Methodical approach to research of social and economic benefits of tourism activities at the regional level

Among the factors in the development of tourist destinations the cooperation among economic subjects of the sphere of recreation and tourism occupies a special place. Foreign experts provided an evidence of a significantnumber of positive impacts of inter-firm cooperation and cooperation in the operation and d evelopment of a tourist destination, which necessitates a comprehensive assessment of socio-economic benefits of tourism activities, including an evaluation of the effectiveness of relationships between subjects in the sphere of recreation and tourism. This paper proposes a methodological approach to the study of social and economic benefits of tourist activities at the regional level, describes the main stages of its practical use: definition of the need for information collection and processing of raw data, evaluation of indicators, data analysis and development management decisions. Presented in this framework methodology involves assessing the socio-economic benefits of tourism activities in the region (a tourist destination) in three interrelated aspects: economic, social and effectiveness of relationships. Particular attention is paid to assessing the effectiveness of inter-firm relationships in the value chain of the tourist product as a component of social and economic benefits of tourism activities. A comprehensive assessment of the socio-economic benefits of tourism activities is required for the analysis ofthe possible ways of development of the sphere of recreation and tourism in the region, for the development of appropriate strategies which take into account both the existing potential of this sector, as well as socio-economic efficiency of the planned activities. In addition, the technique can be used as a reference and analytical tool for assessing the performance targets in terms ofthe effectiveness for the implementation of strategies for the development of tourism in the region. Practical use of the presented methodology is possible for assessing the socio-economic benefits of tourism activities, for regional, inter-regional studies and comparative studies of tourist destinations.