The image of the territory in the context of increasing the tourist attractiveness of the region

The article investigates the image of the territory in the context of increasing the tourist attractiveness of the region. The image of the territory - an image in people’s minds; it reflects the individual characteristics of the territory. Image is associated with tourism area. Today, tourism is becoming increasingly popular sector of the economy. Development in this area is attractive to many Russian regions. The attention to a tourist logo is paid. It is an important element of formation of tourist image. The author reveals the basic components of the image, the ways of positioning the territory (for example, the Saratov region). Today the Saratov region is not a tourist area in its specialization. It is rather a “region-outsider” in relation to domestic tourism. At the same time there is a rich tourist potential, but the low level of development of tourism infrastructure. The authors’ analysis of the image policy led to the following conclusions: - Saratov region must define its tourist specialization. Cultural and environmental tourism may be considered as possible areas of specialization; - There is need to pay attention to the information support of the regional tourist product; - It is necessary to develop the tourist infrastructure, to improve the conditions of roads in the region.