Regional Specificity of Tourism Potential Development: Sociological Analysis

Introduction. The development of the tourist potential of Russian territories is one of the priority state tasks in modern conditions. The purpose of the article is to study the regional specifics of the development of tourism potential in the Russian Federation, a sociological analysis of its key elements in the assessments of municipal leaders. Materials and Methods. The key research method was a questionnaire survey of heads of local self-government bodies of the Russian Federation (n = 306). At the first stage, questionnaires were sent out by e-mail with representation from all federal districts of the Russian Federation. At the second stage, the analysis of linear distributions and correlation analysis of empirically significant variables (grouping of answers by regions and federal districts of the Russian Federation) were carried out. The use of a set of analytical procedures has made it possible to identify the regional specifics of the development of the tourism potential of the territories. The results were processed using SPSS. Results. The results of the study have made it possible to identify problems in the development of the tourist potential of Russian territories, both in terms of basic and additional resources. The hypothesis about the predominance of tourist resources aimed at satisfying the “average” consumer demands of the tourist is confirmed. The results of the study have shown a decrease in ratings for economy class catering facilities (average rating 3.02 out of 5), the presence of hostels (1.87 out of 5), as well as the lack of conditions to meet the interests of high-income tourists (in terms of “luxury class restaurants” the average score is 2.21 out of 5). The study revealed an insufficient level of development of additional tourist resources that ensure the realization of the differentiated needs of various social groups. Discussion and Conclusion. It is concluded that it is expedient to support entrepreneurial initiatives aimed at creating tourism products and services, both in the “economy” and “luxury” segments, the formation of a recognizable image of the territories as part of the promotion of their social resources. The results obtained can be used in the activities of the authorities in the development of strategies for the development of regional tourism.