TREND WATCHING OF THE PROVISION OF EXCURSION SERVICES IN THE CURRENT MARKET CONDITIONS

The high level of competition in the market for the provision of excursion services requires entrepreneurs to improve existing and develop new competitive excursion services. To carry out this task, it is necessary to constantly monitor trends in changing priorities and wishes of consumers — which is exactly what trend-watching research is all about. The article presents the results of such research obtained on the basis of scientific publications on the topic, analysis of the work of tourist and excursion enterprises and the author's own practical work experience. Among the most relevant trends in the provision of excursion services in modern market conditions, the following are highlighted and described: deepening the thematic orientation of excursions, in particular, against the background of the already existing and established classification, it is necessary to highlight religious, ethnographic, gastronomic, mystical topics that have their own organizational and technological features; minimization of information, the amount of provided knowledge that constitutes the content of the excursion, inclusion of non-thematic additional materials in thematic excursions; the creation of thematic excursions of an even narrower, and mostly unconventional, unusual thematic focus, and the corresponding inclusion of new, hitherto unconventional and non-standard display objects; taking into account the desire of excursionists to be active during the excursion, which led to the emergence of new forms of excursions — interactive excursions, animated excursions, excursions with master classes, photo excursions, blind excursions, quest excursions; the use of traditional (comfortable) and the latest — non-traditional, ecological, electric means of transportation for the organization of transportation of tourists; organizing for excursionists the opportunity to get a dose of adrenaline on excursions, in connection with which the program includes services with extreme elements; the desire to immerse more deeply in the traditions and customs of the visited area with the possibility of taking part in specific rites, holidays, traditional events — conducting tours in museums — open-air museums, ethnographic exhibitions of traditional local history museums, conducting tours tied to the celebration of certain holidays; organization of an entertainment program as part of excursion service; satisfaction of tourists' shopping needs; increasing the time for independent, more individualized knowledge of objects; excursionists consider the excursion as a means of acquaintance and interpersonal communication. All the mentioned trends need to be taken into account at all stages of organizing excursion services.