Assessment of the time accessibility of rest areas in the region in the context of the growth of tourism services consumption

The article is devoted to the topical problem of stimulating the growth of consumption of tourist services in the Russian regions. One of the barriers constraining the development of domestic tourism is the lack of infrastructure, including rest area facilities. Given the prevalence of road transport used for tourism, it has been suggested that the decision to travel is infl uenced by the availability of a suffi cient number of gas stations for a comfortable trip. In this regard, the purpose of the study was to assess the time accessibility of rest areas on the way to the tourist sites, which determines the volume of consumption of tourist services in the region. General scientifi c methods of research (analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization), as well as the cartographic method and geo-informational modeling were used to achieve the goal. On the basis of the proposed methodology for assessing the time accessibility of gas stations, it was found that the actual travel time exceeds the calculated standards. This can have a negative impact both on the experience of the trip and on the volume of tourist fl ow. With the help of geo-informational modeling on the route lines, we have identifi ed areas characterized by low time accessibility of gas stations, as well as proposed areas for the possible location of gas stations. Scientifi c novelty of the study is in developing a methodological approach to evaluating the accessibility of rest areas, taking into account time, which allows evaluating their remoteness from each other more accurately. Information base consist of the works of Russian and foreign scientists dealing with the problems of consumer demand, assessment of road infrastructure accessibility for tourists, as well as offi cial statistics, information from analytical services, the results of sociological surveys. Materials of the article are of practical interest for the authorities in the development of inter-regional tourist routes, which pass along the roads connecting the Vologda Oblast and the Republic of Karelia.