ARCTIC TOURISM IN SVALBARD: CURRENT STATE & PROSPECTSFOR THE DEVELOPMENT

Aim. The purpose of thе paper is a complex study of Svalbard tourist system. Methodology. The paper describes the main types of tourist resources on Svalbard and analyzes the current state and prospects for the development of the Svalbard tourism as a whole and its most actively developing types. The main methods of research are as follows: analytical, statistical, description and comparison. Results. The study showed the presence of a large number of Arctic tourism resources in the region, favorable for the development of its various types to attract the attention of tourists from many regions of the world; however, the resources are not currently fully used. With a competent approach to their development, the tourism industry will show significant growth, which will strengthen the local economy, create new jobs, and allow one to attract more tourists. The current state of the tourist infrastructure on the archipelago allows the development of active land and cruise programs, as well as eco-tourism programs; at the same time, ecological and cruise expedition tourism are the most promising areas for the development of tourism in the region. Research implications. The results of the study contribute to the development of the theory and methodology for the study of tourist systems of the Arctic islands. The experience gained by previous researchers is systematized and attention is focused on the development of the key branch of economic activity of the Russian Federation on the territory of the archipelago in question, which is of strategic importance.

Arctic, domestic and international tourism, Arctic tourism, Svalbard, tourism resources of Arctic tourism, prospects for the Arctic tourism development

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