Barriers and factors of tourism business development in Russia and the Arctic (based on the results of an expert survey)

The tourism sector is the most important for the socio-economic development of countries and regions, contributing to the preservation of historical and cultural values, the formation of humanism and tolerance in the world. However, there are many difficulties in the tourism business that have become seriously exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic and contribute to a rethinking of the problems and factors of tourism development. In Russia, since 2020, the focus has been on the development of domestic tourism, and this further contributed to the restoration and maintenance of a certain stability in this area, which is especially important during the period of aggravation of the geopolitical situation in Russia and the world, from 2022 to the present. Nevertheless, the issues of barriers to the development of tourism in our country remain relevant, taking into account the ideas, orientations and practices of both tour operators and consumers of tourism services, which actualizes sociological research in this aspect. In order to identify the existing barriers and factors for the successful development of tourism in Russia, the authors conducted a sociological study in 2021 among tourism specialists who acted as experts and represent authorities, tourism business and science in Russian and foreign regions. The study was conducted in a qualitative strategy using the in-depth interview method, during which 31 experts were interviewed. The results of the expert survey may be useful in the further development of the tourism industry in the Russian regions.