Potential and prospects of investing in the tourism and recreation industry of the Republic of Crimea

In the article the author makes an attempt to analyze the investment potential of tourism and recreation industry of Crimea taking into account modern geopolitical and socio-economic realities. Main results and tendencies of investment activity on the territory of the Republic of Crimea in 2013-2014 are described, and also its further prospects are marked. It is shown, that because of the negative socio-political and socioeconomic processes in Ukraine and Crimea during previous years in the region large investment projects were not practically undertaken, including those related to creation of a resort mega complex, the so-called «Crimean Antalya». At the same time now there is a large number of the investment proposals, related to creation of traditional objects of location, objects of general resort infrastructure, objects of the specialized tourism (mountain-skiing, yachts, golf-tourism), and also entertaining parks of thematic orientation. On the basis of method of SWOT-analysis the author determines strong and weak sides, opportunities and threats related to investing in the tourism and recreation infrastructure of the Republic of Crimea at the current stage. Basic priorities of regional investment policy, for which the authorities of the Republic of Crimea declared such fundamental principles, as equal possibilities, «transparency», borrowing of the best experience of other regions of Russian Federation, are also marked. Major directions of activities on the improvement of investment climate should become: final transition of tourism and recreation industry of Crimea into the legal field of the Russian Federation; creation of a free economic zone (a zone of priority development) with a preferential tax system; synchronization of existent investment projects with the Federal Target Program «Socio-economic development of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol until the 2020»; maintaining social and political stability in the region and overcoming negative consequences of the international sanctions, imposed on by a number of countries of Europe, North America and Pacific region.