Assessment of the development capacity of tourism and recreation industry in the economy of Ukrainian regions

Abstract

Comprehensive assessment of the tourism and recreation capacity is an important prerequisite for optimizing the spatial and economic organization of regional tourism and recreation systems as well as for strategic planning of tourism and recreation on the national and regional scales. The purpose of the article is to assess the development capacity of the tourism and recreation industry and the efficiency of its use in the economy of Ukrainian regions. The analysis of factors influencing the formation of the capacity of the tourism and recreation industry in Ukrainian regions made it possible to group them into the following groups: natural-geographical, economic, socio-demographic, institutional, scientific, and technical. The paper outlines the main global trends in the development of the world market of tourist services, which determine the vector and opportunities for building the capacity of tourism and recreation in the regions of Ukraine given the criterion of strategic competitiveness and the goal of expanding development and integration of tourism industry on the international tourism market. The analysis of the dependencies of the main indicators of the tourism and recreation industry development in the regions of Ukraine for the period 2013-2018 pointed to the problem of inefficient use of transport infrastructure in increasing the potential of the tourism and recreation industry in the regions of Ukraine. Yet, the efficiency of the use of the tourism and recreation capacity was boosted by the volumes of capital investment in the tourism and recreation industry, as well as the volumes of foreign direct investment, which determines the feasibility of further state and local policies to support and stimulate both domestic and foreign investors in the development of tourism and recreation industry in Ukraine. The results of this study can be used in the formation of national, regional, and local strategies and programs for tourism and recreation, as they allow directing support and incentives to those factors that are more decisive in building the capacity of tourism and recreation in Ukraine.