Spatial analysis of tourism development in the traditional settlement areas of the Kumandins in the Altai Krai

This article examines tourism development in the areas traditionally inhabited by the Kumandins, an indigenous small-numbered people of the Altai Krai. The study is driven by the need to revitalize traditional forms of indigenous ethnoculture within modern socio-economic conditions, as well as by the lack of research into the spatial distribution of ethnocultural tourism and recreational resources and the territorial disparities in tourism development across Kumandin settlement areas. The research aims to analyze the potential, current state, and development prospects of tourism in these traditional Kumandin areas using GIS technologies. The work uses comparative-geographical and geoinformation research methods.  Key findings include the development of thematic maps that clearly show the uneven distribution of tourist and recreational resources across the traditional territories of this indigenous group.  The results of the study demonstrate the potential for integrating the adjacent traditional territories of indigenous small-numbered peoples from the Altai Krai, the Altai Republic, and the Kemerovo Region into a unified ethno-cultural tourist space. The practical significance of the work lies in the potential for local government bodies, tour operators, and Kumandian communities to utilize these findings when making management decisions regarding the rational use of the Altai Krai’s existing ethnocultural tourism and recreational potential.