The rural tourism product: structure and formation

The article deals with the existing resource base of the Stavropol region, which could become the basis for the development of rural tourism. The ba- sis of this work is the notion that rural tourism at the global level is able to be the development driver of other activities in rural areas. Rural tourism can be evolved at the regional level in view of natural and cultural heritage of spe- cific areas, and on the local level can change the relationship model "man- nature" in a particular territorial point. The methodology of the study in- volves various types of the analysis of territory tourist potential, among which the leading role belongs to the cartographic analysis. The result of this work is the development of rural tourism routs in the destinations of Stavro- pol region: "Come to our trust by the call of the heart", "Abundant Cossack Land" and "In the wake of Cossack faith". At present, together with the ad- ministration of rural settlements and districts of the regions these routes are being tested and revised using public opinion polls of the first tourist groups. The scope of research results application is the activity of domestic tourism tour operators that distribute their services in Stavropol region. Persons in- volved in regional studies and engaged in the development of new tourist destinations in the region may also be interested in the obtained infor- mation. This study is limited by the territory of Stavropol region, but the results can be applied to other regions of the Russian Federation. Such types wine tour- ism, ethno-tourism, fishing and hunting, and so forth are the promising di- rections of future research.