THE ISSUE OF IMPROVING RUSSIA’S CURRENT TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS. COMPARING RUSSIA WITH THE UNITED STATES AND SPAIN

According to the latest data published by major international organizations such as the World Tourism Organization and the World Economic Forum, Russia’s tourism activity has kept a positive trend since 2009, increasing its world market share. However, in terms of tourism competitiveness, it lags behind major European countries such as Spain, at the top of the world ranking since 2015, and the United States. It is not either performing well at a regional level. The aim of the article is to pinpoint major weaknesses and strengths of Russia’s tourism sector, in order to achieve better results in the 2017 world examination.