The tourism industry in the economic crisis: trends and prospects

Tourism is one of the most promising and dynamically developing sectors of economy throughout the world, acting as a catalyst for socio-economic growth. The Russian Federation has unique opportunities for the development of different types of tourism on its territory thanks to the variety of natural resources, the presence of objects of cultural and historical heritage. For some regions of Russia, in particular for the Republic of Karelia, tourism could become the leading sector of the economy, stimulating the development of the entire region. The main goal of this paper is to show how the current economic crisis has influenced the situation in the tourism industry and what its prospects are. The pre-crisis state of the Russian market of tourist services is described, strengths and weaknesses are identified, as well as threats and opportunities, the leading role of Russia in spending on international tourism is noted. The impact of the economic crisis on certain types of tourism is assessed: outbound, inbound and domestic...