"To make the city hospitable and recognizable." Three ideas on how to attract tourists to Slonim by Vitaliy Karpinchik
Traveling people in the world every year becomes more and more. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 1.3 billion of the world's seven billion people traveled last year. And this figure is increasing every year. And the income from international tourism exceeds $1 trillion. The question is what place in this system can take Russia. There is potential, but its disclosure in practice is lame, experts say.
Difficulties in counting
Russia has not yet learned how to reliably count the incoming tourist flow. According to Rosstat, in 2017, 24.4 million people came to Russia for the purpose of tourism, and in 2016 - 24.6 million. These figures, however, should also be trusted with caution: we simply consider the facts of crossing state border, with no distinction as to whether the person is traveling, say, on business or sightseeing. Therefore, officially the most “tourist” countries in terms of entry are Ukraine (8.7 million trips) and Kazakhstan (3.5 million). But in fact, the leaders of the incoming flow are China (1.4 million) and Finland (1 million).
“In the last 10-15 years, nothing new has happened in inbound tourism. As we received 2.5–3 million people a year, we are accepting,” says CEO UTS Group travel holding Alexei Krylov adds: Paris alone is visited annually by 60 million tourists, the tourist flow to the United States exceeds 100 million people, and to China - 130 million. And four years ago, the tourist flow to Georgia was exactly the same as to Russia, although these countries are difficult to compare in terms of territory and tourism potential.
typical tourist
A traveler going to Russia, as a rule, goes here to get acquainted with history and see the sights. Beaches and skiing are of little interest to him. Groups usually come, there are few individual tourists in our country. The geographic set is standard: Moscow and St. Petersburg are mandatory points of the program. " gold ring”, Baikal or Far East- additional. Of the unusual, experts noted an unexpected interest foreign tourists to the Moscow and St. Petersburg Christmas markets. So, apparently, Russia has potential as a destination for event tourism.
“It happens that wealthy tourists go, but as a result, the income from them is less than from the insolvent. For example, St. Petersburg received about half a million cruisers. These are usually older rich people. But they live in a cabin on a ship, they eat there, they don’t go to shops. So their contribution to the industry is minimal. And the budget group on the bus, which still uses internal transport, walks a lot and goes to shops, will bring much more income to the industry, ”says Ivan Vvedensky, chairman of the commission for the development and support of inbound tourism of the Public Council under the Federal Tourism Agency.
The geography of "suppliers" of foreign tourists is quite diverse. Although there is also an undisputed leader in terms of dynamics here - this is China, gaining 30-50% annually, while Europe has been declining for several years in a row.
“For the last two years, we have seen an increase in volumes after a recession. Europe is not as active as it used to be. But we receive a lot of Japanese, tourists from South-East Asia- These are mostly middle class people from Malaysia, Vietnam. They have been very active lately. Coming from Australia, New Zealand. But in this case, they combine tours with Europe,” adds Marina Levchenko, general director of the Tari Tour tour operator.
Tour operators note: foreigners come to Russia, as a rule, for a week. This tour includes visits to Moscow, St. Petersburg, ground handling. Often, foreigners immediately buy a flight to Russia from a tour operator. The average cost of a weekly tour in this case varies from $1000 to $2500.
There is no stability in the world
What hinders the development of inbound tourism in Russia? Experts are sure that the whole point is in the numerous and multidirectional phenomena that occur not only in the industry, but also in the country as a whole.
“Turbulence is typical for entry in 2014-2018. It [the market] was shaking, it was happening in unpredictable conditions. These are political moments, the depreciation of the ruble - on the one hand. Major events - the Sochi Olympics, the Confederations Cup, the World Cup - they, too, will certainly have an impact. There is reason to believe that in 2019 the industry will reach stable indicators,” Ivan Vvedensky believes.
In addition to the political situation, the tourist flow is affected by security and availability developed infrastructure, continues Alexey Krylov. In this case, often these two points can be bizarrely intertwined.
“For many foreign tourists, Moscow and St. Petersburg are cities that are on their own list of things to see at least once in their lives. Therefore, they want, for example, to visit the Kremlin museums or go to the Hermitage. They book these tours six months in advance. And then on the day of the visit, it may turn out that the museum is closed, because the rehearsal of the Victory parade or the inauguration of the president, and no one even reported about it. I understand that there may be such situations, but warn about them in advance, publicly, ”says Krylov.
Also in Russia, it is by no means everywhere possible to find a suitable hotel that suits a foreign guest. This problem is often faced by tourists going to the Far East or Baikal. But sometimes it occurs even in the most promoted areas.
“There are few high-quality hotels in St. Petersburg; foreigners cannot be lured by mini-hotels. But for some reason, investors do not go into the hotel industry. Yes, and the opinion of the city leadership is that tourists go to St. Petersburg only in the summer, and they don’t go in the winter. But it seems to me that if there were enough hotels, we would go all year round. No matter how many hotels you build in St. Petersburg, it will not be enough,” says Marina Levchenko.
Finally, the difficulties in promoting the country as tourist destination(and Rostourism has repeatedly said that the budget for marketing is much lower than that of other states) also do not contribute to the growth of its popularity.
Complex visas
Russian visa rules also make life difficult for foreign tourists, experts say. Chinese organized groups do not require visas, with South Korea visas were abolished, a similar regime operates with a number of other countries in Asia and Latin America. But at the same time, most traveling citizens need entry documents. To get a visa, you need to get an invitation, fill out a form and pay a round sum. Documents can take a long time to review.
“The procedure is quite lengthy. And besides, issuing visas leads to an increase in the cost of the tour by $100-120. If they are not canceled, then at least electronic ones should be introduced,” Marina Levchenko believes.
A colleague from UTS Group agrees with her. “If visas are canceled, even though what is being done in inbound tourism now, the tourist flow could be doubled,” says Alexei Krylov.
Ivan Vvedensky of the Public Council under the Federal Tourism Agency also notes that the abolition or simplification of visa procedures would lead to a significant increase in tourist flow. He recalled that a free port regime began to operate in Vladivostok, which implies the simplification of visa formalities for tourists. This practice should be extended to other coastal regions, the expert believes. In addition, it is necessary to simplify the issuance of visas for tourists visiting other regions of the country.
“In order to obtain a visa, we need an invitation from the host country. I think this is a rudiment, it should be excluded. We are working to change the law on entry and exit so that foreigners can get a visa on a hotel reservation, as in Europe. It is necessary that visas be electronic. In addition, we are lagging behind progressive humanity in the sense that other countries issue multiple visas for more long term than travel dates. We need political will to change this situation,” Vvedensky believes.
Weak ruble and professional tricks
However, Russia has a great tourism potential and good opportunities to develop it. Oddly enough, the consequences of economic difficulties will contribute to this. In particular, the depreciating ruble, which makes the spending of foreigners in Russia more and more pleasant.
“In the 2000s in Moscow and St. Petersburg a lot of good hotels for business. In 2014, the business ended, and the occupancy of 4* and 5* hotels dropped by 50%. Hoteliers have reduced prices, and it has become very profitable to stay with them. At the same time, the price corresponds to the quality, since these are, as a rule, objects international networks. Add to this an inexpensive taxi, tickets to museums at competitive prices, a check in a restaurant - in the currency all this is very attractive now, ”says Krylov.
In addition, experts remind that transport in Russia is also developing. High-speed rail service makes the main tourist centers closer to each other. And the expansion of flight programs Russian carriers helps to interest tourists from the most remote corners of the Earth in Russia.
Today every city has enough lot travel companies and the competition between them is quite high. How do you make sure that customers contact you?
When opening a travel agency, pay great attention to its name and location. original but catchy name would be a small advantage. Place, where the travel agency is located, also often affects the choice of tourists. It’s good if you can get to it both on a personal and on a public transport. Do not be afraid of competition and you can open an office where there are already travel agencies. As a rule, people look at several companies before a vacation to find a profitable and interesting offer.
The simplest and at the same time well-functioning way of advertising is word of mouth. When opening a travel agency, tell your friends and acquaintances about it, they can use the services. If customers are satisfied, they will recommend the company to friends, because, as a rule, people turn to travel agencies for the first time based on the reviews of their friends. Do not expect a large flow of tourists immediately, but in a few years your own customer base can form.
Don't forget about business cards and flyers. Making simple flyers is not expensive, and distributing them where a large number of people gather can interest customers. The main thing is that the leaflet should be interesting and original and could interest people.
Before traveling, many tourists look at the Internet, and advertising on the Internet can be effective, and it will be inexpensive. It would be nice to create your own website, which will host not only the proposed tours, but also reviews of tourists about the rest, hotels. Reviews must be true.
contextual advertising also can attract customers to the travel agency. It is one of the fastest and effective ways attracting customers. If, when typing keywords, the company's website comes out on the first page, then many will definitely look at it. This means that in the future they will be able to become customers of the company.
You can order the creation of a site and its promotion in our agency, see the services section.
Don't Forget Popularity social networks . You can create a group or blog for free. But you need to watch them. Be sure to post interesting and profitable offer, answer questions and comments. Inviting to the group is simple, often in the interests you can see who is interested in tourism, such people are your potential customers.
To attract customers for the holidays, you can organize special, unique tours. And newlyweds, for example, offer discounts and give gifts. Discounts always attract customers, but a good and exciting holiday is often more important than price.
Many travel agencies reduce prices due to great competition, but you can go the other way. Necessary offer really interesting and unique tours. Be sure to report new attractive routes on the website and in the group. Prove that the price of a trip is not the main thing, the content of the trip is more important. Then customers will become interested, and having received a lot of positive impressions on vacation, they will return to your travel agency again.
Video Marketing
Using video is one of the most powerful ways to attract customers. And for this you do not have to buy expensive airtime on television. Equally effective is the placement of videos on the Internet, for example, on the most visited video hosting youtube.
The video can be made interactive, linked to a specific tour, for example:
At the end of the video, a special navigation block is placed through which potential customers can get acquainted with the most bright places your tour.
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Clients - how many in this sound, isn't it? And even if your company is still young and is taking its first steps in the tourism business, you and your employees have probably learned the most important lesson: the client is our everything!
I would like to immediately make an amendment and thereby remove rose-colored glasses from your eyes: not every client is useful to your company. And, the most important rule that you must learn as an axiom: the best client is a regular client!
That is why henceforth all your steps should be aimed not only at attracting a flow of customers to your travel agency, but also at competently filtering out really promising ones from the general mass, that is, those who will bring you income for many years.
How to attract clients to a young travel agency?
You need to think about this issue long before the grand opening - even when choosing a place for your office, because the location of your office has a very noticeable effect on the flow of customers, especially at the beginning: try to find out in advance what is the traffic near your office, what is the level of income of the population of nearby houses and does it fall into the category of “your” clients?
At first, customers are attracted either through street signs and banners, or through advertising on the Internet. It often happens that several travel agencies coexist in a relatively small area, especially if you are in a shopping or business center. And during this period it is very important that your office in all respects be the most convenient for the client than that of a competing company, because competitors should not receive your customers. Shift your schedule so that your work is in full swing and after the offices of competitors are closed, work on weekends, etc. You need to follow all the steps taken by your rivals and be head and shoulders above them.
The main ways to attract
In the process of attracting customers, it is important to learn how to identify promising ones and filter out those who will not become permanent. For example, there is a whole layer of travelers who are chasing only discounts - and such people should not be of interest to you, because, as soon as they see a big discount in another agency, they will immediately go over to your competitors. Hence the conclusion: there is not the slightest point in trying to keep the client with a discount. And even though many managers are afraid of losing customers without giving a discount, nevertheless, according to the data, such customers turn out only in 20-25% of cases, in the remaining 75% of the customers you will still remain, and those who left, by and large, do not represent no value.Therefore, do not bet on discounts. Attract customers with professionalism and reliability. People want to hear advice and get help from someone who understands tourism issues. Show them that you are a pro, tell them about hotels, restaurants and resorts. If your advice is valuable to a potential client, he will become a regular for you.
Customer focus. Emphasize that you are not trying to sell the tour "more expensive" at all, but that you are making sure that your client's vacation is of high quality. Offer only the best. You must be sure that the tour you have chosen is the best for a particular client. Therefore, take the time to monitor - you must be 100% sure of what you offer - only then the client will believe you and turn into a regular customer.
A good way to attract customers are affiliate sales- look for nearby places where your target audience “lives” or points of sale, whose customers one way or another may be interested in your services, and cooperate: leave your discount coupons, flyers, certificates or even just booklets there - the effect will not force itself long wait!
And again, the best customer is a regular customer. Don't forget about it.
A person who made only one purchase and never returned to you is your defeat. Not only will he barely recoup the money you spent on attracting him, but statistics also tell us that the amount of the average check for regular customers is significantly higher than for those who make a purchase for the first time.
How not to lose a client
First, get his contact details. It is best to draw up a special questionnaire that the client would fill out while the manager prepares the documents, and then transfer all the data from the questionnaire to the client database.
Secondly, you should always be interested in how the client's vacation went on his return from the trip.
Thirdly, it is very useful to remind yourself at least once a month through mailing, SMS, phone calls or by mail (in the form of a discount certificate). There can be a huge number of reasons to remind yourself, often also called the “touch system”. Do not be afraid to seem intrusive sometimes: experience shows that there are many more lost customers due to an insufficient number of contacts than due to excessive ones.
How to attract the "right" customers?
Here, too, it is worth highlighting a few important points. Pay attention to what keywords are in your contextual advertising and modify them a bit: instead of “cheap tours”, put “ individual tours” or “holiday on a yacht” or ... and so on (you choose), in a word, make your proposals more “expensive”.
Look at what phrases your banners and advertisements are full of: if these are offers of last-minute and cheap tours to Egypt and Turkey, then the corresponding people will come to you, that is, those who are looking exclusively for discounts.
Take your agency to the next level! In addition to Turkey, Egypt and Thailand, there is a vacation of a higher level: Bali, Maldives, Seychelles, etc. Don't forget about them! Let your managers not be afraid to sell more expensive types of recreation. Attract the “right” clients to your agency, not “freebie” lovers. 
How to find clients online
The Internet is good because you have the opportunity to influence directly your target audience and not waste time on those who you do not need.
The whole point of online promotion should be to lure the visitor to the office. The site should not give an abundance of information - it distracts attention, the site should generate requests and calls to the office, putting the user in a strict framework. In order for a client to turn from a virtual one into a real one, you need to be able to combine 3 components of success on your site: interest + time limit + indication to action. Don't give the person time to think. Send him directly to your office - the offer is hot! Validity is limited!
Secrets of working with regular customers
So that, once having bought a tour from you, customers would not safely forget about you, you need to make them more loyal to your company, turn them into regular customers. It has been proven that attracting a new person is 5-7 times more expensive than retaining an old one. In addition, in the second case, you significantly save your manager’s time, because the buyer agrees to make a purchase faster, because he has already used your services, he already trusts you.
Regular customers are also very useful because they create the so-called "word of mouth" effect - telling their friends about your travel agency, they, in fact, make you a good and quite effective, and, most importantly, free advertising.
Regular customers are those who most actively respond to all kinds of promotions and participate in them with pleasure. They perceive your letters not as spam, but as advice from a good friend. It is not clear why, so far, in many travel agencies, work with the client base is going so sluggishly.
Increasing the circle of regular customers
This is the first step to increase the income of your travel agency. Your potential buyers are all residents of the region who go on vacation at least once a year. All your advertising and marketing efforts should be aimed at attracting potential customers. In addition, you should strive in every possible way to ensure that your current customers literally “work” for you and expand the number of potential buyers: you can offer discounts and discounts not only to regular customers, but also to their friends and acquaintances.
The main asset of the travel agency is the customer base
You need to work with clients, although for some reason many owners of travel agencies do not understand this. If clients are “abandoned”, then most of them will sooner or later disperse to other travel agencies. Of course, if you work adequately, someone will remain - those who are simply too lazy to change something, but, unfortunately, there are only a small proportion of such people.
Most customers do not remember which company they bought their previous tour from, because they once came there, bought a ticket and safely forgot all the extra details. That is why it is important to develop and implement a clear outline of the steps that your managers should take to work with the client base. And, of course, in order to have enough information in your database, you need to enter all customer information into it in a timely and accurate manner.
What should the customer base look like?
First of all, of course, the base should not be in notebooks and not on separate sheets of managers, it should be in in electronic format. Neglecting this rule threatens you with the fact that sooner or later your base will “leave” after the quit employee. Although on this moment there are several special convenient programs for working with databases, let yours for a start be at least in a table in Excel.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of proper work to attract customers and competent database management. This is the very foundation on which a solid foundation for the further growth and development of your young company will be built.
Nadezhda Makatrova
How to attract tourists and become a tourist brand in Russia
If you want the world to change, become that change.
Mahatma Gandhi
Any obstacle is overcome by perseverance.
Leonardo da Vinci
Foreword
How can we attract tourists? How not to get lost in the background of thousands of proposals from other cities and countries? How to convince the Russians that it is possible to relax comfortably in Russia, and that a small town far from the Russian capitals is not necessarily a "hole"?
As the practice of recent years shows, these questions can be heard at all conferences, round tables and forums dedicated to the development of tourism in Russia. They also sound during our conversations with representatives of local and regional administrations from different parts of the country. And these questions are of concern not only to officials, but also to the heads of travel agencies, owners of hotels and restaurants, directors of museums, sanatoriums, and even local residents who rent out their living space to vacationers ...
So what to do? “Take an example from Myshkin!” - this dangerous advice is repeated like a broken record, all sorts of "gurus". Myshkin is a wonderful city, but, firstly, its strategy is far from suitable for everyone (there are about 6 thousand inhabitants in Myshkino), and secondly, it is pointless to copy the tip of the iceberg without seeing and understanding everything that is hidden from the eyes in thicker than water.
Three or four years ago, participants in tourist exhibitions representing Russian cities and regions said: “We just need money for advertising, and people will come to us!” Money was allocated, tourists did not go ... Today, a more professional understanding is coming that attracting tourists is not so much advertising as a whole task system, that need to be addressed at the regional level. And this book is a story about who and how should solve these problems, what mistakes and “pitfalls” can be here, what resources can be used in the work and how to place accents. And of course, examples of success.
The book "How to attract tourists and become a tourist brand in Russia" is based on an analysis of the experience accumulated in Russia and the CIS, both successful and unsuccessful, as well as the experience of some foreign countries in the development of tourism and the promotion of the territory in tourism market. In addition, some observations and conclusions made while working on the projects of the consulting company "Konkretika" served as material for the book.
This book is methodical, sometimes unpleasant and even offensive, because it tells not only about the possibilities and hidden potential Russian cities and regions, but also about their typical mistakes and shortcomings. But the main value of the book, in my opinion, is concrete practical recommendations explaining WHAT need to do and AS to do, as well as 420 real-life examples that provide a rich platform for your own ideas and solutions.
I hope this book will help you in your work. Have a productive reading!
Nadezhda Makatrova,
Director of the consulting company "Konkretika"
Travel brand: to be or not to be?
Fate leads the one who wants to go, drags the one who does not want to go.
Cleanthes, ancient Greek philosopher (IV-111 centuries BC)
Brands were not heard about in the Soviet Union. But at the same time, all citizens of our vast and multinational country firmly knew that:
If you want to go to the sea, then you have to go to Black Sea coast Caucasus or Crimea. With small children - to Anapa or Evpatoria;
If there are no vouchers for the Black Sea, then - to the Azov Sea, to Yeysk;
The intelligentsia preferred the Baltics;
If you need to heal, a direct road to the sanatorium of the Caucasian Mineral Waters;
For lovers of excursions and cultural and historical values - Moscow, Leningrad, the cities of the Golden Ring and, perhaps, Pskov and Novgorod;
Military-patriotic education - Volgograd with its famous Mamaev Kurgan.
All Soviet people also knew about Baikal and Kamchatka, but they didn’t even dream of getting there - the flight is too expensive, a simple Soviet family can’t afford. Here they are - real tourist brands, created, by the way, with the powerful support of the state ...
Of course, there were many others in the USSR interesting places and routes - "hits" of the district and regional scale, where excursion groups from schools, universities, enterprises and institutions were continuously sent, but they could not compete with the all-Union "grands".
25 years have passed since perestroika…
Today, looking at the exhibition MITT or "Intourmarket" in Moscow, you can see on the stands hundreds, if not thousands, of new tourist sites and routes throughout the country. One is better than the other, with an intriguing description and amazing photographs. It would seem that new times - new names.
No matter how!
Ask an ordinary Russian what cities or resorts in our country he considers the most popular among tourists, and you will most likely get the same list. True, Crimea and the Baltic states (as foreign countries) will have to be deleted from it, and St. Petersburg will take the place of Leningrad. Let the interlocutor include foreign resorts in the list, and Turkey and Egypt are guaranteed to fall into the first line. I'm talking about mass routes. Skiers habitually call Elbrus, fishermen - Astrakhan.
"How so? Why? The tourist potential of Russia is not limited 10–15 popular routes?! We have two orders of magnitude more!” - one of the readers will be indignant. The potential may not be limited, but the perception of a tourist, according to the laws of marketing, alas, is not rubber. The law says: the number of bright, memorable images on the market is limited. I recommend that you reread the highlighted phrase two more times.
It only at first glance seems that it is enough to come up with “something original” and you will be noticed. You can think of anything you want, but here's the question:
- Will they remember this (against the background of competitors' proposals)?
– Will they buy it (comparing different offers)? And buy not one season, but at least ten years in a row.
For clarity, I will give two useful analogies.
1. Each class has its own "excellent", "losers", "clown", "athlete", its own "beauty". And sometimes - your "outcast" (remember the movie "Scarecrow"). It is very problematic to characterize all the other children in terms of their role in the class.
2. In the 90s in Russian cities a wide variety of stores and shops have opened, and today most of them have “died”, giving way to network players. By the way, in Europe, about 80% of goods are sold through chain stores.
What is the implication of this for tourism?
In five years, a new pool of tourist brands of all-Russian significance will be formed in Russia. It is clear that Moscow and St. Petersburg will automatically retain their leading positions due to their exceptional starting opportunities (just as there are three main TV channels in the country and ... all the others). In a privileged position will be the resorts on our warm seas(unless there is a sudden change in climate). And who else will be included in the list of the strongest is still in question ...
If the heads of the city and regions mentioned at the beginning had been actively developing over the course of 25 years of perestroika, and did not rely on the tourist resources accumulated over the previous decades, then all the rest would not have been destined to catch up with them in the foreseeable future. However, development was remembered only 5–7 years ago, thus giving a chance to their neighbors.
The importance of getting into the leader pool is illustrated by the Zipf (Zipf) curve
Picture 1
Zipf distribution (Zipf)
Those cities and regions that find themselves at the tail of this curve may not count on anything serious ... Perhaps they don’t need this, and tourism for them is like birch sap in an ordinary grocery store: they almost don’t take it, but there is an assortment .
At the same time, our conversations with representatives of local and regional administrations show that in many parts of Russia tourism is taken seriously, hoping to use it to give a new impetus to the development of the territory and replenish the budget. For this purpose, short-term and long-term programs are developed everywhere, new tourist brands are announced, advertising catalogs are printed, exhibitions and presentations are held, journalists are invited, etc.
Why can't many cities and regions make a breakthrough and significantly increase the tourist flow? What needs to be changed at work? A detailed answer to these questions will be devoted to subsequent chapters of the book, but here I will only outline the key points.
Vitaly Karpinchik, Slonim resident, host of weddings and corporate events, professional traveler and accompanying tourist groups
In the "Three ideas for Slonim" section, our compatriots share their thoughts on how to make our city more attractive for tourists. Today, Vitaly Karpinchik, a Slonim resident, offers his ideas.
There is no effective recipe for making Slonim, like any other place, a tourist destination. Not a single idea that seems very successful or even implemented will guarantee that tourists will pour into the city in droves. First of all, the residents of Slonim themselves should want and be interested in seeing more tourists come to the city, and not only want, but also advertise their city and invite guests themselves. And for this, Slonim residents need to know and love their city, its sights, history. Because increasing the interest of tourists in our city can only be achieved thanks to the love we ourselves have for our city. Only our love and care, our hospitality, coupled with event tourism could give quick results.
Vitaly Karpinchik
1. Hold an official Guest Day
Tourism and hospitality are concepts that are very closely interconnected. Therefore, I would suggest holding an official Day of Guests in Slonim. Slonim would become the only city in the Republic of Belarus, where such a holiday would be held.
Discounts in cafes and restaurants on this day, free admission to museums, half the fare on buses - all this would testify to our respect for guests and our hospitality. Slonim residents could have a day off that day.
This idea might work. People would understand that this is a great day to invite friends from other cities to their place. In addition, we have many sister cities in different countries. Therefore, the Day of Guests could be an excellent occasion to invite delegations from these cities.
Gnomes - a symbol of Wroclaw
2. Come up with a symbol-brand of Slonim
The topic of city branding has been trendy lately. For example, a few years ago a Belarusian designer made symbols of Belarusian cities as a graduation project, using the historical aspect as the basis for the visual images of cities. So, a crystal became a symbol of Soligorsk, Smorgon - a bear.
Polish Wroclaw, for example, is considered not only a city of bridges and students, but also a city of gnomes. Gnomes have become a full-fledged symbol of Wroclaw and are loved not only by the inhabitants of the city, but also by tourists. People believe that they bring good luck and prosperity to the city.
The first figurine of a bronze dwarf appeared in Wroclaw in 2001. Now the sculptures of fabulous gnomes, and there are about 400 of them, are scattered throughout the city center. The search by tourists for the little inhabitants of the city turns into an exciting quest: after all, inconspicuous figures are in the most unexpected places, even on a lamppost. Moreover, each gnome has its own meaning and profession. For example, a traveler gnome with suitcases will meet you at the station, and a friendly gnome will invite you to have lunch at the entrance to the cafe.
A similar symbol-brand could be invented by Slonim residents, based on some local legend or historical fact. To do this, you just need to invite people who are not indifferent and really love their city to a round table.
The production and installation of such a symbol of the city could be timed to coincide with the aforementioned Day of Guests, and over time, there would be more distinctive signs-symbols in the city.
3. One of the business cards of the city to make the shortest street
In the center of Slonim there is a very short street that leads from the square to the synagogue - Pereskok Lane, which has been recently noticed. This lane could become one of the smallest and narrowest streets in Belarus, if, of course, it is played correctly.
In Amsterdam, for example, there is a narrow street where it is difficult even for two people to pass each other. Nevertheless, this is the most visited place in this city.
And in conclusion, I note that no one will go to our city to see the sights or celebrate unique holidays, if its inhabitants themselves do not do this and do not attend these same holidays.
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