The prospects for the development of golf tourism in Russian regions

This paper describes the perspectives and opportunities for the development of golf tourism in Russian regions. Having examined current global trends and the Programme for the development of golf in Russia by 2020, the authors of the study have analysed the evolution of this sport in the country, revealed the potential and the most popular destinations for further development of domestic and inbound golf tourism. Golf is relatively young and developing sport for Russia. It became popular after 2009, when it was included in the Olympics. In 2014, it was also included in the national development programme of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Both facts triggered the development of domestic and inbound golf tourism. This paper analyzes the dynamics of the development of golf infrastructure by the federal districts and outlines the most popular championships and tournaments hosted by the Russian cities. This data allowed identifying the most promising local destinations for golf tourism. At the moment, the largest local golf centres are the city of Moscow, Moscow and Leningrad Regions, the Republic of Tatarstan and the Krasnoyarsk territory. The Krasnodar territory also has a good perspective to become one of the leading destinations for golf tourism in the nearest future. According to the authors, currently golf tourism is evolving at a low pace in the Russian Federation. This is due to the poor promotion of golf as a sport and leisure activity among the Russian population. However, there is a strong potential for the development of domestic and inbound golf tourism.