Best Place to Step back in Time

Suzdal, Russia - Ever since my first visit to Suzdal in 2002, this tiny town has topped my list of favorite places in Russia (in fact, it won "Best Place to Step back in Time" on my list of Best of Russia). Although it was once an ancient capital and thriving merchant center, it was bypassed by the railroad, and therefore it missed out on the industrial development and population growth of the 20th century. Even now, it is a rustic village of wooden cottages and flower-drenched meadows, with a fairy-tale dome-spotted skyline. As I wrote in an earlier article, "Judging from the spires and cupolas, Suzdal may have as many churches as people."
As you can imagine, it is a popular place for Muscovites to retreat from the city and international tourists to sample provincial Russian life. Artists and historians adore the abundance of architectural gems and its rich and storied past. But tourism to Suzdal was always limited by a lack of facilities. There was one large Soviet-style resort hotel on the outskirts of town, and a few simple guesthouses scattered around the grounds of the monasteries and other historic buildings. But there was nothing to cater to big groups, especially those with upper-class tastes.
Enter capitalism. In the last three years, Suzdal has sprouted three different top-end resorts with hundreds of rooms, big restaurants and loads of facilities. The Soviet-era lodge has been completely revamped and now calls itself a "motel", with drive-up accommodations, cinema and bowling lanes. Plus, there is a new resort on the way. This one is called Moya Strana, or "My Country", which will be organized around Disney-like villages, each with a different Russian-republic theme (eg, Tatar Village, Buryat Village, Kalmyk Village, etc).
All of these new facilities ensure that more and more tourists will continue to come - not just trickling in - but being dumped off by the busload.
Since the closure of the town's two small factories, the local economy is completely dependent on tourism, so this kind of development is undoubtedly welcomed by residents. But wouldn't it be ironic if this little village - which survived everything from the Mongols to the communists - was done in by unhampered capitalism?
Fortunately, Suzdal is protected by federal regulations that place severe restrictions on building in the central part of the village. I talked with one guy who is opening a new hostel later this summer, and he indicated that the restrictions are very explicit and - for the most part - enforced. So no buildings over eight meters high, no stylistic innovations etc. On the outskirts, however, the regulations are more lax, and there is plenty of rooms for development. In the rolling hills and pastures outside of town, there is a kind of competition between cuppolas and cranes. It's hard to say who is winnning.
In the defense of these developments, most of them do aim keep with the local style, building either faux-rustic wood buildings or stone structures that "fit in" with the historic architecture. They are fake, of course, but at least they make an attempt to preserve the atmosphere. But somehow, I believe the peace and tranquility of this rural place will dissipate pretty quickly when the parking lots are filled with cars and buses, when big groups of tourists are following around tour guides waving flags.
Of course, I am part of the problem, telling the world about places like Suzdal and encouraging people to go there. So how can I complain when these "hidden gems" start to change?
Nobody can deny that tourism and the cash flow that accompanies it are good for local residents. Even in the case of Suzdal - where there are really only two economic players who own the resorts - the money is trickling down to other smaller business owners and property holders. But how much is too much? And how can the sanctity of the place be preserved? How to keep the tourists from destroying the very same atmosphere they are coming to enjoy?