ASSESSMENT OF THE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT OF THE ODESA REGION IN THE CONTEXT OF FOREIGN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Relevance of the study: the study of the peculiarities of the formation of competitive advantages in a particular tourist region and their comparison with other regions is one of the key areas of research on competition in foreign tourism. This is especially relevant in the context of identifying factors that intensify the development of foreign tourism, which give it competitive advantages over other regions. Before the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, Odesa region was such a region. The subject of the research is the study of various aspects of the formation and development of factors and processes of formation of the competitive environment of tourist regions in order to determine their competitive advantages in the context of foreign tourism development for the Odesa region. The purpose of the study is to determine the competitive advantages of the Odesa region for the development of foreign tourism (in the pre-war period) in comparison with other tourist regions of the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Research methodology: the methods of analysis, synthesis, theoretical generalization, comparative characteristics, rating assessment of various factors of formation of the competitive environment for the development of foreign tourism are used. The results of the study: a rating assessment of various factors of formation of the competitive environment for individual tourist regions located on the Black and Mediterranean coasts is carried out. Differences in the formation of certain types of competitive advantages are identified. It is found that Egypt and Greece have the best climatic conditions for the development of tourism and recreation, while Ajara is characterized by better socio-economic conditions for the development of foreign tourism, which was also characteristic of the Odesa region before the outbreak of afull-scale war. The article identifies both competitive advantages and certain obstacles for each region, which should be taken into account when developing and implementing competitive strategies in the market of international tourism services. Practical significance: the results obtained show that Odesa region in the pre-war period, compared to other tourist regions, had the highest rating of the competitive environment for the development of foreign tourism. This gives grounds to rebuild the infrastructure after the war and return the region to its competitive advantages. Conclusions: It has been found that Odesa region had the best competitive conditions for the development of foreign tourism among all the studied regions before the start of Russia's fullscale war against Ukraine. Prospects for further research are to study the possibilities of post-war reconstruction and restoration of infrastructure in the region with the involvement of interested investors.