Borrowing the experience of the development of domestic tourism in the PRC: a comparative analysis of Gubei and Mandroga

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has given an even greater impetus to the development of domestic tourism in China. Residents of China lost the opportunity to leave the country, began to visit the sights inside China even more actively. All this stimulated development of the tourism industry and so-called “old towns” began to actively appear in China - settlements that completely copy the historical appearance of Chinese cities, but do not have real historical value. The most striking example of such a town is the city of Gubei not far from Beijing. In Russia because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, as well as sanctions in recent years, there has also been an increase in demand for domestic tourism. The purpose of this article is to identify the features of the model of the city of Gubei and the possibility of their adaptation in the framework of the development of Russian domestic tourism. Based on the analysis of official documents, scientific articles, statistical data and interview results, the article analyzes the features of the possibility of borrowing the experience of the city of Gubei for the development of Russian domestic tourism. The article provides a comparative analysis of the Russian project of the village of Mandrogi and the city of Gubei in order to identify the possibility for adapting the Chinese experience and successfully copying some elements of the Gubei city model, which can stimulate the development of regional tourism in small towns and villages in Russia. During the research authors came to the conclusion that in Russia it is possible to use Chinese strategies, but only if real historical objects are restored, and not based on the construction of pseudo-historical complexes.