NORTH CAUCASUS IMAGE INSIDE RUSSIA IN THE CONTEXT OF TOURISM CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The article is devoted to the North Caucasus image assessment inside Russia as the important factor of tourists’ attraction to this territory. The growth of tourist cluster in the North Caucasus is one of the main tasks written in Strategy of socio-economic development of the North Caucasus Federal District untill 2025. But in the public opinion of Russians the North Caucasus was for many years perceived as a territory of socio-political instability. The research is based on the Internet survey conducted by author (n=1012). The results of survey are matched with mass media news about tourist objects development and also compared with statistic of visits of the North Caucasus by Russian and foreign citizens. The conclusion says about the growth of positive assessments of the North Caucasus image among Russians, but some stereotypes still remain. The ski resorts in Dombay and Elbrus region, which are in demand among lovers of skiing, need modernization and expansion of infrastructure. Recreational resources of cultural and ecological tourism of the republics of the North-East Caucasus are poorly used. Statistics show that the resorts of the Krasnodarsky krai constitute serious competition to the North Caucasus.

Keywords

• territory image
• tourism cluster development
• public opinion
• internal tourism
• north caucasus