Abstract
The article examines the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) as a promising area for the development of nuclear tourism, while current practices of visiting individual sites require appropriate measures to ensure tourists’ radiation safety. The study aims to assess the tourism potential of STS sites and to develop recommendations for ensuring tourists’ radiation safety, taking into account the results of radioecological studies conducted by the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The study is based on the analysis and systematization of data from the comprehensive radioecological survey of the STS, the results of field expeditions conducted in 2025–2026, and an assessment of existing tourist routes. Based on radioecological data, the STS territory was segmented according to the level of radiation safety, while the radiation-hazardous zone was further differentiated according to the specific activity levels of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, ²⁴¹Am, and ²³⁹⁺²⁴⁰Pu. The expeditions identified the tourism attractiveness of the test site and demonstrated demand for existing routes, some of which pass through areas where radiation safety measures are required. Four key measures for tourists’ radiation protection were identified: the use of personal protective equipment, respiratory protection and compliance with food and water consumption rules, individual dosimetric monitoring, and accompaniment by a dosimetry specialist. Based on these measures, recommendations were developed and integrated into a three-stage safety model comprising route preparation, route passage, and route completion. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the development of an organizational radiation safety model adapted to short-term tourist visits to STS sites.