Structural features of ecotourism in the field of its implementation in the Arctic region.

The Arctic region stands out due to its capability to host a large number of tourists without compromising the ecological situation of the territory. In particular, the potential capacity of the tourism market is several times higher than the one existing in accordance to the established development standards. The basis of tourism in the Arctic regions is ecological tourism, which has the least impact on the environment. We see the relevance of the study in identifying limits that should be expanded to achieve the required parameters for the development of ecological tourism. An expert study was performed involving 101 experts; experts needed to rank 33 types of tourism. Next, the variable series were calculated, after which 6 groups of types of tourism were obtained. The considered specific features, which make up the potential of ecotourism, provide an opportunity for further identification of indicators that can be used to assess the potential of ecotourism. The novelty of the study is that for the first-time ecological tourism is considered not as a general procedure in the tourism complex of the region, but as the main category of economic product. The paper points out the understanding of ecological tourism in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and considers aspects of managing its development. The practical application of the study may be the sphere of development of depressed territories, which essentially covers the entire Arctic region. The authors believe that the application of the developed management tools will diversify the economy of the region at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]