Local history resources of Uralsk and their use in guided tours

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the need to make fuller use of the historical and cultural heritage of Uralsk in the development of contemporary guided tour products. The aim of the study is to identify and systematize the local history resources of Uralsk and determine their potential for use in guided tour activities. The research materials included historical sources and scholarly local history literature containing information on the city’s history, architectural heritage, cultural traditions, historical events, and notable figures. The study employed methods of source analysis and synthesis, as well as the systematization and classification of local history materials. As a result, five main groups of local history resources were identified: architectural and urban-planning, historical-event, personal-biographical, literary-cultural, and trade-and-merchant resources. The findings demonstrate that combining tangible heritage sites with historical-event, personal-biographical, and socio-economic narratives makes it possible to develop thematically structured guided tour products. Based on the identified resources, methodological recommendations for the development of thematic guided tour products were proposed. The practical application of the proposed approach is demonstrated through the development of the thematic guided tour “Merchant Uralsk.” The findings can be used by tour operators and tour guides in developing new guided tour routes and programs in Uralsk.