The Siberian Trakt – a project that forms a tourism network

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explain the development of the Siberian Trakt (Siberian Way) project and discuss methodological, instrumental and technological questions related to its implementation. The paper also aims to explore the project’s ability to form a collaborative tourism network that boosts tourism development in the unique Siberian regions of Russia located in the very center of the Eurasian continent. Design/methodology/approach A multidisciplinary view and case approach are the basic methods chosen to illustrate and analyze the prospects for tourist network development in Siberia within the framework of the Siberian Trakt project. Findings The findings reveal the opportunities arising from the project. The Siberian Trakt helps to combine the resources of surrounding territories, brings over external resources to the investment foundations of the project and thus adds to the development of settlements that are participants in the project. Originality/value The main output of this paper is confirmation of useful approaches in tourism network development along the Siberian Trakt, which historically connected Central Russia with Siberia and the Far East. On the basis of the experience of the Siberian Trakt project, the problems and prospects of Siberia as new tourism destinations are shown, as well as the role of small settlements as important nodes of the regional tourism network.