Educational tourism as a promising development direction of youth travel in Russia

Currently, in the context of global crisis phenomena, there is an active search for points for strategic growth of the regional economy of the country. Tourism and recreation as dynamically growing service sector covers new types, forms and technologies, emerging under the influence of consumer demand and scientific and technological progress, increasing requirements for the quality of recreation and professional education. The business environment in the tourism sector adapts flexibly to crisis events and uses consumer-oriented digital technologies with minimal costs and investments. In this regard, the considered sector of the economy contains a significant potential for growth and a positive impact on the socio-economic development of the country's subjects. Many regions of Russia have tourist and recreational potential, so it is necessary to consider favorable geopolitical, socio-economic and technological factors for the development and strengthening of tourist specialization. The article discusses the features and strategic directions of youth tourism development. Educational tourism is a relatively new type of socio-cultural and economic activity, which is aimed at implementing programs for young people and students, as the most active part of the population. The analysis of objective and subjective factors in the formation of a program approach to the educational tourism development in the regions of Russia is presented. The author describes the typical portrait of the consumer of educational services. The significant limitation of educational tourism development lays in the fact that this type of service is not mentioned in strategic documents and regulatory framework undeveloped, although objective prerequisites for its introduction into the socio-economic system of the regions have been formed.