Development of the tourist sector in Russia and regions of the country – “pandemic” and “post-pandemic” periods

Abstract

Subject. Development of the tourism sector of Russia and the regions of the country in the “pandemic” and “post-pandemic” periods.Objectives. The study of development trends in the tourism and directly related sectors (accommodation and health resort sectors) in Russia and the regions of the country in the “pandemic” and “post-pandemic” periods.Research methods. The main methods of this study are structural-functional, economic-statistical, and comparative analysis.Results and discussion. During the “pandemic” (2020) period, there was a significant but short-term decline in the overall development indicators of the tourism sector and sectors directly related to it such as accommodation and health resorts. The largest drop occurred in profitability; the number of enterprises, the number of personnel and the level of their wages have remained virtually unchanged. Already in 2021, the situation in the country has reached an almost “pre-pandemic” state, with the exception of inbound and outbound tourism. Over 50% of the services of collective accommodation facilities are provided by enterprises in 10 regions throughout the analysed period. In the “post-pandemic” year of 2022, the performance indicators of travel companies, accommodations, and specialized accommodation facilities have significantly improved in regions representing groups of different attractiveness due to the development of domestic tourism. The volume of tourism services in most regions in the “post-pandemic” period increased significantly compared to 2020, but did not reach the level of 2019. At the same time, the volume of accommodation services and specialized accommodation facilities exceeded the level not only of 2020, but also of 2019, which confirms our hypothesis about the high adaptive abilities of the tourism business.