Impressive Figures

In today’s context, marked by rising environmental anxiety and a growing demand for authenticity, ecotourism is experiencing unprecedented growth. According to research, around 50% of all tourism destinations worldwide are already positioned as, or associated with, ecotourism. Booking.com’s 2023 study confirms the depth of this trend: 80% of travelers say sustainability matters to them, and 43% are willing to pay more for services certified as sustainable. UNDP forecasts indicate a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 116.1% for the ecotourism market between 2023 and 2028, signaling its transition from a niche segment to the mainstream. This boom is driven by fundamental shifts in consumer demand. Accelerated urbanization and the digitalization of everyday life have created a strong desire for solitude and a renewed connection with nature. Travelers increasingly view trips not as entertainment, but as a way to restore physical and mental well-being through immersion in natural environments. At the same time, demand is growing for unique, transformative experiences. Today’s traveler seeks not passive leisure, but deep engagement—wanting to understand ecosystems, encounter the culture and everyday life of local communities, and become not just an observer but a conscious participant in the life of a place. This is supported by Radical Storage data, according to which 21% of people choosing ecotourism are motivated specifically by the desire for a unique experience that reflects the spirit of the destination.

Ecotourism in Russia: Great Potential, Major Challenges

With its immense natural capital, Russia stands at a crossroads within this global trend. On the one hand, the country ranks first in the world by total area of protected natural territories. According to the international Protected Planet project, there are around 293,000 protected areas worldwide, of which more than 6,000 are national parks playing a key role in recreational potential. In the CIS and Central Asian countries, including Russia, there are around 80 national parks—an enormous asset whose potential remains only partially realized. Interest in protected areas among Russian travelers is growing rapidly: according to sectoral agencies, the number of visitors to Russia’s protected natural areas doubled between 2020 and 2024, from 6.7 million to 11.8 million people. This points to strong domestic demand. On the other hand, the economic contribution of ecotourism to the national economy remains disproportionately low. Russia has a total of 12,300 protected natural areas with a combined area of 244.4 million hectares. Of this, only about 6 million hectares are open to visitors—just one-fortieth of the total. According to estimates by Russotravel.ru, the annual revenue of this sector in Russia amounts to only $10–15 million, equivalent to roughly 2% of the country’s overall tourism industry. This paradox—vast potential combined with modest outcomes—reveals a range of systemic challenges. Analysts from the Atlas team, along with experts we interviewed while preparing publications on ecotourism for Forbes, Vedomosti, and RBC Trends, identify several key barriers. First is the infrastructure gap. Many unique destinations remain difficult to access due to the lack of developed logistics—quality roads, regular transport connections, and clear navigation systems. Second, there are stringent legal restrictions on economic activity within protected zones, which constrain private-sector development, including the construction of environmentally sensitive accommodation such as eco-lodges and glamping sites, the creation of cafés serving local cuisine, and related visitor services. Third, there is an acute shortage of qualified personnel—professional guides, sustainable tourism managers, and visitor experience specialists. Finally, awareness remains low both among tourists, who are often unaware of existing opportunities, and among regional authorities, who may lack familiarity with effective management models.

How to Address the Challenges of Ecotourism Development: International Cases

Global practice offers two principal approaches to overcoming these barriers through different governance models. The decentralized model, exemplified by Norway’s national parks, grants a high degree of autonomy to each protected area. Local governing bodies independently build relationships with businesses, civil society organizations, and local residents, ensuring flexibility, sensitivity to local context, and rapid response to emerging needs. The downside of this model can be the absence of unified standards and difficulties in coordinating the development of the national park network at a national scale. The centralized model, as implemented in Canada through Parks Canada, involves a single governing body that coordinates policy, service standards, and promotion across the entire park system. This makes it possible to achieve synergy, maintain a consistently high level of service, and develop an effective national brand. However, it can also lead to excessive bureaucracy and a weaker connection to local realities. For Russia, with its vast distances and regional diversity, a hybrid approach appears most promising—combining a centralized strategy and shared standards with broad powers delegated to regional operators. Successful international case studies show that economic efficiency in ecotourism is achieved only through a comprehensive approach. Australia is a telling example: the ecotourism industry generates $1.6 billion in annual revenue and provides employment to 14,000 people, 96% of whom work in rural and regional areas. The Australian model is built on three pillars: ensuring economic benefits for Indigenous communities through dedicated training and employment programs; a strong educational component (for example, UNESCO educational centers in Kakadu National Park); and an unconditional priority placed on biodiversity conservation. A critical element in building a sustainable system is the creation of an infrastructure of trust. This primarily involves certification based on international standards such as those developed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Certification helps prevent greenwashing—the practice of making unsubstantiated claims about environmental responsibility—and provides conscious travelers with a clear benchmark for making informed choices. Transparency in environmental impact becomes a competitive advantage. Equally important is the active involvement of local communities. Sustainable development occurs where residents see tourism not as a threat, but as an opportunity. In Kenozersky National Park in Russia, local residents actively rent out guesthouses, offer locally produced goods, and serve as guides and custodians of local traditions. The national park, in turn, supports them with promotion and the development of an overall high-quality concept. In this way, tourism becomes a tool for local economic development and for preserving cultural identity. The creation of appropriate, low-impact infrastructure is another key component. This does not imply large-scale construction, but rather visitor centers with an educational function (such as the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center in Yellowstone, USA), well-designed ecological trails incorporating storytelling elements, and accommodation formats that minimize environmental impact. Eco-lodges and glamping sites (with the glamping market projected by Grand View Research to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% from 2023 to 2030) are increasingly in demand as responses to the desire for comfort without harm to nature. Examples such as Three Camel Lodge in Mongolia, powered by solar energy and deeply integrated into the life of the Gobi Desert community, set a high standard for such models. A separate and highly important challenge is transport ecology. According to the UN, tourism accounts for about 5% of global transport emissions, and these emissions are projected to increase by 45% by 2030. The development of rail-based and pedestrian tourism, along with the creation of interregional ecological routes (such as the EuroVelo cycling network or Japan’s Shimanami Kaido trail), are pathways that reduce pressure on ecosystems. Many consumers—65%, according to Outdoor Hospitality data—are willing to choose more environmentally friendly transport.

From Marketing to Real Change: The Future of Ecotourism in Russia

The future of ecotourism in Russia depends on the country’s ability to undergo systemic transformation. What is needed is not simply the promotion of individual destinations, but the creation of an integrated ecosystem that includes clear legislative regulation encouraging responsible business, investment in “soft” infrastructure (human capital, knowledge, certification), and transparent rules of engagement for all stakeholders—from the state and major investors to local residents and travelers themselves. As Alexandra Sytnikova, founder of Atlas International Development Bureau, notes, sustainable tourism is not merely an alternative to mass tourism, but a necessary instrument for overcoming its negative consequences. For Russia, realizing this potential would mean not only diversifying the economies of depressed regions and creating new jobs, but also—and most importantly—establishing a sustainable financial model for preserving the country’s invaluable natural heritage. Ecotourism, in its true sense, is a path from the exploitation of nature toward cooperation with it, where each visitor becomes a co-investor in the future of the territory they visit.