Statistical analysis and current state of the Russian tourism market

Introduction. The Russian tourism market, like the global one, is facing serious challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors. Additionally, in the current geopolitical context and amid travel restrictions, domestic tourism in Russia is of particular importance. The economic crisis, the level of income of the population, the exchange rate, and other financial indicators have a significant impact on tourist activity. Aim of the article: to analyze the current state of the Russian tourism market. Materials and methods. The materials included official statistics, specifically information from the Federal State Statistics Service, Rostourism, and other state bodies, which contained data on the number of tourists, income from tourism activities, and infrastructure. Methods: statistical analysis, including descriptive statistics and time series analysis, are employed to study the dynamics of tourism market indicators over time, identifying trends and predicting future changes. Results. The analysis of statistical data by years allowed identifying and describing the main trends in the development of the tourism sector, the volume and cost of selling tourist packages. The structure of collective accommodation facilities showed their percentage during the study period and the change in their shares. The leading destination for 2019-2021 was Turkey, accounting for 56.1% of the total Russian tourist flow. At the same time, domestic tourism is on the rise – the most popular regions of the Russian Federation for tourist trips in 2021, as in 2019 and 2020, are Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. Conclusion. The modern tourism sector in the Russian Federation is a highly effective means of generating revenue. It is a successful direction that combines interconnected and complementary sets of events, services, and products, which, together, create a whole experience and value for their visitors. Still, it is subject to external factors and is associated with numerous costs, depending on the tourist market served.