ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE AZOV SEA REGION FOR THE PURPOSES OF TOURIST AND RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The article studies the socio-economic environment of the Azov Sea region from the perspective of tourist and recreational development. The aim was to devise and test a methodology and algorithm for a comprehensive assessment of the socio-economic environment of the territories constituting the region. We analyze the territorial structure of collective accommodation facilities, catering facilities, leisure infrastructure, labor resources, transport infrastructure, and investment activity. The developed maps of collective accommodation facilities and infrastructure for organizing tourist leisure activities have revealed a significant level of spatial differentiation of the material and technical base of the tourist and recreational development. Using statistical information, we calculated integral indices showing the degree of favorability of the socio-economic environment. Basing on these, we assessed the quality of the socio-economic conditions for the development of recreation and tourism in most municipalities of the Azov Sea region: it was found to be insufficient for the comprehensive development of the region’s tourist and recreational resource potential on the basis of the principles of competitiveness and sustainability. The highest indicator of the socio-economic environment’s favorability is demonstrated by the Temryuk District of the Krasnodar Territory, the lowest values – by territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the Donetsk People's Republic. The sharp territorial disparities in the degree of tourist and recreational development within the region can be smoothed by means of coordinating strategic plans for the socioeconomic development of the territories and targeted integrated programs of tourist and recreational orientation. The enlarged functional zoning of the Azov Sea region should take into account promising tourist clusters and large infrastructure facilities that ensure a high degree of integration of the region’s tourist and recreational space.