The tourism potential of the Republic of Kalmykia and its role in the regional economy

Tourism is a sector of the economy, which is constantly evolving and plays a significant role in the formation of GDP. The term ‘destination’ can be interpreted as the territory equipped with facilities and advanced system of services to meet all basic needs of tourists. Richly developed tourist destination within the region is one of the key elements of the system, which is designed to encourage tourists’ interest in a particular area and to motivate their visit there, thus enhancing the tourism system as a whole. Analyzing the tourism potential of the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia, it is difficult to overestimate the unique set of historical, cultural and natural heritage of the Kalmyk people, as well as favorable geographical location of the territory and the uniqueness of the Buddhist people in the European part of Russia. Thus, Kalmykia has a huge potential to become a tourist destination and develop such types of tourism, as gastronomical, cultural, religious, environmental, family, and cognitive. It should be noted that currently the Republic is actively developing the event tourism, which is recreation dedicated to a certain event or participation in any entertainment. According to the results of the competition ranking of International tourism forum Rest (‘Otdykh’), the Republic was ranked 15th in the first National ranking of the development of tourism in Russia in 2016. The development of tourist destinations in the Republic is prospective from the viewpoint of stimulating economic development in the region through participation in Federal target programs ‘Development of domestic and inbound tourism in the Russian Federation (2011-2018)’ and ‘Development of culture and tourism of the Russian Federation (2013-2020)’, aimed at increasing the competitiveness of domestic tourism market, which would meet the needs of Russian and foreign citizens in high-quality tourist services. The creation of tourist destinations in the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia can be a tool in the fight against the main socio-economic problems of the region and give background to stimulate the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the creation of jobs, the reduction of migration, regional infrastructure development, etc.