The specifics of using the suburban areas as tourist and recreational destinations: The case-study of Yaroslavl municipal district of Yaroslavl region

The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of suburban areas in tourism through the example of Yaroslavl municipal district of Yaroslavl region. An expert assessment of the inbound and domestic tourism development in the territory of Yaroslavl Municipal District, the current image of the territory in terms of tourist attractiveness, and the competitive position of the region relative to the nearby territories of Yaroslavl Region is given. Analyzing the data obtained in the course of field research, the team identifies strengths and weaknesses in the tourist infrastructure of the area, the most popular tourist facilities and manufacturing enterprises that can be involved in the tourism development, studies the current calendar of tourist events. The authors propose a technology for studying the image of the territory on the basis of data presented in the global computer network. Based of a survey of local residents, residents of Yaroslavl and tourists, as well as interviews with tour operators, the authors reveal advantages of the area as a tourist destination, types of recreation, attractive for potential tourists, as well as the development prospects of new types of tourism. The article contains the results of the competitive analysis of Yaroslavl region, on the basis of which the SWOT-analysis of the territory is based. The article discusses the key stages of building a model of tourism development in the territory, describes the main directions of future works. The research makes it possible to formulate a new strategic hypothesis of positioning Yaroslavl region in the tourist market, propose the brand name and slogan, develop the brand book and the corporate style of the district.