The Concept of Sustainable Rural Tourism Development in the Face of COVID-19 Crisis: Evidence from Russia

Abstract

In the context of globalized processes, the importance of the sustainable development concept in solving the problems of local tourism systems development is growing. Unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis in the tourism sector, on the one hand, questioned the possibility of fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the goals of sustainable tourism. On the other hand, they emphasized the need for balance between three pillars of sustainability, both as an urgency tool to cope with the pandemic crisis and as a solid basis for long-term development in the post-pandemic period. The study presented in the paper discusses sustainability issues in rural tourism as one of the most promising sectors for the development of domestic tourism on the example of the Russian tourism industry. The overall goal of the study initiated in the pre-pandemic period is to find ways to support sustainable rural tourism in Russian regions and to develop indicators for monitoring the effectiveness of local strategic development programs, taking into account national and regional specifics. This paper discusses intermediate results obtained with the adjustment for pandemic challenges. The authors combined a number of methods and techniques, namely desk research, statistical analysis, and analysis of empirical data obtained by means of in-depth interviews, as well as a survey using a formal questionnaire. The results confirm that Russian enterprises and local communities considered the three pillars of sustainability as important to develop tourism in rural destinations both in the pre-pandemic period and in times of challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the findings show weaknesses in the federal and local policy, including the lack of systemic measures to improve the sustainable management of Russian tourism destinations. From the authors’ point of view, it makes sense to adapt the European tourism indicator system for sustainable destinations (ETIS) for local peculiarities. ETIS is a useful tool to boost the sustainable development of rural destinations by encouraging stakeholder engagement and monitoring processes. In the case of Russia, one needs to add indicators for monitoring the effectiveness of the implementation of strategic development programs in the field of tourism.

Russian Tourism Enterprises’ Marketing Innovations to Meet the COVID-19 Challenges

“…This is not that easy, since in the prepandemic period, outbound tourism flows prevailed, there was a weak tourism infrastructure, low professional skills of most entrepreneurs and staff in the sector, and lack of tourism support experience on all levels [69,70]. At the same time, there could be new opportunities to boost tourism development in the new challenging conditions, and to exceed prepandemic indicators of local-destination development in Russia [38,[71][72][73].…”

Inovasi Pemerintah Kota Batu Dalam Pengembangan Sektor Pariwisata di Masa Pandemi Covid 19

“…Masa pandemi Covid-19 membuat pemerintah di seluruh dunia untuk sigap dalam menangani berbagai dampak yang ditimbulkan, termasuk juga pada sektor pariwisata. Hal ini selaras dengan penelitian yang dilakukan Polukhina et al, (2021) yang mengemukakan bahwa konsep pembangunan berkelanjutan dalam menyelesaikan masalah pengembangan pariwisata lokal terutama pada masa pandemi sangat penting untuk dilakukan bagi pemerintah dan stakeholder terkait. Hasil penelitian ini memaparkan pariwisata pedesaan dapat menjadi salah satu sektor yang paling menjanjikan untuk pengembangan pariwisata domestik dengan mementingkan keterlibatan antara tiga aktor yakni pemerintah, perusahaan (swasta), dan komunitas lokal untuk memantau efektivitas pelaksanaan program pembangunan strategis di bidang pariwisata.…”

The Implementation of Basic Principles of Financial Management to Improve Higher Education Reputation

“…Tuition, taxpayer funding, and donations/grants provide revenues. Recently, however, the model has become increasingly challenged [11][12][13][14][15]. In the face of pressing financial and technology forces for change, not-for-profit higher education institutions need to move from long-successful financial and curriculum models to new models that fit the vastly different conditions of the 21 st century.…”

“…In the face of pressing financial and technology forces for change, not-for-profit higher education institutions need to move from long-successful financial and curriculum models to new models that fit the vastly different conditions of the 21 st century. Even among those most vested in the status quo, the expectation is that the future will be very different than today and will arrive soon [11][12][13][14][15]. The use of funds at a private university must be well managed and reports on its use must be prepared so that it can be verified and audited by internal and external parties.…”