ISSN 0798 1015

Vol. 39 (Nº36) Year 2018. Page 5

Research on the factors determining the expenditure pattern of Russian and foreign tourists in the Territory of the Russian Federation

Investigación sobre los factores que determinan el patrón de gastos de turistas tanto rusos como extranjeros en el territorio de la Federación de Rusia

Tatiana Viktorovna KHARITONOVA 1; Lyudmila Ivanovna CHERNIKOVA 2; Tatiana Aleksandrovna SLEPNEVA 3

Received: 06/03/2018 • Approved: 30/04/2018

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Methods

3. Results

4. Factor analysis

5. Conclusion

References

1. Introduction

Currently, it is considered evident that the Federal Target Program (FTP) "Development of Domestic and Inbound Tourism in the Russian Federation (2011-2018)" has given its positive results (Chernikova, & Faizova, 2016). Consequently, according to the data, provided by the Federal State Statistics Service, the quantity of "domestic" tourists for the period of 2011-2016 increased from 1741.0 thousand people to 3284.2 thousand people, that is, by 1.9 times. Over the same period, the foreign tourism flow to the Russian Federation increased from 225.9 thousand people to 595.6 thousand people (by 2.5 times).

Apart from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the Russian tourists find most attractive for visiting such cities as Kazan, Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Kaliningrad, Ekaterinburg, Anapa, Vladimir, Gelendzhik, Suzdal, Kostroma, etc. (Kaurova et al., 2015).

Foreign tourists still consider Moscow to be the most "desirable" city. In the 2016 rating of the most popular tourist cities of the world, Moscow ranked 59th, while Saint Petersburg was only 85th. This is true regardless of the fact that, according to many experts, Moscow is one of the most "expensive" cities for the tourists, especially judging by the cost of hotel rooms (Chernikova et al., 2015). The research, held by the authors, has shown that the tourism expenditures for a one-day stay in Moscow amount to € 85-100, while in Saint Petersburg they are equal to € 65-80.

Recently, the Moscow Region has become quite a popular tourist destination. This may be explained by its proximity to Moscow, as well as by the existence of the numerous tourist landmarks. Thus, there are over 6400 cultural and historical heritage sites in the territory of the Moscow Region (5% from the all-Russian figure). Among the major sites, there are the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the Russian Orthodox Sacred Centre. Apart from that, the Moscow Region is witnessing the quick development of farmstead tourism – the holidays in renovated noble estates (Sakharchuk et al., 2013). Tourist expenditures for a one-day stay in the territory of the Moscow Region amount to € 70-85.

How can such significant tourism expenditures be explained? To answer this question, the authors have conducted special research, the results of which are presented in this article. The research was held in the territory of Moscow and the Moscow Region, which were combined for the sake of convenience in one single tourist destination – the Moscow Region (Dzhandzhugazova et al., 2016).

2. Methods

To determine and assess the inbound and outbound tourism expenditures in the Moscow Region, the opinion poll in a form of a questionnaire was conducted among the tourists. The sampled population of the respondents was equal to 400 people. Before starting the opinion poll, the tourists were segmented based on the level of the tourism activity. The following matrix was made for that purpose (Table 1).

Table 1
The matrix of the tourism activity

The first criterion of the matrix shows the formation of tourist requirements, that is, the tourist inclination to consuming the additional and related services in the tourism framework. The second criterion is the level of tourism expenditures, which allows meeting the tourism requirements.

For the aims of the research, the following segments with the high level of tourism requirements have been selected:

• the segment with the high level of tourism requirements, but with the low level of the tourism expenditures is represented by intramural students;
• the segment with the high level of tourism requirements and the high level of tourism expenditures is represented by the people who work in the production, services and management spheres.

The general characteristic of the respondents is as follows.

The number of women-respondents amounted to 68%; the number of men was 32%. Such a correlation is explained by the psychological factor – females are more easy-going.

The segment of students amounted to 36%, while the segment of working people was equal to 54%.

The highest percentage in the respondents' structure (63% in the students' segment and 75% in the working people's segment) was related to the tourists who stayed in the territory of the region for over 2 days. This fact is considered highly important for the research, since the longer the stay, the more probable the requirement of the additional services may be.

The majority of the travellers (87% in the students' segment and 67% in the working people's segment) was composed by the tourists, which were travelling in a group. This fact is also essential for the research, since the travelling in a group more frequently leads to the appearance of a multiple (synergetic) effect from the point of view of the formation of tourism requirements, as well as from the point of view of tourism expenditures.

3. Results

The results of the research have shown that the most popular service in the students' segment (100%) was the purchase of souvenirs. It was followed by visits to the parks, zoos, water parks and other recreational places (63%), and then followed by excursions (50%). Other services were popular to a lesser degree. The medical and health services were the most neglected category among the students' segment. According to the authors, this is connected with the tourism direction of the Moscow Region for the young people – mainly it is considered to be the culture-related tourism.

The most eagerly-sought services (84%) among the working people's segment were the services of restaurants and cafes. All other services were popular to a lesser degree.

The majority of the respondents from the students' segment (74%) indicated that they spent up to 10 thousand roubles on additional services, while the working people's segment stated that they spent up to 20 to 30 thousand roubles. This is fully explained by the income factor, which has been accounted for in the initial segmentation.

The respondents stated that the main reason which reduced the consumption of the additional services in the student's segment was the high prices (38%) and the limited budget of a traveller (38%). The working people's segment respondents named the poor quality of services (67%) and the high prices (42%). The latter is mainly explained by the fact that Moscow and the Moscow Region are related to the regions with high cost of life.

Table 2 represents the additional services, which are the most significant among the respondents from the point of view of expenditures.

Table 2
Additional services, which are the most significant
from the point of view of the expenditures

            Within the framework of the tourism expenditures' research in the Moscow Region, a small segment of the social tourists was detected. To make the analysis comprehensive, let us briefly examine this segment.

The segment of social tourists is 100% represented by a mixed composition of travelers, who stay in the territory of the region for over 2 days, which is quite a prolonged period.

It should be assumed that given the limited budget of a traveller, they spend small amounts on the additional services, which is fully confirmed by the research (up to 10 thousand roubles). All services consumed by them (except the purchase of the souvenirs) are the essential ones and constitute the most prominent expenditures.

Table 3 represents the services, with the quality of which the students-respondents were mainly satisfied or dissatisfied. Table 4 shows the same information in respect with the working respondents.

Table 3
The services, with the quality of which the students-respondents
were mainly satisfied or dissatisfied

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Table 4
The services, with the quality of which the working r
espondents were mainly satisfied or dissatisfied

According to the tables, a conclusion may be drawn that the respondents are mostly dissatisfied with the quality of the accommodation services. The service, with the quality of which the respondents of both groups are mainly satisfied, is the purchase of souvenirs. Moreover, the respondents from the working people's segment are satisfied with the quality of the services, rendered during the visits to the sports facilities.

The conducted opinion poll has shown that the consumers of the tourism services in the Moscow Region are mainly dissatisfied with its quality. One of the major reasons for the insufficient quality of the tourism services is stated to be the low level of service at the institutions of the hospitality industry, according to the respondents from both consumption segments. It was noted by 63% of the students-respondents and 67% of the working people-respondents. To increase the level of servicing, according to the respondents, it is required to reinforce the control over the quality of the rendered services at all levels of the management hierarchy.

4. Factor analysis

The structure of tourism expenditures is the cost component for each type of tourism goods or services in its overall volume. Among the factors, determining this structure, there are the level of income, the prices, the quantity, the age composition of the population, the urbanization and others.

One of the most essential factors, having its impact on the level of the tourism expenditures, is the annual income of a consumer.

The average income per person of a certain consumption group at a set level of prices is the indicator of the quality of life of the examined group. The experience has proven that the mass tourism development may be observed at reaching a certain income level per consumer. In other words, the income level should be higher than the income level required for usual consumption.

As a rule, tourism trips are financed by the part of the income left after covering the essential requirements. Since this part of income is constantly changing, the demand for tourism is also fluctuating. There are different points of view on the level of income, which would permit travelling. The majority of researchers believe that the monthly income of 500 dollars per person is the minimum amount of money which makes the travelling possible (Caldito et al., 2015).

The second component of the level of tourism expenditures is the price. To determine its influence on the demand for tourism, it is necessary to compare the prices at the place of a permanent stay of a tourist with the prices of his or her temporary stay.

Consequently, if the deviation of the level of price is positive, then, under other equal conditions, the tourism expenditures will increase.

Obviously, the tourism expenditures will increase with the quality of life. This goes against the theory, which states that the price is the factor which inhibits its growth. The calculation of the "tourist set" price will prove this point of view.

While forming a standard "tourist set", a tourist is choosing a limited circle of services. Its cost has a direct impact on the assessment of a particular country as "expensive" or "cheap" for a tourist (Kharitonova et al., 2014).

Currently, the strengthening of the rationalism factor should be noted in the behavior of a consumer-tourist. The irrational motives can be attributed to a tourist only as an exception from the rule. Generally, it is related to the category of tourists, who visit the most popular and expensive places, for example, the so-called "fashionable resorts". Unreasonably expensive pricing of the goods and services, poor sanitary conditions and lack of order sometimes lead to the reduction of the tourism expenditures, although, it is so to a lesser degree, than the level of income and prices (Larionova et al., 2017).

The high prices on the goods and services for the tourists may also be a factor, which stimulates the demand. The theoretical economics calls it "the Veblen effect" or "the snobbery effect". It is connected with the goods and services, which are prestigious and wealthy and indicate the belonging to a certain class or a social group.

The third important factor is the comfort of a tourist or the level of service. This factor is mostly depending on the level of the economic development of a country (Vapnyarskaya et al., 2015).

Except for the above-considered factors, the psychological factor also influences the level of the tourism expenditures. Among these factors there are: social mobility, ethnocentrism, state of health, intellectual interest, family ties, the risks during the travel and a difficulty in using transport means (Chernikova, & Kharitonova, 2015).

The research on the influence of the major factors on the structure of tourism expenditures is fully confirmed by the results of the marketing research, held in the Moscow Region.

Thus, according to the respondents, the major factors, which have an impact on the structure of the tourism expenditures in the Moscow Region, which specializes in the recreational tourism, are:

• income (limited budget of a traveller) – 53%;
• price – 42%;
• lack of a need (requirement) – 37%;
• low quality of the additional and related tourism services – 5%.

       At the same time, the major factors, which have an impact on the structure of the tourism expenditures in Moscow, where the culture-related tourism is largely developed, are:

• income (limited budget of a traveller) – 38%;
• price – 38%;
• low quality of additional and related tourism services – 34%;
• lack of a need (requirement) – 24%.

Based on the above-mentioned information, let us calculate the structure of the tourism expenditures for two main types of the regions for tourists (Tables 5-6).

Table 5
The approximate structure of the tourism expenditures in
the regions, which specialize in the recreational tourism

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Table 6
Approximate structure of tourism expenditures in the regions,
which specialize in the culture-related tourism

5. Conclusion

Such typical structures may be used for forecasting the incomes of the regional budgets from the development of tourism, as well as for the elaborating target programs, aiming to improve the competitive ability of the Russian tourism destination in the domestic and foreign tourism markets.

References

Caldito, L.A., Dimanche, F., Kharitonova, T. et al. (2015) Cultural Tourism in Russia TEMPUS Project "NETOUR: Network for Excellence in Tourism through Organization and Universities in Russia". Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena. (p. 54).

Chernikova, L., Faizova, G., Kozhevnikova, N., Aglieva, V., & Safargaliev, E. (2015). Role of State in Formation and Development of Tourist Cluster.
European Research Studies Journal, 18(3), 211-222.

Chernikova, L.I., & Faizova, G.R. (2016). K voprosu pereorientatsii na vnutrennii turizm [On Refocusing to Domestic Tourism]. Finansovaya analitika: problemy i resheniya, 18(300).

Chernikova, L.I., & Kharitonova, T.V. (2015). Issledovanie problem i perspektiv razvitiya rynka gostinichnykh uslug goroda Moskvy v sovremennykh ekonomicheskikh usloviyakh [Study of the Problems and Perspectives of Development of Hotel Services Market of Moscow under the Modern Economic Conditions]. Finansovaya analitika: problemy i resheniya, 27(261), 11-19.

Dzhandzhugazova, E.A., Chernikova, L.I., & Faizova, G.R. (2016). Turizm i regionalnoe razvitie v usloviyakh novykh rossiiskikh realii [Tourism and Regional Development in the Face of New Russian Reality]. Moscow: KnoRus.

Kaurova, O.V., Saak, A.A., & Revyakina, T.U. (2015). Small Business in Tourism Industry as a Functional Element Region's Tax Capacity. Contemporary Problems of Social Work, 1(1), 61-66.

Kharitonova, T.V., Platonova, N.A., & Vapnyarskaya, O.I. (2014). Trends and Factors of Destination Competitiveness Management in Russia. American Journal of Scientific and Educational Research, 2, 179-184.

Larionova, A.A., Dzhandzhugazova, E.A., Chernikova, L.I., Chudnovsky, A.D., & Faizova, G.R. (2017). The Role and Importance of the Cluster Approach in the Development of Domestic Tourism of the Russian Federation. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, 8(2(18)), 385-392.

Sakharchuk, E.S., Kharitonova, T.V., Krivosheeva, T.M., & Ilkevich, S.V. (2013). The Study of the Present State and Prospects of Cultural Tourism in the Russian Federation Exemplifying Moscow Region). World Applied Sciences Journal, 27(13A), 309-314.

Vapnyarskaya, O.I., Kharitonova, T.V., & Krivosheeva T.M. (2015). Tendentsii v praktike menedzhmenta turistskoi destinatsii [Trends in the Practice Management of a Tourist Destination]. Vestnik Assotsiatsii VUZov turizma i servisa, 9(1), 21-28.

1. Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, 49 Leningradsky Prospekt, Moscow, Russia, 125993, GSP-3

2. Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, 49 Leningradsky Prospekt, Moscow, Russia, 125993, GSP-3, E-mail: tariff2004@mail.ru

3. Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, 49 Leningradsky Prospekt, Moscow, Russia, 125993, GSP-3.