Youth educational tourism in the regions of Russia: current factors and development problems (using the materials of the Republic of Tatarstan)

The educational environment uniqueness and its opportunities for young people, the availability of separate scientific and educational knowledge and experience accumulated over decades, form a reserve of resources that can actively develop youth educational tourism. From the point of view of the national economy, educational tourism, especially its youth component, launches personal development and transfer of knowledge from the country (region) of visit to the country (region) of departure. In Russia, this segment is developing at a moderate pace, despite the presence of a rich resource base. Among other types of tourist activity, youth educational tourism is in the shadow - there are few publications on this topic, and terminological uncertainty is found in normative and reference documents. The article discusses the state and features of educational youth tourism based on the materials of this segment of the tourism market of the Republic of Tatarstan. The factors influencing young people’s choice of educational travel differ significantly from traditional tourist market niches. The research conducted in relation to the youth environment as a source of demand for educational tourism products has shown the extreme specificity of the market segment under consideration. This segment of the travel market has a certain set of behavior patterns and sets tourist priorities slightly differently when motivating a trip. The article sets out the barriers hindering the market development of youth educational tours in Russia and its regions: severe elasticity of the market youth educational tourism products at a price the need to respect the special visa procedures, language barriers, high transport costs, psychological barriers to the integration of youth in the new socio-cultural environment of the region of study.