Prospects of image-making as an essential development instrument of tourist services in Samara

The article discusses the prospects and objectives of Samara’s image-making for the growth of tourist potential of the region. In fact, it comes to creating the ideology of tourism development in Samara and Samara Region. Author has distinguished three basic tourism brands within the framework of Samara's image-making, analyzing each of which as a system of sub-brands. In addition to the basic, less significant brands are formulated the article. Farther, in the analysis of tourism and recreation cluster (TRC) twelve basic types of resources and organizations - participants of TRC - are allocated. Authorial understanding of the structure of TRC is shown for a more adequate perception of it. As well as, the nature and levels of use of the image of the city by specific organizations - representatives of the TRC in Samara are analyzed. Particularly, 127 accommodation facilities and 306 foodservice facilities are analyzed. The efficiency of the three basic tourism brands of Samara in the names of firms-members of tourism business and souvenirs is studied. As a result, the author has formulated not only the general characteristics of the brands usage, but also the development strategy of image and branding in the evolution of tourist services in Samara.