Orthodox Monasteries as Actors in the Development of Orthodox Pilgrimage, religious and educational Tourism in the Tver region

The object of the study is the Orthodox monasteries of the Tver region as destinations for pilgrimage tourism and excursion and educational religious tourism. The goal is to use the integral-score assessment method to present a model of a comprehensive study aimed at identifying the role of Orthodox monasteries in the tourism and recreational economy of the region. The main criteria for the tourist attractiveness of Orthodox monasteries are proposed, including the availability of hotel infrastructure and accommodation conditions; the presence of public catering outlets; souvenir shops; points of sale of monastery food products, excursion services; museum exhibits located near water bodies; reception and accommodation of pilgrims (workers), additional infrastructure intended for recreation. Empirical materials on the specified criteria were collected and processed using the content analysis method. Based on it, a rating table was compiled reflecting the degree of attractiveness of the monasteries of the Tver region for tourists. The Nilov-Stolobenskaya Pustyn and the Novotorzhsky Borisoglebsky Monastery are characterized by the greatest attractiveness. A very small number of monasteries (two out of twelve) are recorded, on the territory of which there is a hotel infrastructure. However, several monasteries offer food services, conduct excursions, including, to museum expositions, sell food products of monastery production, made from natural raw materials, which acts as factors of tourist attractiveness.