Spatial Structure of Tourism in the Context of the “Center–Periphery” Concept: The Case of Tyumen Oblast

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the spatial structure of the tourist economy in the Tyumen region. The theoretical and methodological basis of this analysis is the concept of “center–periphery.” The study uses the method of cluster analysis (using the rules of single and full connection, weighted pairwise average, weighted centroid methods and the Ward method) to isolate groups of municipalities with a similar set of variables reflecting the infrastructure security and cultural and historical potential of the territory, which guarantees an adequate segmentation of the tourist space of the region into a regional center that consolidates record tourist resources and the most diverse types of tourist activity; the second centers are fixed by increased indicators of tourist potential with clearly distinguished branches of specialization. Peripheral areas are extremely poorly equipped with infrastructure components, characterized by internal heterogeneity of tourist manifestations with single destinations and transport isolation, while tourism for them is a means of overcoming economic backwardness, but is located in the zone of risky entrepreneurship. The results of the study allow us to improve the scientific and practical content of tourist zoning and territorial planning of the tourist industry of the Tyumen region.