Priorities and threats for the development of regional tourism

Introduction. Tourism is a dynamically developing branch of the economy. The COVID-19 pandemic seriously impacted not only on Russian economy as a whole, but also on its tourism sector. In Russia, tourism is recognized as one of the most affected sectors of the economy due to introduced quarantine restrictions. Domestic tourism in the context of the pandemic has become an impetus for the industry's development. This study is devoted to the priorities and threats of the development of regional tourism to increase the efficiency of using the potential of domestic tourism and enlarge the demand for recreation in Russia by the population. Materials and Methods. The study is based on the results of the authors' works studying the problems of the functioning of regional tourism, engaging in the search for promising directions that contribute to the growth of demand for tourism services in this market segment. To diagnose the state of the Russian tourism industry in a pandemic, assess the functioning of tourism in the region, identify threats and substantiate its development priorities, general scientific research methods were used: retrospective and comparative analysis, synthesis, analogy, generalization. The object of the study was the Vologda Region, a promising region of the North-West for the development of the tourism industry. Results. The specifics of the consumption of tourism services of the region in the context of the pandemic has been determined, the analysis of the tourism development in the region has been carried out, threats have been identified and priorities have been formed that contribute to the growth of tourism consumption in the Vologda Region. The author has established that the tourist resources of the region are poorly demanded by the population, which is due to noticeable competition from the neighboring regions of the North-West, as well as the poor provision of accommodation infrastructure and its slow growth, which causes low tourist demand. The importance of supporting the tourism development in the region in the context of the steady demand of Russians for resting in Russia has been justified. Discussion and Conclusion. The study makes it possible to identify the priorities and threats of the development of regional tourism. The results of the study can be used as a guideline in substantiating ways for the development of regional tourism by public authorities that contribute to the tourist demand increase competitiveness of regional tourism sector.