ABSTRACT
The article considers the main challenges of the Russian tourism industry such as an unscrupulous nature of many tour operators, insufficiently developed infrastructure, and low quality of service exacerbated by the introduction of sanctions. To study the state of the tourism industry, methods of statistical analysis are applied to compare development dynamics of the Russian vs. international tourism economies over the past ten years. The authors arrive at the conclusion that the tourism industry potential remains untapped based on the statistical data and analysis of implementing governmental target programs for the development of tourism. In 2016, the tourism industry share in the Russian GDP was 3.4% (for other countries this figure is on average 10%). The main drivers of the Russian tourist industry are state programs for the development of tourism, including those in the Far East and North Caucasus federal districts, changes in regulations of tourist activities, development of domestic geo-information systems, electronic reservation systems and open data systems.
