TRANSFORMATION OF THE TOURIST AND RECREATION SPHERE OF THE RUSSIAN-BELARUSIAN BORDER REGION AND THE PANDEMIC CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a serious challenge for the whole world. All sectors of the economy suffered damage to a certain degree, taking all possible measures to prevent the aggravation of the epidemiological situation. The tourism and recreation sector found itself among the most affected industries. This article is devoted to the urgent problems of transformation in the tourist and recreational sphere of the Russian-Belarusian border areas, in the context of changes in the volume and structure of the flow of tourists, the reasons for their appearance and possible development prospects in the context of the geopolitical and economic crisis. The purpose of the article is to characterize and analyze the state of the tourism and recreation industry in the period from 2019 to 2021. To achieve this goal, the paper presents and analyzes the statistical data of tourist activities in Russia, Belarus and the regions of the Russian-Belarusian border within the specified period. The main criteria for the transformation were selected indicators of the tourist flow in general by country, as well as separately by border regions. The author proposes a typology of border regions in terms of their potential for adaptation to crisis conditions and prospects for increasing this potential through the development of natural and nature-oriented tourism.