The cluster approach as a tool for enhancing the competitiveness of tourism destinations

The article deals with various scientific approaches to the definition of the concept of «tourist destination» of foreign and Russian theory and practice of management, conceptual issues of tourist destination development. The characteristic features of destinations as a subject of competition in the tourist market are analyzed and highlighted. The key factors that provide the necessary level of competitiveness and the result of the formation of the tourist product of the destination are identified. It is proved that the most important prerequisites for ensuring a particular level of competitiveness of tourist destinations are the region’s endowment with factors of production, as well as the quality, cost and level of use of the latter. At the same time, the factors of production themselves are divided into two groups of different importance - basic or data from nature (land, climate, mineral resources, recreational resources, population, etc.) and developed, formed as a result of human activity (capital, technology, skilled labor, etc...