flag carrier. Such airlines in different countries are: French “Air France”, German “Lufthansa”, British “British Airways”, Austrian “Austrian Airlines”, Spanish “Iberia”, Swiss “Swiss”, Finnish “Finnair”, etc. The Russian flag The carrier is Aeroflot - Russian Airlines.
Three quarters of the available airliners are located on the American continent. The largest US airlines are: Federal Express, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines, US Airways, Southwest Airlines, TWA (Trans World Airlines), America West Airlines, Alaska Airlines. Their sales volume is up to 15 billion dollars per year. On the American continent there are also large airlines in countries such as Canada - Air Canada, Canadian Airlines; Brazil – “Varig”, “Brazilian Airlines”; Mexico (three largest airlines).
The largest airlines in Europe are: British Airways (Great Britain); Lufthanza German Airlines (Germany); Air France (France); SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System - Sweden, Denmark, Norway); "Alitalia" (Italy); Iberia Airlines (Spain); KLM – Royal Dutsh Airlines (Netherlands); "Crossair", "Swiss" (Switzerland); Sabena Belgian World Airlines (Belgium); "Finnair" (Finland). Among the countries of Eastern Europe, Bulgaria and Hungary have the largest aircraft fleets.
In Asia, the largest airlines are: ANA (“All Nippon Airways”), JAL (“Japan Airlines”) (Japan); "Korean Air" (Republic of Korea); "Saudia - Saudi Arabian Airlines" (Saudi Arabia); Malaysia Airlines (Malaysia); China Southern Airlines, Air China (China); Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong); JAS (“Japan Air System”) (Japan); Singapore Airlines (Singapore); "Thai Airways International" (Thailand); Iraqi Airways (Iraq); "THY - Turkish Airlines" (Türkiye); Philippine Airlines (Philippines).
On the African continent, there are large airlines in Libya, South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria. Australia and Oceania also have relatively large airlines. In Australia these are Qantas Airways and Ansett Australia. The Indonesian company Garuda Indonesia and the New Zealand company ANZ (Air New Zealand) have a large fleet of aircraft.
Among the airlines we can highlight public(public, that is, regulated by the state) and private(privatized and private companies). In Europe, airline operations are largely regulated by national governments. In the US, on the contrary, all airlines are privatized and private. Airlines Swiss and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) are partly privatized and partly owned by the state. British airlines are all privatized.
In most countries, there are generally three main types of airlines that operate regularly scheduled flights:
· large– national companies operating flights throughout the country and abroad;
· regional– airlines operating within certain regions of one country;
· local– small local airlines operating short-haul flights from small suburban airfields. Typically, they operate small propeller-driven aircraft with a capacity of up to 40 passengers and transport them to airports for onward connections to major airlines.
For example, the list of the best airlines in the world traditionally includes:
§ best overall impression: "British Airways" and "Virgin Atlantic" (Great Britain), "Singapore Airlines" (Singapore), KLM (Holland) and some others;
§ the best in long-distance transport: “Virgin Atlantic”, “British Airways” (Great Britain), “Singapore Airlines” (Singapore), “Cathay Pacific” (Hong Kong, China), “Qantas” (Australia);
§ best in first and business class: “Virgin Atlantic”, “British Airways”, “Singapore Airlines”, “Emirates” (UAE), “Cathay Pacific” (China);
§ best in economy class: “Virgin Atlantic”, “Emirates Airways” (UAE), “British Airways”, “Swissair” (Switzerland), “Singapore Airlines” (Singapore);
§ Best Frequent Flyer Program: British Airways, American Airlines (USA), Virgin Atlantic, Swissair (Switzerland), KLM (Holland).
The aviation transport infrastructure also includes airfields and airports. According to the Air Code of the Russian Federation aerodrome is a land plot with a complex of engineering structures and buildings, specially allocated and equipped for takeoff and landing, taxiing, parking and servicing of aircraft.
Airfields located at an altitude of over 1000 m are considered mountainous; those located in rough terrain with relative elevations of over 500 m are considered mountainous airfields. Airfields are divided into main ones (at which landing is provided for in the flight plan) and alternate ones (intended for landing when landing at the main one is impossible for some reason; alternate ones usually include the departure airfield).
The main structure of an airfield is a runway (runway) - one or more, as well as space for taxiing and parking of aircraft. This is a specially equipped strip with a hard surface at the airfield for take-off and landing of aircraft. The runway is equipped with light and electronic navigation and flight support aids. At modern airfields with the proper equipment, the aircraft can be landed automatically without the participation of a pilot.
Airport– a complex of buildings and structures intended for the reception and dispatch of aircraft and servicing air transportation, which includes an airfield, an air terminal, ground-based aircraft maintenance facilities, as well as the necessary equipment, aviation personnel and other workers.
Airport domestic– serving domestic carriers – intended to serve domestic flights of aircraft (within the territory of a given state), the international airport serves international flights. However, in practice, international airports also serve domestic flights, although the terminals for domestic and international flights are separated. international Airport– an airport open for the reception and departure of aircraft performing international air transport, where customs, border, sanitary, quarantine and other controls are carried out.
There are about 1,000 international airports in the world. The 30 largest airports send more than 10 million passengers a year, with more than half of them in the United States. Six major airports handle over 30 million passengers annually. O-Hare Airport in Chicago has the highest capacity - 60 million passengers per year. In Europe, Heathrow Airport near London (UK) is considered the most powerful. There are 76 international airports in Russia and their number is constantly increasing. Russian airlines operate flights to 175 major airports in 120 countries.
The number of airports in the world is practically not increasing, but passenger capacity is growing, their infrastructure is developing, and service technology is improving. According to experts, the airport is of the 21st century. should be and is already becoming something more than just a place to board and disembark a plane. For example, the British company BAA, which owns Heathrow (London) and Gatwick (Glasgow) airports, as well as Edinburgh Airport (Scotland), has already turned its terminals into the most profitable retail outlets in the UK.
According to IATA, most of the world's largest airports are located on the American continent. The top ten largest airports include seven American, two European and one Asian. But just because the airport is the largest in the world does not mean that it is the best in terms of passenger service. This is confirmed by IATA's annual surveys of large numbers of passengers.
The best airports for passenger service are determined by several criteria: information service, catering, availability of a variety of shops, communication services, etc. Research results have shown that the best airports in the world are located in the following cities: Dubai (UAE), Singapore, Hong Kong, Copenhagen (Denmark) ), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Seoul (South Korea), Athens (Greece), Vancouver (Canada), Cincinnati (USA), Sydney (Australia).
Dubai Airport, launched in 2000, has been recognized as the most convenient and efficient in the world. Singapore Airport received top marks for its helpful staff. Copenhagen Airport was in fourth place, becoming the best in Europe. Seoul Airport was in sixth place in the ranking. None of the major airports were rated by the passengers surveyed.
Despite the expanding infrastructure and service capabilities, the airport retains its main function - it is a place for boarding and disembarking aircraft. The place of departure and arrival from the flight. Based on this, the main task of the airport is to service flights of various airlines and service air passengers.
IN airport tasks includes: services for passenger transportation, cargo and mail; ensuring flights of foreign and national airlines within the airport; ensuring regularity and safety of flights and meteorological observations; ensuring proper operation of communications and light signaling; carrying out maintenance of aircraft and refueling them; changing toilet tanks, removing garbage; An important operation is the prompt preparation and supply of compact meals for each flight.
Each airport has the following units: a squad serving the runway and field; lighting personnel; air navigation service; technical personnel for servicing passengers upon boarding and disembarking from the aircraft, as well as for loading and unloading baggage; cargo service (cargo service); aircraft; meteorological service; medical service, including a sanitary quarantine point; Help Desk.
At each airport, in close cooperation with the employees of the airport itself, representatives of airlines operating flights on the routes to which the airport belongs operate. At international airports there are control services (border, customs, sanitary and quarantine, veterinary, phyto-sanitary, etc.).
The territory of each airport is strictly divided into two zones: a) the arrival (arrival) zone and b) the departure (departure) zone. Each airport has a special place - the so-called the waiting area(for greeters, transit passengers, etc.). A special area of each international airport is neutral zone. Departing passengers, after customs and passport control, before departure of the aircraft, and arriving passengers, before customs and passport control, are required to stay in this area. This neutral territory usually houses all sorts of “duty free” shops, exempt from taxes and duties.
Railway transport infrastructure. Railways with varying network densities and levels of technical equipment have been built in most countries of the world, but there are a number of countries where there are no railways. These include: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Belize, Bhutan, Brunei, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Congo (Zaire), Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Mauritius , Niger, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Yemen, Qatar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, UAE, Uruguay and some others.
Before the intensive development of road and air transport from the middle of the 19th century. and in the first half of the 20th century. the railroad was one of the main ways for travelers to move from their primary place of residence to another area or country. Since the intensification of technological progress, road transport and air carriers have taken over a significant share of transportation. However, the creation of high-speed railways restored the railways' competitiveness.
Within the main European countries - Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Great Britain - travel between major capitals and tourist centers is today even more convenient by train than by bus or plane. The journey from Milan to Rome takes just over 2 hours when traveling by train at a speed of over 200 km/h. Moreover, the train moves along a fairly straight route, which is always shorter than any road connecting two populated areas.
In the presence of high-speed trains, the greatest efficiency of movement by rail is observed when traveling over distances of up to 500-600 km. In this case, high-speed railways make it possible to cover this route in 2-3 hours, which is quite convenient for tourists. In addition, trains usually arrive at stations traditionally located right in the very center of large cities and capitals, which minimizes transfers and creates significant advantages compared to aviation. If we add to this several times lower (compared to air transport) fares, then the advantages of railway transport (especially when traveling over medium and relatively short distances) are obvious. For transportation distances of less than 500 km, it is more efficient to use road transport, and for greater than 1000 km, air transport.
In addition to its original purpose - transportation - the railway is actively used for entertainment purposes. Leisurely “steam rides” on ancient trains (retro trains) with unique locomotives through national parks have become excellent entertainment for tourists spoiled by superhighways. All over the world, clubs for railway enthusiasts were organized, there were zealous collectors of old steam locomotives and even owners of small private roads equipped with rolling stock of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The subject of tourist interest is photo and video filming of retro locomotives with a plume of black smoke from a picture pipe against the backdrop of beautiful landscapes, and even phonograms of the original and characteristic sounds of mechanisms when moving.
The role of railway transport in the Russian Federation and in the post-Soviet space remains traditionally large. This type of transport invariably enjoys great popularity among the vast majority of the country’s population and is used as the main mode of transport for both domestic (to a greater extent) and international tourist trips. Currently, in Russia, railway transport accounts for almost 50% of passenger traffic.
The structure of railway transport is based on the production-territorial principle, according to which the entire railway network of the country is divided into separate large sections - railways. In turn, railways are divided into departments, which are the main production units of railways. The departments manage the financial, production and economic activities of all production and linear divisions located within this railway: stations, terminals, railway tracks, track infrastructure, track structures, etc.
Consequently, the railway transport infrastructure is formed by linear and junction elements. Linear railways include the railways of a country or region. Nodal and point elements include passenger stations, train stations, and railway technical services. Let's look at them and the functions they perform in more detail.
Passenger stations– separate railway points where operations with passenger trains and wagons are carried out - formation, reception and dispatch, transit, maintenance of rolling stock, passenger service. Special stations are being built to serve passengers. Passenger stations are divided into through, hub, dead-end, combined, technical, and cargo-passenger stations.
Depending on their purpose, passenger stations have tracks for receiving and departing passenger trains, performing shunting operations, and temporarily parking trains; station buildings and pavilions for serving passengers and staff; platforms and transitions. The stations have technical services and parks, baggage and cargo services.
Train Station– a complex of buildings and structures specially designed and properly equipped to serve passenger trains and passengers. The station generally contains the station building itself with waiting rooms, ticket offices, catering facilities, baggage services, office premises, platforms, station tunnels and passages.
Railway stations can be separate (to serve only long-distance trains and suburban lines), semi-separate, when the station is structurally divided into two parts for long-distance and suburban lines, as well as single (the station is not divided into zones for long-distance and suburban trains; all platforms are located together and are used comprehensively). Depending on the location of the station buildings relative to the tracks, there are side buildings located on one side of the tracks, island buildings - the building is located between the tracks, dead-end buildings and channel buildings (underway and above the way).
Large railway stations have a huge throughput capacity - up to 20 million passengers per year or more. At the same time, intense passenger flows are generated as trains depart and arrive. Accordingly, they are divided into departure passengers, arrival passengers, transit passengers, passengers of passing long-distance trains and passengers of tourist trains who have a long stay at a given station. For each category of passengers, a zone, the area of station premises and a service system are determined.
At the stations themselves, passenger departure and arrival zones are allocated. This is important, especially at dead-end and hub stations, when more than 1000 passengers with luggage get off the train at the same time. The correct organization of service areas for passing high-speed trains is important. Station passages connect platforms, station premises, waiting rooms and the station area. Among them are transitions at the same level as the tracks, at the platform level, bridges and concourses, viaducts, ramps, tunnels, stairs, escalators.
The waiting rooms are designed for passengers of various categories, including transit, lounges for passengers with children and a comfortable waiting room for VIPs. In them or adjacent premises of the station there are toilets, shops, food outlets, bars, restaurants, ticket offices, information and service services, business centers, currency exchange offices, medical aid and security points.
Railway technical services are very diverse. In addition to the actual organization of train traffic and the technical maintenance of rolling stock, these services perform multiple responsibilities for booking and selling tickets to passengers, information functions, supplying fuel, water, bed linen, food, garbage and waste collection, and security.
Road transport infrastructure. Auto services used in the tourism industry include the following main areas: 1) organization of bus trips (including auto caravans); 2) organization of road trips: using your own car; car rental at your place of permanent residence; car rental at a vacation spot.
International passenger transportation involves several modes of transport: air, international, sea and road, which includes cars and buses. At the present stage of development of international transport, road transport has a high share in the total volume of international passenger transport.
By 2007, the share of road transport decreased significantly and amounted to less than 40% due to an increase in the share of air transport in transport travel. However, road transport is still the leader in tourist transportation, fulfilling two main functions: independent type of travel and excursions; auxiliary (transfer) transport. It should be noted that 92% of all excursions are carried out using road transport.
The most popular tourist transport is the bus, in most cases it is the property of large tourism companies, associations, concerns, and associations. Other travel companies use the services of motor transport companies on the basis of long-term leases or one-time orders.
Tourist road transport is carried out mainly by bus (78%), cars (17%) and other types of road transport (5%). Possessing high maneuverability and mobility, tourist buses are unrivaled on short and medium-sized (up to 500 km) routes. Highly comfortable tourist buses are also used on long routes (tours around Europe, the Golden Ring, etc.). At the same time, tourists' rest at night is provided, as a rule, in hotels or motels (roadside hotels). According to the international classification, buses are certified according to a number of criteria according to categories (number of stars).
Tourist and excursion transportation is the most popular type of travel in our country. They are widely used by travel agencies in organizing domestic and inbound tourism. In particular, many travel agencies in the country are developing bus tours for both Russian and foreign tourists. Such routes are classified according to a number of characteristics: time of implementation, duration, region, topic, travel conditions.
Most domestic tours typically range in length from one to ten days. For example, the most famous multi-day bus route (4-5 days) is the route through the cities of the Golden Ring. The themes of bus tourist and excursion routes are also very diverse. Tour operators offer religious programs (visits to monasteries and places of worship in the country), pilgrimage tours, space tours (visits to cosmodromes, aviation and astronautics museums), theater tours (visits to the most famous theaters in Moscow and St. Petersburg), nature tours (outings, weekend -end, etc.), holiday tours (participation in festive events) and others. Non-traditional bus tours are also offered - sauna tour, jeeping, fishing and hunter tours, tasting and gastronomic tours.
In addition to organizing bus tourist and guided tours on domestic routes, charter unaccompanied tours and sightseeing trips are organized for independently formed groups of tourists. In the first case, buses are used for the organized delivery of sports fans, businessmen, scientists, and festival participants. In the second case, motor transport enterprises or travel agencies organize a short trip for everyone along some interesting city or suburban route, accompanied by a guide.
International bus tours differ in duration, content of excursion programs and conditions of service during the trip. From the point of view of these factors, all international bus tours can be divided into economical, standard, branded and exclusive. IN economical tours the trip includes a varied excursion program, accommodation in 2-3 star hotels located on the outskirts of cities, and night transfers. IN standard tours One night transfer is expected, accommodation in 2-3 star hotels near metro stations or public transport lines, a varied excursion program and free time in large cities. IN signature tours there are no overnight transfers, accommodation is organized in 3-5 star hotels located in the city center, a rich excursion program and free time in the visited localities are provided. Exclusive Tours are formed on the basis of corporate ones; if desired, customer wishes are accepted.
Currently, international passenger transportation by bus in Russia actually represents two directions, namely, irregular transportation within the framework of international bus tourism and passenger transportation on regular international lines. With the formation of the CIS, a significant change occurred in each of these areas of transportation activity.
In contrast to irregular transportation of tourists, international regular bus lines became widespread relatively recently, after Russia took the market path of development, which made it possible to provide the necessary regulatory framework and freedom of movement for Russian citizens abroad. One of the pioneers in this area was the Reichert company, which for the first time opened a regular route between Russia and Germany.
For more than ten years, the Eurolines bureau, an international association of road carriers that unites 35 of the largest European bus companies, has been operating in Moscow. For those who prefer to travel independently, the Eurolines bus system is the most suitable way to travel, cheap and at the same time allowing you to see almost the whole of Europe. Currently, the Eurolines bus system connects more than 40 major cities in Europe: London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Lyon, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne, Munich, Vienna, Basel, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan , Florence, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Zurich, Bordeaux, Venice, Dublin, Krakow, Bratislava, etc.
Bus tourism. Bus tours– travel of groups of tourists on their own or rented buses. They can be carried out everywhere and with virtually no restrictions. Due to their mobility and relative independence from transport communications and schedules, bus travel allows you to organize routes to interesting places at the most convenient time for tourists. Bus travel routes are divided into urban, suburban and intercity.
The advantages of bus tours are their relative cheapness: a bus trip costs about 1.5-2 times cheaper than a regular tour with air travel and the fact that the price of bus tours does not change throughout the season, regardless of demand. In organizing bus tourism, a lot of experience has been accumulated and there are long-standing traditions compared to other types of tourism. The possibility of including small towns on the bus route makes such trips convenient for family tourists and elderly people. The participation of cars and buses in international tourism reflects the ratio of individual and group tourism, since international bus tourism is mostly group tourism.
Modern bus tourism is currently characterized not only by quantitative growth, but also by constant qualitative change, expressed in a wide variety of use of buses in international tourism. A traditional type of international bus tourism is route trips, the essence of which is that programs for them are drawn up taking into account the maximum use of buses throughout the trip. Recently, combined bus tourism has developed - route tourism and recreation, attracting tourists with a combination of educational and recreational recreation.
Thus, international bus transportation is very popular among tourists in various countries. The main advantage of this type of transportation is the optimal price/quality ratio, which allows them to be used in mass international tourism. Currently, the global market for international bus transportation is experiencing rapid growth in sales volumes and quality service indicators.
There are two ways to organize irregular transportation of tourists:
1. A travel company develops a specific bus tour and entrusts transportation to a transport organization that develops the route, performs maintenance of the flight, etc.
2. A travel company rents a bus from a transport organization (or a private person) and carries out the transportation itself. However, in this case, such a company must have a license to transport passengers internationally, the necessary permits, etc.
Bus companies offer the following tour packages and bus rental service:
1. Charter tours– catering for evenings, day trips to competitions, week-long trips – holiday tours;
2. Guided tours– trips of pre-planned groups lasting from five days to one month, accompanied by a leader;
3. Independently formed groups– the tour includes visits to cities and attractions using regular buses;
4. Flexible tours– combination of bus transport with other vehicles.
The rights and obligations of the carrier and tourists are regulated by the contract of carriage, the contract for tourist services and the voucher. Bus travel can be organized on private buses owned by travel companies, as well as on rented buses owned by independent motor transport enterprises of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. Currently, only in Moscow there are more than 30 carrier companies specializing in international tourism: “Old City”, “Avtotour-Sputnik”, “Avtoturtrans”, “Inters”, “Turtrans-Voyage”, etc.
Automobile tourism and car rental. The advantage of using road transport is that it makes travelers independent in time, routes, and schedule. The main forms of autotourism are:
· individual tourism– a tourist, going on a trip, knows that no one guarantees him overnight accommodation and food (provided that it is a long trip);
· organized tourism– travel of one or more cars according to a precise schedule and with a full range of services during stops;
· caravanning– a type of automobile tourism in which a caravan (caravan) is used as a means of accommodation.
A very common service among tourists, especially on stationary and resort tours. The leading car rental company in the world is Hertz. The competing company Avis in the mid-90s. XX century was named the best car rental company by the English magazine Institutional Investor.
Water transport infrastructure. The tourism industry has different forms of organizing travel, and one of them is cruises. Cruise is a tourist trip along a river or sea, usually calling at ports, on board a special passenger ship. Currently, dozens of cruise companies around the world operate hundreds of passenger ships, with a capacity from 70 to 2000-3000 passengers and offer exciting trips to almost any region of the world.
In essence, a cruise is a sea or river tour, the base price of which includes comprehensive services on board the ship. In particular: travel on the ship, accommodation in a cabin (depending on the chosen class), three meals a day, entertainment and, as a rule, a number of special events on board the ship (holidays, festivals, competitions, concerts, etc.).
The water recreation infrastructure most often includes cruise companies and the cruise ships they own. The vast majority of the nearly fifty companies operating in the global cruise market are North American. But today there are no more than fifteen significant companies left, and due to the active process of their merger, this number is constantly decreasing. The top ten mega-companies include Carnival, Royal Caribbean, P&O Princess, Star Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Festival, Crystal. Among the main market players, approximately 85% of companies are from the United States (often sailing under the flags of other states - Panamanian, Liberian, etc.). The top three leaders - Carnival, Royal Caribbean, P&O Princess and their affiliated companies - hold approximately 81% of the global cruise market.
Another feature of the modern cruise business is the emergence of giant ships. Leading cruise companies staged a real race of titans among themselves. In the next few years (2007-2010), about 50 more new-generation 4-5* class liners with a displacement of 70-100 thousand tons will be launched, which will replace ships built in the 80-90s. The new superliners will accommodate 2.5-3 thousand passengers, they are equipped with arcades of shops and restaurants, casinos, ice skating rinks and golf courses.
There are several common classifications of passenger ships and cruise routes. The international association of cruise lines CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), as well as the leading international cruise directories "Berlitz", "Fodor" divide sea routes depending on the cost of a day of accommodation into four categories: economical, classic, premium cruises and luxury cruises " First on the international list of luxury companies is Silversea Cruises, the only one with a six-star category and operating on an ultra all inclusive system, and offering an upscale, but more affordable Crystal vacation.
In turn, cruise ships are classified by star rating - from 1 to 6 stars and groups: Standard (“2-4 stars”), Premium (“5 stars” - “5 stars plus”) and Lux (“6 stars”). Cruise ships are certified in 6 categories (stars). Only four ships in the world belong to the super-luxury category (6 stars). The cost of a cruise of this class is $6000-8000 per week. Here passengers are accommodated only in apartments. The price of this cruise includes everything, including tips. Vessels of this class are designed for 200 passengers and 150 crew members.
3.5. The role of transport in the development of the tourism industry
Tourism involves the movement of people from one place to another, both within a country and abroad. The legislation of a number of European countries (for example, France and Italy) classifies transport services as the main services provided to a traveler, along with accommodation services. Within tourism statistics, transportation refers to the means a visitor uses to travel from his or her permanent residence to the destination being visited. However, many transport enterprises and companies not only transport tourists, but also provide transportation of ordinary passengers, mail and cargo not related to tourism. Therefore, the seasonal nature of tourism creates serious problems for transport companies.
Air transport includes: air flights carried out according to the schedule of air passenger transportation along established routes; unscheduled flights (mainly charter and others not subject to the schedule of air passenger transportation), as well as rental of aircraft with a crew. In this case, charter means any passenger vehicle (aircraft, sea, river, automobile), completely rented from the carrier by a travel agency for the transportation of tourists.
Water transport includes sea and coastal transport, as well as inland water transport.
In maritime transport, cruise ships are of particular interest. The main emphasis when organizing cruises is on obtaining positive emotions from tourists’ stay on board the ship, and not on the speed of the tourist’s arrival at the destination. In some cases, to attract tourists, ferry ships are also used, carrying not only the tourists themselves, but also their personal cars (vehicles). Land transport is divided into rail, bus and road (accommodating up to 8 people). The movement of land transport must comply with the schedule of regular transportation, but transportation can also be carried out outside the schedule (special tourist trips, long-distance charter or excursion bus trips). There is also specialized road transport that carries tourists along the routes airport - city, station - city (transfer). Renting vehicles is widespread in the host country.
Tourism depends entirely on transport, its safety, speed and amenities provided to the tourist during his movement. Understanding the basics of relationships with transport companies, the rules of interaction with them in matters of ensuring the safety of passengers and their property, service, the use of appropriate discounts and benefits during sales is important for both tourists and travel organizers. The development of tourism is hampered by the fact that transport systems in a number of countries do not meet international standards for convenience, efficiency and safety, and transport projects, in particular the construction of new airports, roads and railways, require huge investments and time for their implementation 1 .
1 More details about the importance of transport services in the development of tourism can be found in the work: “Service activities in tourism and the hotel business.” - Tomsk: Publishing house Tom. University, 2004.
The following types of transport are used in the tourism industry:
air, land and water.
The main means of transport are:
a) air - airplanes, helicopters, hang gliders, parachutes,
paragliders, hot air balloons;
b) ground – trains, buses, cars, motorcycles, bicycles;
c) water - sea and river vessels, boats, yachts, motor boats,
Each of the listed types and means of transport has its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as characteristic features (Table 1). To compare modes of transport, the following criteria are traditionally used: speed, comfort, safety and efficiency.
The fastest mode of transport is air. For long distances and transcontinental travel, the advantages of air transport are obvious.
Rail transport is considered the most comfortable and spectacular. This is due not only to the fact that the passenger’s movement is not limited within the compartment or carriage, and any position preferred by the person is possible (sitting, lying, etc.).
Even at the dawn of the development of railway transport, studies were carried out on the influence of train movement on the passenger’s condition.
Dr. K. Grum-Grzhimailo, after a series of studies, published the results in the popular St. Petersburg newspaper “Friend of Health,” which substantiated the beneficial effects of rail travel on blood circulation, digestion and the nervous system. Thus, with the beginning of the operation of railways, doctors began to prescribe not only sea and river trips, but also train travel for therapeutic and preventive purposes.
Traveling by river and sea transport is also spectacular and comfortable. Modern ships offer an unusually wide range of modern services: superior accommodation, delicious meals, a lot of entertainment, etc. However, despite modern anti-sickness systems, due to the dependence of water transport on weather conditions, sometimes it is not possible for the liner to enter the port or comfortably deliver tourists to coast, in general, in terms of convenience, sea and river vessels are inferior to modern comfortable trains.
According to long-term statistical studies, road transport is the most dangerous. This is primarily due to the frequency of its use throughout the world and special operating conditions: the high dependence of safety on the qualifications, experience and discipline of all road users, the technical condition of vehicles, road surfaces, weather conditions, etc. At the same time, road transport is most accessible to everyone and least controlled.
Cost-effectiveness when choosing transport is determined primarily by the type of travel and its route. Sometimes, at distances of up to 1000 km, the cost of air travel does not exceed the cost of traveling by rail, while the time gain can be several hours. However, taking into account the procedures for completing formalities at the airport, the time it takes to travel to the airport and back, the time gain may be minimal. Over long distances, the speed advantages of air transport are obvious, because no amount of comfort can brighten up a multi-day trip in a confined space.
To fully characterize air transport, in addition to the listed advantages, its disadvantages should be indicated: the constantly growing cost of air transportation, the remoteness of airports, dependence on weather conditions, the complexity of passport and customs control procedures and special flight safety control, the presence of transits, and inconvenience.
Air transport, namely airplanes, are most often and traditionally used when traveling over long distances, when delivering to a destination. Helicopters – demonstration flights over cities, forests, lakes, jungles (sightseeing and panoramic excursions, air safaris). Balloons are sometimes used for these purposes. Small aircraft and helicopters are used to deliver divers and off-piste skiers (free riders) to the dive and launch site, which may be difficult to access. It is possible to use air transport for travel in the summer and on domestic routes, for example, Moscow-Kostroma, if there are people willing to travel this way.
Road transport, inferior in comfort to railway transport, allows you to make a stop along the way, does not require special stations or tracks, is practically independent of weather conditions, allows you to travel across borders and even, in combination with other modes of transport, make transcontinental travel. Its disadvantages are cost and accident rate. The disadvantages of water transport include low speed and dependence on weather conditions.
Road transport in tourism is used to organize bus tours, excursions, group and individual transfers.
Railway trains are traditionally used to transport tourists to destinations. In addition, there are the concepts of “tourist trains” and “railway tours”. For example, in domestic tourism: health trains for mushroom pickers and fishermen; on the road: “Glasser Express” (Switzerland), “Emperor” (Vienna-Salzburg); in the entry ticket: “Golden Eagle” (Russia).
Thus, there is no single criterion for choosing a vehicle for a tourist trip, because each trip has its own parameters, and each type of transport has its own advantages and disadvantages. If we go to Australia, then the plane is the only mode of transport that can take us to our destination. And if - in St.
Petersburg, then the choice between plane, train, or car
carried out by the passenger based on personal preferences or circumstances.
Table 1 - Main characteristics of various types of transport
