Estimation of the value of tourist flow within cross-border touristic-recreational regions in the north-west borderland of Russia

Abstract

Official statistics on inbound and international tourism in different countries due to differences in estimation methods do not give the full idea of the value of cross-border tourist flows. The purpose of the study is to find aparameter, which would allow to evaluate the value of cross-border tourist flow, as well as the level of formation of cross-border touristic-recreational regions of different scales. In the capacity of such aparameter in the article there is an annual number of crossings of the border via multi-sided vehicle checkpoints. Within the region of the research, stretching along the border of Russia with Norway, Finland, Estonia and Latvia, there are 15such checkpoints. Altogether there are four cross-border touristic-recreational meso-regions in the researched region, the level of formation of which is evaluated to be an average and above average. Still, there were three more cross-border touristic-recreational micro-regions of the first order identified, the level of formation of them is estimated to be below average and low.