The Sоcio-Cultural and Economic Aspects of Tourism in Ukraine

Abstract

Tourism is one of the key factors in the development of the national economy. It has been one of the most dynamic business areas in the whole world, which determines the specific approaches to public administration in this industry. On one hand, tourism has transformed from a complementary factor facilitating the increase of potentials of national economies into a powerful system being an independent source of economic growth. On the other hand, the socio-economic development of the state depends on the preservation of cultural objects, infrastructure, and the main thing - on the preservation of the public and cultural objects for future generations. That’s why the effects of tourism development are far more complex than policy-makers usually suggest. Researchers argue that improvements in the tourism industry’s management organization can be achieved through the use of automated management systems and computer technologies with quality of service, enhancing productivity and speed of tourist service. However, the issue of public administration of the tourism industry in the field of socio-economic and cultural development has not been sufficiently studied, thus forming the need for this study. The aim of the article is to assess the role of the socio-cultural aspect in tourism as the main tool for the development of the tourism industry. For modeling the indicators of tourism activity, the formula of the correlation coefficient (Pearson’s coefficient) has been used. Using a regression multifactor model of financing tourism, the authors made a comprehensive assessment of the impact of factors on the amount of funding and forecasted the number of financial resources at the optimal value of tourist services and tourist flows in Ukraine. The correlation-regression model shows that the calculated coefficient of correlation between the number of foreign tourists and the number of domestic tourists is estimated at 0.92 (coefficient of determination R2=0.841325), which means that the relationship is close and the obtained indicators of the model are valid. The authors calculate the number of tourists for the future - for 2020-2025. The exponential function shows that the estimated number of tourists for 2020 is 181.5 thousand people. Thus, there will be a decrease in the number of tourists. The reason is the unstable political, economic, and military situation in Ukraine, as well as the pandemic and spread of the virus COVID-19. However, starting from 2021, the number of tourists coming to Ukraine will increase up to the 2019 level, and in the future will grow to 550 thous. persons. In parallel with the growth of tourism worldwide, consumer demand and expectations for quality have been rising, while consumer tastes are varying, on the one hand, and competition among the firms, both internationally and nationally, is intensifying, on the other. In such a business environment of high consumer expectations, distinct market segments that demand unique services and products, and stiff competition, the tourism organizations have been looking for ways to expand the service quality, competition, and performance, and to satisfy customers’ needs and expectations.

Keywords: European Integration, Tourism, Social Aspects, Economic Policy, Cultural Aspects

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1001208