Consumer demand and the development of the tourism market in northern border regions

This study aims to examine the demand within the tourism market of the area encompassing two northern border regions, namely the Republic of Karelia (Russia) and North Karelia (Finland). Finland and the Republic of Karelia are similar in terms of their natural and climatic conditions, and their indigenous populations belong to the Finno-Ugric group. In the Republic of Karelia, the tourism sector emerges as a potential avenue for socio-economic development, with a focus on increasing the number of visitors to the region. Finland, historically renowned for providing high-quality tourist services, has been a key attraction for tourists, including Russians, holding a prominent position globally in terms of visitor numbers. Given the contemporary redistribution of tourism flows, a question arises: Can the Republic of Karelia offer a tourism product of comparable quality to that of Finland? Therefore, the examination of consumer demand for tourism services becomes highly pertinent. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the development of a toolkit with a wide array of indicators. Drawing on empirical data from a 2019 survey of tourists visiting the studied destinations, the research employed multivariate statistical analysis, including factorial and discriminant methods, to study a large number of input parameters. This approach allowed the identification of differentiated demand for tourism services, its assessment, and the development of a multidimensional model of consumer demand. Future research into the tourism market’s demand necessitates the incorporation of parameters reflecting the quality of conditions for providing tourism services. This involves identifying reasons for dissatisfaction with tourism services, as well as understanding the motivation and intentions of tourists for revisiting the area. The study underscores the urgency of creating institutional conditions that support and developpopular types of tourism, aiming to bolster the tourism sector within the Republic of Karelia’s economic structure.