Imagining Hyperborea: the perceptions of residents of the Murmansk region on tourism development in Kovdor

Abstract

The article discusses the perceptions of the residents of the Murmansk region regarding the development of tourism in the town of Kovdor, based on an analysis of survey results. The study is based on theoretical research in the field of sustainable tourism, an important part of which involves studying the opinions of the local population regarding the development of tourism in their area. The results of the study demonstrated that many respondents were quite skeptical about the development of Kovdor as a place where traces of the ancient civilization of Hyperborea can be found. This is largely because it pertains to alternative history, which has little in common with the industrial history of Kovdor and the image of a Kovdor resident. According to the respondents, spiritual tourism and everything associated with it does not fit into the general ideas of the region and nature tourism, which should be the main focus.