Tourism in the East of Russia: Dynamics and Spatial Shifts in 2003–2024

   Aim. The purpose of the study is to clarify the specifics of the dynamics of tourism and spatial shifts in its development in the East of Russia in the post–Soviet period.

   Methodology. Comparative geographical, cartographic and statistical research methods wereused. The dynamics of tourism in 2003–2024 was revealed by an increase or decrease in the number of units in collective accommodation facilities and the number of people served there. Trend in tourism and tourism intensity in eastern Russia and the Russian Federation, the northern and southern parts of the Russia’s East, the East Siberian and Far Eastern economic regions have been compared. Spatial shifts in tourism development have been determined by an increase or decrease in percentage points in the share of eastern part of Russian Federation on a national scale in terms of the number of units and serviced persons in collective accommodation facilities, as well as the share of the Far East and Eastern Siberia, the north and the south on the scale of Russia’s East.

   Results. The trends in tourism dynamics in the Russian Federation, Russia’s East, the north and south of the macroregion, Eastern Siberia and the Far East were unidirectional: a decline in 1995–2000 and an increase in 2003–2024. But the growth rate of tourism in the Russia’s East in 2003–2024 was lower than in the Russian Federation. During the time under study, there was no "shift to the east" in the development of tourism in Russia. The share of Russia’s East nationwide in terms of the number of units and serviced persons in collective accommodation facilities decreased slightly. The pronounced asymmetry in the development of tourism in the Russia’s East along the north-south axis has intensified due to lower tourism growth in the north than in the south of the macroregion. On the contrary, the less pronounced contrasts in the development of tourism between Eastern Siberia and the Far East softened in 2003–2024. The regions of the south of Russia’s East, such as Krasnoyarsk (southern part) Krai and Primorsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast with a more developed infrastructure and more favorable natural and socio-economic prerequisites for tourism, have retained leadership in its development. Chukotka is the only region where the number of tourists has decreased in 2003–2024 due to unfavorable natural and transport-geographical conditions, as well as restrictions related to the development of tourism industry in the border area.

   Research implications. The findings of this research hold significant practical value for the planning, programming, and forecasting of recreation and tourism development in the eastern regions of Russia. The author's methods for cross-scale comparison of the trends and intensity of dynamics, as well as ways to identify territorial shifts, make it possible to trace geographical variations in tourism development in different territories.

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