E. G. Leonidova, A. Yu. Balandina. Assessment of the Potential Demand for the Region's Tourism Resources

https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.26342.284-304
EDN: https://elibrary.ru/iywsno ISSN 2413-1407
УДК / UDC 338.48:339.1:332.1 ISSN 2587-8549

Abstract

Introduction. In the face of unfavorable external influences, which hinder Russians' travel abroad, domestic tourism has become the main driver of tourism development in Russia. Russian regions are competing with each other for increased tourist flow, particularly for areas offering a different type of vacation. The Vologda Region is one of such region. The purpose of this article is to assess potential demand for the region's tourism resources based on an analysis of search query data, given the incompleteness of official statistical information. This is to address the scientific problem of measuring unobserved segments of demand, particularly intraregional tourism, and verifying digital traces as markers of its formation.

Materials and Methods. The information basis of the study was based on the results obtained from the Yandex.Wordstat using content analysis. The data used made it possible to assess the potential demand for tourist services in the region from local residents and visitors from other Russian regions. The time interval for the search was 6 years (2019–2024 in terms of months).

Results. It was found that local residents are the most interested in traveling in the Vologda Region. Potential demand for shared accommodations is growing faster than the development of hotel infrastructure, indicating a shortage. The importance of assessing the potential demand for the region's tourism resources for the development of domestic tourism was determined.

Conclusion. The study concluded that using search query data is an effective tool for assessing potential demand for a region's tourism resources. The study's findings have practical implications for specialists working on regional brand positioning and promotion technologies.

Keywords: content analysis, Vologda Region, region, potential demand, tourism resources, tourism

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Grant No. 24-18-01067 (https://rscf.ru/project/24-18-01067/).

For citation: Leonidova E.G., Balandina A.Yu. Assessment of the Potential Demand for the Region's Tourism Resources. Russian Journal of Regional Studies. 2026;34(2):284–304. https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.26342.284-304

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About the authors:

Ekaterina G. Leonidova, Cand.Sci. (Econ.), Senior Researcher, Head of the Laboratory of Sectoral Studies of the Center for Structural Research and Forecasting of Territorial Development, Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (56a Gorky St., Vologda 160014,
Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9206-6810, Researcher ID: I-8400-2016, Scopus ID: 57743001500, SPIN-code: 1368-5595, eg_leonidova@mail.ru

Arina Yu. Balandina, Researcher, Center for Structural Research and Forecasting of Territorial Development, Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (56а, Gorky St.,
Vologda 160014, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8898-8249, Researcher ID: GNW-2404-2022, SPIN-code: 9840-7685, arina.kudrevich@yandex.ru

Contribution of the authors:

E. G. Leonidova – сonceptualization; supervision; writing – review and editing.

A. Yu. Balandina – methodology; investigation; writing – review and editing; validation; visualization.

Availability of data and materials. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the authors on reasonable request.

The authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 05.03.2025; revised 05.11.2025; accepted 18.11.2025.