STRATEGIC PLANNING AS A BASIS FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AND THE PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE REGIONS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Abstract

Sustainable development of tourism in the regions of the Russian Federation is a priority task of the state. The development of the tourism sector is of great socio-economic importance and involves efforts aimed at the tourist and recreational development of territories and increasing the share of the non-resource sector in the economy. For the development of domestic and inbound tourism, Russia has all the necessary resources and unique opportunities to meet the vital needs of the country's population in tourism and recreation. Sustainable tourism development is directly related to strategic planning, involving the development and systematic implementation of concepts, strategies, programs, roadmaps, and master plans for the development of territories. Most documents of strategic planning of the tourism sector include a cluster approach, which contributes to the sustainable development of tourism and is an effective tool for integrated management of territories and increasing the regions’ competitiveness. The management of territories aimed at the sustainable development of tourism should be systematically linked to the existing set of programs for the regions’ socio-economic development. The article presents an analysis of the documents of strategic planning of the tourism sector at the federal and regional levels, which revealed the achievements and shortcomings of their implementation. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the federal target program ‘Development of domestic and inbound tourism in the Russian Federation (2011–2018)’ and its effectiveness, the regions’ activities in the development and implementation of a system of strategic planning documents, and the effectiveness of management of the sustainable tourism development.