Social status and its impact on consumer behavior of actor in the market of tourist services

The article discusses the theoretical aspects of studying the consumer practices of the Russians in the market of tourist services and hypotheses about the nature of the impact of social status on the consumer practices of actors in tourism are tested. The results of the questionnaire survey of consumers of tourist services in the Volgograd region in 2017 (sample size n = 220 people) are presented. The sample was targeted, customers of travel agencies, hotels were interviewed. There are three groups of actors in terms of economic income: high-income, middle-income, low-income consumers. Each of the selected groups demonstrates specific types of consumer practices. Representatives of the high-income group relax up to 4 times a year and choose exotic and elite tourist products, individual tours and demonstrate a stable opinion that foreign travel is more prestigious and better in quality than domestic tourism. Representatives of the middle class have rest at average 2 times a year, they are interested in trips not only for relaxation purposes but for expansion of Outlook through excursions and visiting of sights, seek to receive the maximum number of new impressions and new knowledge. In low-income group of tourists requirements for the tour are minimal, frequency of rest 1-2 times a year. The results obtained on the specifics of consumer behavior of the Russians allow us to draw the following conclusions: the development of consumer behavior in modern Russia is influenced by the following factors: historical (weak development of the domestic tourism sector); natural (geographical features of the country); socio-economic (drop in income, the emergence of cheap foreign tours, the high cost of domestic travel); socio-political (economic sanctions, aggravation of relations with some countries); cultural (consumer education).