The role of actors in policymaking process of multilevel governance in tourism in contemporary Russia

Tourism research in Russia is developed within economics and geography, but not political science. At the same time the state is focusing on tourism and its political reforms due to the challenges connected to COVID-19 pandemics and geopolitical turbulency. Both make tourism policy important for political analysis especially within the framework of multilevel governance which enables the author to single out state and non-state actors, their functions and communication channels. The methods of the empirical research included the analysis of legislation, descriptive statistics, and a series of expert interviews with the representatives of tourism business, authorities and expert community. The National project “Tourism and hospitality” (2025–2030) and “The Strategy of tourism development in Russia to 2035” both consider tourism not only in the economic realm, but also as a means of strengthening national identity. The evidence of current statistics showing the rise in the tourism flow and the numbers of hotels makes the target criteria of these strategic documents favorably achievable. The research proves the strengthening role of the state as a political actor in tourism policy. The municipal authorities responsible for infrastructure development are only indirectly involved into tourism policy, the same as NGOs. Destination marketing as their typical function in foreign countries is transferred to Tourist information centers closely affiliated with the state in Russia. The expert community influences tourism development by means of policy formulation and evaluation. The residents may be regarded as the recipients of benefits, but not active subjects of tourism policy. Thus, the interaction of state and non-state actors in the sphere of tourism policy should be described by means of the model of the authorities’ domination which is in this case considered legitimate by tourism business.

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