Innovative excursion services in the resort hotels: the theoretical aspect

Modern resort business in Russia lives in conditions of rigid competition. It is hard to compete in market conditions, therefore resort centers and hotels look for new principles for development and protection of their business interests, make efforts to attract new and retain regular customers. The development strategy is built on the understanding the fact that visitors have plenty of free time and a willingness to pay for quality rest. Resort hotels introduce a variety of additional services, including excursions. Many targets groups are interested in excursions, because guests want to see the original image of the region where they rest. Resort hotels organizing leisure time are guided not only by requests of new but of regular customers, therefore excursion programs should be regularly updated. In addition, it is important to understand that foreign resorts compete for Russian tourists also. This means that the competitiveness of Russian sanatorium-resort system depends largely on the transition to an innovative path of development. Innovations can be implemented in the excursion practice. The article researches the theoretical foundation for excursion innovations. It is established that in Russian and foreign studies this issue have different interpretations. The authors reveals the main reasons of this situation. The excursion activities are adapted to the innovation theory, which is accepted in the world economy.