Regional accessibility as a factor in the development of a tourist destination

Introduction. The tourist vector of development is regarded as one of the promising and even priority areas of socio-economic development of the regions of the North-West of Russia. Accessibility of regions with a unique tourist and recreational potential and established tourism infrastructure is becoming increasingly important in the circumstances of increasing competition for tourists. The study aims to evaluate the potential of the regions of the Northwestern Federal District of the Russian Federation for the development of tourism on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of their geographical, transport, and infrastructural accessibility. Materials and Methods. As part of the study, median indicators were calculated based on statistical data from Federal State Statistics Service, the official websites of the Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation and the Russian Railways company, as well as from the website Tutu.ru. The method of economic analysis was employed to assess the accessibility of territories for tourist flows taking into account transport accessibility, time spent on travel, and fare. Results. Based on the results of the performed analysis, 4 typological groups (central, semi-central, semi-peripheral and peripheral) of the constituent regions of the Northwestern Federal District of the Russian federation were singled out in terms of regional accessibility for the development of a tourist destination. The territories accessible to tourists include the regions of central location, which are of interest to visit and have high transport accessibility. The compiled grouping reflects the potential of the territory to accept tourists, assessed by such factors as cost, accessibility, and remoteness. Discussion and Conclusion. The results of this work may be used by regional government bodies when making managerial decisions pertaining to tourism development. The material of the article has scientific and practical significance for scientists studying the issues of regional tourism development, as well as for those engaged in the tourism business.