Tourism in the East and West of Russia: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

We compared the dynamics of development of tourism in the European part of Russia on the example of Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Kaliningrad oblast, Krasnodar krai, Stavropol krai, the southern regions of Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East for the period from 2009 to 2017. It has been found that a combination of factors in the attractiveness of tourist services during that period increased in all regions of the western group and in almost all groups of the eastern group (with the exception of Zabaikalskii krai), in spite of the sensitive economic shocks. Analysis of the dynamics of tax revenues to the budget system of the Russian Federation and income of collective accommodation facilities revealed contradictory trends. Tourism development in the east and west of Russia is characterized by an increase in tourist flow, but the economic consequences of this trend are different, and this shows differences in historical, geographical and socio-economic conditions. This requires different managerial decisions, because the rules of regulation of tourist activities, which are effective in the west where the infrastructure conditions complying with demand exist already, may not “work” in the east where there remain numerous problems associated with the state of roads, environmental protection facilities, housing and communal services, etc.