INNOVATION IN TOURISM: THEORETICAL ASPECT

Abstract

The main strategic priorities of tourism development in Ukraine for the period till 2026 are determined. They are: creating a competitive national tourist product on the basis of systematic marketing activities; providing economic, social, environmental and innovative usage of existing tourism potential; creation of tourist information centers during fairs, festivals and exhibitions; improving the quality of tourism infrastructure; improving the information infrastructure of tourism services; ensuring the correspondence of the price and quality of tourist products, organization the high-quality training system of tourism business specialists.The general characteristics of tourist activities are provided in article. The main factors which inhibits the development of tourism business in the present conditions are determined (th e absence of an integrated system of state tourism management in the regions; the imperfection of the regulatory framework, the lack of methodological, organizational, informational and material support of the state; the investment lack in the development of tourism; the lack of tourism development facilities in the countryside; the insufficient provision of tourism industry by highly skilled specialists; the reduction of hotel industry enterprises; the lack of innovative projects and researches on the promising types of tourism development; the ineffective usage of recreational resources and the need for their saving; the insufficient level of information infrastructure development, the lack of state support for the promotion of a national tourist product etc.).The various scientists’ views on the definition of the term "innovation in tourism" are considered. The features of innovations in tourism are formulated and the principles of their application are defined (the principle of the science, the principle of the systemicity, the principle of the innovations correspondence to the needs of tourists, the principle of the positivity of the results, the principle of conformity of innovation activity to the society development level, the principle of connectivity and security).