Acta Geoturistica volume 9 (2018), number 1, 23-29 doi: 10.1515/agta-2018-0003 Geological Tourism Development In The Finnish-Russian Borderland: The Case Of The Cross-Border Geological Route “Mining Road” 1 2 JARI K. NENONEN AND SVETLANA V. STEPANOVA 1 Geological Survey of Finland, P.O. Box 1237 FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland (e-mail: [email protected]) 2 Institute of Economics, Karelian Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 50, A. Nevskogo Str., Petrozavodsk 185030, Russian Federation (e-mail: [email protected]) ABSTRACT The Finnish-Russian borderland has a unique geological potential for geological tourism development. Creating new tourist attractions based on geoheritage, design and development of the cross-border tourist routes open new opportunities for tourism development on both sides of the border. The article presents the cross- border geological tourist route “Mining Road” as a tool of activation of tourist activity in the Finnish-Russian borderland. This article explores the practical aspects of the project "Mining Road" development for tourism industry. It is proven the significance of cross-border route "Mining road" for preservation, popularization and reproduction of the natural, cultural and historical potential of the borderland. Keywords: geotourism, cross-border geological route, “Mining Road”, Finland, Republic of Karelia. INTRODUCTION cooperation in tourism sphere. The relevance of our research is caused With the growing significance of by two factors. On the one side, the environment protection and sustainable Finnish-Russian borderland has unique development the geological tourism is geological resources which can be used not considered as a new perspective direction of only in mining industry but also as a the nature based tourism which can potential for regional development based on contribute to geoheritage conservation and sustainable tourism development. On the stimulate the economic activities in the other side, design and development of a regions (Dowling, 2010; Dowling, 2013; cross-border tourist route increases Hose et al., 2011). The importance of opportunities for promotion of unique creating a new tourist centers and geoheritage of the territory, enhancing development of the destinations is business activity along the route on both increasing in the conditions of competition side of the border and cohesion tourist between countries, regions and companies space of the border regions. for tourists and investment. The geology The aim of this paper is to present the provides wide opportunities for creating geological tourist route “Mining road” as a new tourist attractions on its base. The tool of stimulating tourist activity for borderland has a unique geographical regional development in the Finnish- position that gives an extra opportunity for Russian borderland based on geological the protection and promotion of the tourism. geological heritage within international © 2018 Jari K. Nenonen and Svetlana V. Stepanova. This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). 23 Acta Geoturistica volume 9 (2018), number 1, 23-22 GEOLOGICAL TOURISM geotourist? According to C. Grant six types DEVELOPMENT IN THE of visitors to geosites exist, ranging from BORDERLAND unaware visitors to geo-experts (Grant, 2010). A key issue is the examining of the Since the first definition of a geotourism correlation of the geological tourism by Thomas Hose in 1995 this phenomena is development to the interests of tourists who stabily developing and getting niche form look for new experiences and new of sustainable tourism in the world (Hose et impressions (Kotrla et al., 2016). al., 2011). There are four major approaches Nowadays the geotourism is growing to definitions of a geotourism in geological rapidly with travel and appreciation of sense (Goki et al., 2016): natural landscapes and geological 1. a tourism where the major attraction is phenomena continuing to grow as a new the geological heritage, the promoting of form of the global tourism industry its leads to the development of the Earth (Dowling, 2010; Dowling, 2013; Hose et Sciences; al., 2011). The part of geotourism 2. a knowledge-based tourism; development studies is devoted to 3. a form of nature based tourism focused opportunities of promotion of a unique on landscape and geology; geological, geomorphological and mining 4. the provision of interpretative and potential as tourist attraction (Vukojević, service facilities for geosites and 2011; Goki et al., 2011; Madziarz, 2013; geomorphosites. Rozycki & Dryglas, 2016). Special The development of geological attention deserve researches that assess the knowledge up to recent years has focused tourist value of the geological and on the exploitation of earth resources for geomorphological sites (Pralong, 2005; mans well-being. Conscious efforts need to Štrba & Rybár, 2015; Tamara & Milica, be made to ensure continued preservation of 2016). The practical result of this an important geological heritage while evaluation is the base for promotion and developing these geological resources at the including sites in the tourist sphere of the same time. In this case geotourism has regional economy (Albă. 2016). close connection to ecotourism, the latter The geographical position of the balances between leisure and nature borderland opens an extra opportunity for conservation. Moreover, geotourism having the protection, popularization and high educational value promotes knowledge promotion of the geological sites within about the Earth's surface and interiors, its cross-border cooperation. Nowadays the Past, Present, and Future, as well as about transnational UNESCO Global Geoparks common geological processes and have been established in the borderlands spectacular phenomena (Nenonen & where geosites and landscapes have Portaankorva, 2009). international geological significance (today Geotourism comprises the geological there are four in the world) (UNESCO). heritage combined with the components of One of the tools of promotion of the tourism including attractions, border geological and mining sites is design accommodation, tours, activities, and development of the geological routes interpretation as well as planning and which significance has increased in recent management. There are five key principles years with the growth of interest to the which are fundamental to geotourism: nature based tourism. The opportunities of geologically based, sustainable, the including these sites into the tourist and geologically informative, locally beneficial recreational activity promote expansion of and tourist satisfaction (Dowling, 2010). regional tourism products and improve One of the important questions determined competitiveness of the destinations. The the geotourism development: who is a impact of different kinds of the cross-border 24 Acta Geoturistica volume 9 (2018), number 1, 23-29 tourist routes development on local Republic of Karelia, Karelian Regional economy and protection, conservation and State Museum, Ministry of Education of the promotion of natural, cultural and historical Republic of Karelia). Besides nine associate potential of territory has been investigated partners took part in the project activities particularly in European border regions, (Mining). including regions bordering Russia (Kovács The route conects geological, mining and & Nagy, 2013; Kropinova & Anokhin, industrial heritage of the Finnish-Russian 2014). The circular route uniting Norway, borderland along the international tourist Finland and Russia (Kola Peninsula) that road “Blue road” from city of Petrozavodsk can be started from any point is a good (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) to city of example of presentation and promotion of Outokumpu (North Karelia, Finland) (Fig. geological potential of the northern 1.). Fennoscandia (Johansson et al., 2014). The Totally the cross-border route unites other example is design and development of about 20 main objects associated with the the cross-border tourist route “Mining road” industrial geological and mining history of in the Finnish-Russian borderland. the Finnish-Russian borderland (Table 1.). A pilot tour of the tourist company "Karelika" in August 2014 can be THE CROSS-BORDER GEOLOGICAL considered the opening of the cross-border ROUTE “MINING ROAD” tourist route "Mining road" for visitors. Under the project implementation were The cross-border tourist route “Mining reconstructed and the improved number of Road” (about 400 km.) was elaborated out facilities along the route new tourist within КА334 «Mining Road» project (total attractions based on the geological and budget about 800 thousand euro) funded by mining heritage of the territory were the Karelia ENPI CBC Programme. The created. project was developed during 2012-2014 The examples of a new impulse of the years in collaboration with Finish partners tourist attractions development are the (Geological Survey of Finland, Outokumpu “Mining Park Ruskeala” (the Republic of Mining Museum) and Russian partners Karelia) and the Outokumpu Mining (Institute of Geology of Karelian Research museum (the North Karelia). According to Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences historical aspects transformation of the old as a Leading Partner, Administration of Marble quarry to a new tourist attraction Pryazha National Municipal District of the Mining Park “Ruskeala” started in 1998. Fig. 1 The cross-border tourist route “Mining Road”