Cruise tourism in the Azov-Black Sea basin of Russia

The article deals with the cruise tourism development in the Azov-Black Sea basin of the Russian Federation. For an objective assessment of the cruise tourism development in the Azov-Black Sea basin of Russia, the authors carry out a factor analysis of the current state of the cruise industry and the opportunities available to the regions for its future development. The article investigates tourism and recreational potential of the subjects of the Russian Federation located on the coast of Azov and Black Seas (Krasnodar Region, Rostov Region, the Republic of Crimea and federal city of Sevastopol). One of the aspects of the cruise tourism effective is the availability of an appropriate maritime transport infrastructure, including maritime transport (cruise liners, passenger ships, etc.) and seaports. The research of the state of the maritime transport infrastructure is based on the studying the geography of sea passenger traffic in the Azov and Black Seas and an assessment of the current state of the large seaports of the Azov-Black Sea basin, which are at the same time resort cities that are in high tourist demand. The authors assess tourist demand (tourist load) based on a statistical indicator of the number of tourists who got a rest in the regions on the coast of Azov and Black Seas. Based on studying the current state of cruise industry development, the authors reveal the factors hindering the full development of cruise tourism, and formulate proposals that contribute to the formation of stable regular and transit cruise shipments in Azov-Black Sea basin of Russia, which will have a beneficial effect on the integration of Russian cruise tourism products into the global cruise tourism industry.