Image of regions and index of historical and cultural heritage: Altai Territory and the Altai Republic

Carrying out an effective image policy in modern conditions of competition between regions is becoming an important factor in the successful development of a territory's potential. However, image-forming activities in many Russian regions are still at a low level. One of the key issues is the problem of preservation and image promotion of historical and cultural heritage. In order to adequately assess and use this potential, it would be useful to develop universal methods for its evaluation. The authors attempt to develop a methodology for assessing regional images through the prism of the historical and cultural heritage of the territory. The study has for empirical basis the results of a survey of experts conducted in May 2023 by scientists from Altai State University in two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic. More than half of the respondents have academic degrees; among them there are civil servants, deputies, cultural figures, journalists, museum workers, representatives of travel agencies, scientists. The results obtained were included in the Index, which took into account the ratings of different groups of regional symbols, as well as the assessments and recommendations of experts regarding the use of historical and cultural heritage. This “pilot project” of the Index contains three parts: 1) an associative series about each region; 2) ratings of historical and cultural symbols, built graphically into the “hexagon”; 3) practical recommendations and comparative analysis from experts. The article comprises three main sections; the introduction clarifies the content of the main concepts (“image”, “region”, “historical and cultural heritage”), and the conclusion summarizes the main results of the study. In general, according to the authors, the very principle of data processing during the creation of the Index has sufficiently justified itself. For each region, a clear picture was obtained that allows us to adequately assess the specifics of the situation and draw practical conclusions on how to more effectively implement image policies using the existing historical and cultural potential.