On the issue of sustainable development of tourism in the Black Sea countries

Abstract

The article observes the relevance and substantiates the need to raise the problem of tourism development in the countries of the Black Sea region (Turkey, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Georgia, Romania and Bulgaria) on the basis of sustainability. Systematization of approaches to the definition of «sustainable development of tourism», «sustainable tourism» and «tourism constancy» has conditioned the elaboration of a sustainable tourism development model, the elements of which are the needs of tourists, tourism resources, tourism services, types of tourism, tourism activities, subjects - tourist, tourist enterprise, destinations and the state (management). It was determined that the achievement of sustainable tourism development in the country should be evaluated from the standpoint of meeting the needs of tourists and considering the factors such as security, sustainable tourism services, economic and environmental sustainability, socio-cultural sustainability, the country’s basic sustainaility and political and regulatory constancy. During the study, the needs of the tourist were identified (cognition, recognition and his acceptance of the cultural, historical, national heritage of the destination, the development of spiritual potential and self-development), which act as a driving force for the growth of demand for sustainable types of tourism. It was found that satisfying the physiological needs of a tourist, his staying in a safe environment, confirming his social, professional, family status is associated with mass tourism, and does not fully contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals. It is determined that the development of tourism in the Black Sea countries is characterized by a high loading on tourist facilities and irregular tourist flows, the irrational use of natural resources, and the continuous expansion of infrastructure that allows only fragmentary observance of the principles of sustainable development . To assess the sustainability of tourism in the countries of the region, we used the author’s methodology for ranking the factors of the tourism sustainability index. Calculations demonstrated that the most important factors for tourists in the Black Sea region are the factor of safety, tourism services and the basic state of stability of the country, which is based on the level of food technology usage; the presence of harmful industries in the country; unemployment rate in the country; the importance of tradition in everyday life; international openness safety factors, tourist services and the basic condition of stability of the country. Environmental sustainability and a sociocultural strategy have a moderate impact. In the ranking of the countries of the Black Sea region according to the calculated tourism sustainability index, Georgia took the first place, and Ukraine received the lowest indicator. By the method of cluster analysis, the countries of the Black Sea region were combined into three clusters. The first cluster was formed by Turkey - a country that has a developed system of mass tourism and actively contributes to its reorientation continuously. The second cluster includes Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia, which combine the processes of active development of traditional and sustainable tourism. In the third cluster, which includes Russia and Ukraine, the development of tourism on the principles of sustainability practically does not occur.