HR potential of the Republic of Karelia in tourism: Medvezheegorsk and Pudozh districts

The tourism industry development, the increase in the number of accommodation facilities and public catering facilities in the Republic of Karelia is due to an increase in the internal flow of tourists in the Russian Federation, caused by cross-border restrictions on the movement. Massive cross-border restrictions appeared since the beginning of the pandemic (2020), with a second wave intensifying since 2022, since the special military operation. This, as well as the strengthening of the exchange rate, became a decisive factor for tourists when choosing a travel route. The domestic tourism market has “come to life”, and such destinations as Altai, the Caucasus, Karelia, Tatarstan and the Urals have come into focus. The article presents material on staffing the tourism industry of the Republic of Karelia - one of the most popular regions for tourism. In 2022, a record number of tourists visited Karelia was 1 070 thousand people. Already in JanuaryJuly 2023, 705 thousand visited the republic (for comparison: during the same period in 2022, 304 thousand visited the region). The authors analyzed the data collected during the expedition of Petrozavodsk State University to the Pudozh and Medvezhyegorsk districts in June 2023. The selected material will allow us to draw conclusions about the quality of services provided, human resources and capabilities of tourism enterprises in the near future.