Services of countryside recreation: consumers’ opinions

The article is devoted to the study of consumer preferences in the sphere of countryside recreation. There is a rapid development of this type of service in Russia, with almost complete absence of theoretical and practical research on this topic (except for the territories of national parks). Hypotheses of dependence of preferences of countryside active recreation on age, income level and place of residence of recreants, on the formed patterns of behavior in the process of recreation are discussed. The results of surveys of consumers of countryside recreation services are presented, including preferred types of outdoor activities (both summer and winter) and the frequency of participation in them, the attitude to the organized and independent recreation, successful and unsuccessful consumer experience, the amount of expenses for outdoor activities, and others. The motivation for choosing both organized and independent recreation is studied. Special emphasis is placed on the study of respondents ‘ attitudes toward the activities of special objects and territories of organized suburban recreation, such as sports and recreational parks, and outdoor recreation centers. Satisfaction with various types of recreational services at such objects, the desired set and quality of these services are analyzed. The main consumer segments of organized countryside recreation, the approximate level of reasonable prices and price thresholds for the services of recreational areas are identified. It is concluded that preferences in the field of outdoor activities depend mainly on previously formed patterns of behavior.