THE CURRENT STATE OF EVENT TOURISM IN RUSSIA

Abstract

The article deals with event tourism. Event tourism is popular all over the world, and it is an independent type of tourism. In Russia, this type of tourism is under development. The state, regional authorities, tour operator companies, and individual entrepreneurs are interested in the development of event tourism. It is various events that attract the attention of tourists visiting Russian regions. According to statistics, their number amounts to 30% of the total number of visitors. The article presents the characteristics of the event tourism development in the world, as well as the parameters by which one can classify events, and identify types of event tourism. Analysis of various sources has allowed the authors to identify most accurately the wording of the term of event tourism, which is necessary for further consideration of this type of activity in tourism. Special attention is paid to the status of event tourism in Russia's major cities. The authors present the list of the most popular events and formulate the importance of event tourism for the city that is confirmed by relevant statistics. Event tourism performs certain economic, humanitarian, and socio-cultural functions, as well as encourages the development of small businesses. The presence of interesting events attracts additional tourist flow to the city and region, contributing to tourism development in general. From June 14 to July 15, 2018, the World Cup was held in Russia. During the Championship, the cities where the matches were held were visited by about 6.8 million people, including more than 3.4 million foreign tourists. The tourist flow to 11 cities involved in the Championship increased by more than 50% during the period of this sports event. The analysis of various materials has allowed the authors to draw certain conclusions about the current state of event tourism in the Russian Federation.