Territorial Identity of the Population as an aspect of Public Administration of Tourism Territories Development

Abstract

The article is devoted to the development of the methodology for studying the territorial identity of the population of regions and post-Soviet countries as an object of public administration in the sphere of tourism. The population and its features are an important resource, particularly for tourism. However, one can observe that even the most successful destinations experience difficulties in developing tourism due to emerging hotbeds of tension and armed clashes related to conflicts between certain population groups. The analysis of territorial identity allows one to reveal the existence and strength of mental links of a person with the territory of their living, priorities in choosing the place of study, work, living, recreation, etc., i.e. answers the question of the attractiveness of a region for its inhabitants, as well as the causes and factors of migration processes (labour, educational, recreational). It allows one to determine the trends of centripetal forces in society (formation of the so-called "centrisms"), to analyze the relationship between territorial identity and the statehood, and to identify mental images of different territories. It has great importance for sociological research, branding, and marketing of territories, for the improvement of the image of individual districts, etc. The article proposes a complex methodology for studying the territorial identity of the population for the sphere of public administration of regional tourism development, which can be verified in the conditions of different territories and regions. The author considers its provisions and mechanisms, in particular, the analysis of the experience of territorial identity research, including for frontier and border regions, concepts and approaches to comprehension and research of territorial identity components, subjective atlases as a form of information presentation and the study of the features of compilation and analysis of mental maps.