Tourist potential of the territory and its role in improving the quality of life of the population

In the study there was set the tasks to assess the level of development of the tourist potential of Russian territories, to determine its role in ensuring the quality of life of the local population, and to analyze regional differentiation according to these indicators. To ensure the comprehensiveness of the study, the authors relied on the obtained empirical data and official statistics; the key research method was a questionnaire survey of heads of municipalities (N = 306). The article used the materials of the quality of life rating for a comparative analysis with the research data. The authors have confirmed the hypothesis that the level of development of the key tourist resources of the territory correlates with the assessments of the quality of life of the population. Still it is impossible to answer definitely the question: which of these indicators of territorial development is dominant. On the one hand, it may be assumed, that the tourist potential plays a significant role in ensuring the quality of life of the local population, allowing the development of the transport network, the cultural and historical complex of the territory, and a comfortable urban environment. At the same time, it is impossible to exclude the opposite influence, where the high quality of life in the region is a determinant of increasing its tourist potential. In any case, the study confirms the presence of interconnection and mutual influence of these indicators that draws attention to the prospect of focusing the authorities' attention on the tourist potential of the territory. Most of the heads of municipalities noted the availability of tourism resources that, if used rationally, would allow implementing strategies for development of domestic tourism and improving the quality of life of the local population.