Analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of country branding. Encyclopedia of Marketing. Objectives of this work

Large-scale structural and technological restructuring of material production has become a significant factor in the development of the tourism sector. The needs of the present time in the development of the tourism industry go beyond the purely economic. In the dynamics and structure of tourism products and services, there is a shift towards more complex integrated forms of service, knowledge-intensive and social types of services that ensure the quality of economic growth, social stability and the humanization of the economic life of society. The impact of these factors on the development international tourism when understanding the needs and customer service is based on the adaptation of the tourist product to the rapidly changing and transforming preferences of tourists.

The tourism business as an open dynamically developing system is subject to the influence of various factors, the role of which at any given time can be different in strength, duration and direction of influence. Therefore, the identification, accounting, analysis and classification of key trends and factors are the most important tasks for the formation, functioning and development of the tourism industry.

The global economy is becoming more integrated. According to the international hotel association HSMAI, only half of the world's largest 100 economies are state-owned, the rest are multinational corporations. Companies outsource high-cost, low-profit functions to vendors, service firms, and consultants, many of whom are based in other countries, sometimes. Large tourist hotels no longer need to have their own laundry, maintain staff in charge of washing dishes, and even provide their own catering services. The hotel can transfer these functions to other companies and attribute them to operating costs like public services, which stimulates the growth of the efficiency of the main activity of the hotel business in serving tourists.

The Internet is playing an ever-increasing role in minimizing the costs of the hotel and tourism business and bringing manufacturers closer to distant suppliers and consumers. The Internet allows unpopular and unknown destinations to convey information to a potential consumer in the same way as large operators do, which stimulates the development of small tourism businesses around the world. Modern electronic technologies are of particular importance for large multinational hotel companies and tourist operators, which would find it difficult to coordinate activities between different regions without the ability to quickly exchange information, as well as for underdeveloped and unpopular destinations that could not effectively compete for tourists without access at the Internet.

Internet technologies have changed the hospitality industry market. Tourists compare prices online and then buy at the lowest prices, saving on purchasing a tour package.

Travel agencies, airlines, hotels are forced to pay more and more attention to an impeccable reputation in high-tech market conditions. Reviews of tourists about poor service posted in in social networks and the disappointments of tourists quickly spread on the Internet through forums, chat rooms and blogs and persist for a long time. Reputation can be lost instantly. Only companies that can provide impeccable service will continue to grow. The impeccable reputation of the brand is the only guarantee for the online buyer that the services he purchases will meet his expectations. Companies that fail will lose their customers to new, fast-moving competitors.

For the hospitality industry, the technological trend is that as database systems become more complex, companies are able to capture detailed information about regular customers and their preferences. This allows, for example, hotel staff to provide repeat visitors with personalized service in order to create their own loyalty program and encourage further visits by tourists.

The large hotel business is being restructured. There is a delegation of authority to lower levels, and computer and information technologies have increased the zone of managerial control, extending it to a much larger number of subordinates, which is seriously reducing the number of middle managers. Moreover, during the general information exchange increased the level of educational requirements for production worker hotel. The development of new technologies is forcing hotel companies to train employees to meet new requirements. The modern high-tech hotel organization is increasingly dependent on teams of highly specialized specialists as markets globalize and technology differentiates. Each new level of specialization provides greater efficiency reducing operating costs and contributing to greater productivity and profitability global companies. There is a growing demand for professionals who can join project teams, reduces the number of broad-based generalists needed by large hotel operators. Finding a top manager to manage a large hotel business is already a challenge. And it will become more complex as specialization grows. In addition, young professionals striving for economic success are reluctant to settle for low starting positions, but they do not have sufficient skills to take on more responsible jobs. An important asset for motivating and retaining potential employees is the training and development program, which they regard as a step towards career advancement. Even small businesses see staff training as an investment, not an expense.

Tourist demand is a mass and social category. It is formed on the basis of numerous factors, the impact of which can increase or decrease demand. The most important and significant factors affecting the change in demand in the tourism market are the following.

General economic factors:

• the level of material well-being of the mass consumer;
• the ratio of working and free time among the working population;
• special investment zones;
• development of tourism development programs.

Socio-demographic factors:

• age;
• profession;
• education;
• social group;
• marital status;
• property status;
• family composition;
• region of residence;
• city ​​or countryside;
• magnitude locality where tourists live;
• occupation.

Cultural and socio-psychological factors:

• priorities in the system of spiritual values ​​of society;
• psychology of consumption;
• wide credit programs.

Personal-behavioral factors:

• personal features;
• life style;
• interests in free time;
• system of spiritual values;
• target settings;
• motives;

All these factors have an impact on the so-called "black box of the buyer's mind", which, ultimately, is the defining element of the consumer's behavior in the market.

The combination of certain factors determines the emergence and nature of consumer behavior tourism services, which can be expressed, for example, in terms of:

• frequency of tourism;
• preferences in choosing the geography of tourism;
• preferred form of organization of the tour;
• tourist's ideas about the price of the tour, etc.

Tourism as a branch of the economy, primarily engaged in the organization of the client's free time, can successfully exist and develop if there are at least two components: free time and sufficient material resources for its organization. Simply put, the basis of the modern tourism market, both in qualitative and quantitative terms, is paid vacations of employees, taking into account the fact that recently the role of business travel in international tourism has increased significantly, as well as travel of people of retirement age, although the latter, unfortunately , does not apply to Russia.

There is a direct relationship between trends in the development of the tourism industry and general economic, technical and social achievements.

However, "the need for rest belongs to the top floor of the pyramid of human needs." It is known that "... human needs in tourism are the needs for the restoration and development of the physical and mental strength of a person, in his physical, intellectual and spiritual improvement." But in order for these needs to become widespread, society must achieve a sufficiently high level of well-being.

Many international organizations are engaged in measuring the standard of living and differentiation of incomes of the population. For example, the Intergovernmental Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) proposed a list of social indicators, which include such an indicator as "time and rest", and its indicators are the amount of free time and its use.

As a criterion for the rationality of the structure of family expenses, Engel's law is used, according to which, with an increase in family income, the share of expenses for food decreases, and the share of expenses for meeting cultural and other non-material needs (which include the use of free time for tourism, recreation and health improvement) increases significantly.

Therefore, during the period of economic recovery, due to the growth of material well-being and the purchasing power of the population, the intensity of tourism increases, during the period of economic recession, the demand for tourist services falls.

However, the dependence of changes in demand in the tourist market on the general economic situation has a lesser influence than, for example, in such industries as construction, automotive and others focused on the production of durable goods or luxury goods. The high pace of life, competition in the workplace, stress and chronic fatigue lead to the fact that the modern consumer is more likely to refuse to purchase video and audio equipment than annual leave. Therefore, we note that in the context of the globalization of society and the intensification of labor, the recreational factor becomes decisive. In most developed countries, recreation, health improvement, tourism and a healthy lifestyle are becoming not only a fashionable tradition, but also urgent need- style of everyday life of the population. In many countries, there is a reduction in spending on high-value purchases and luxury goods in overall structure expenditures of the population and a simultaneous increase in the share of expenditures on tourism, recreation and health resorts. Even during the period of economic downturns, the population of developed countries did not deny themselves rest and health improvement, and "saving not on vacation, but on vacation."

This relative resistance of tourism to changes in the general economic market conditions can be explained, first of all, by the elasticity of demand for tourism services. That is why during the crisis there is not a complete cessation of demand for tourism services, but only some changes, that is, the demand for cheaper types of tourism services increases and decreases for the most expensive types of tourism.

Thus, economic crises still affect the demand for tourism services, but to a much lesser extent than many other industries. And this is due, first of all, to the fact that tourism has become an almost indispensable need of the mass consumer. And also by the fact that the elasticity of demand and the variety of forms of tourism provide during economic downturns the possibility of overflowing demand from expensive types of tourism to cheaper ones.

Currently, there is a growing prospect of international tourism in the world for people of older age groups, and in the first place for a group of people aged “65 years and older”. At the heart of increasing the intensity of tourism in all senior age groups are the following reasons:

• improving the material well-being of all groups of society;
• increasing life expectancy and raising the retirement threshold;
• change in the psychological attitude to aging.

For example, in the countries of the European Union (EU), the population is almost 372 million, with the number of people aged 65 (pension) and over reaching 60.3 million. The adult population accounts for about 16.2 per cent. Compared with 1950, the proportion of people over 65 has increased by 50%.

In terms of population, the "oldest" country in the European Union in terms of population age is Germany, which is not by chance the leader among European countries in the number of elderly tourists, as well as in the field of fundamental scientific medical research on age-related diseases, especially in cardiology, transplantology, oncology and others. For example, in Bavarian resorts such as Bad Tolz, Bad Griesbach, Bad Füssen, Bad Rachenhall, located in the foothills of the Alpine mountains and known throughout the world for numerous mineral springs and healing climate, there are modern sanatoriums that allow not only diagnostics and spa therapy of various diseases but also surgical treatment.

In addition, it should be noted that in many countries there have been changes in the attitude of the population to leave and its role in maintaining individual health. The population perceives the value of vacation as a factor in improving health, and therefore forms another structure for its use, splitting the vacation into small segments becomes preferable, which increases the number of periods of short-term recreational rest during the year. The latter is illustrated by the dynamics of trips of citizens of European and world countries during vacations for the purpose of recreation. Thus, about 68% of US citizens travel to a resort more than 3 times a year, Sweden has the highest average number of tourist trips to vacation among European countries (3.1 times a year), Finland, Germany, Great Britain at least 2 trips per tourist per year for the purpose of recreation are recorded, in other countries (Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Austria and Portugal) the frequency of trips to resorts is between 1.2 and 1.8.

Another important trend in the splitting of vacation time is the massive use of tourist and recreational and sanatorium facilities located within the country. It should be noted that this trend is observed not only in resort countries such as Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, but also in Finland, Sweden, Great Britain, and there is no clear dependence on age groups.

In most developed countries, couples with both working family members are becoming the norm. Moreover, families in which both family members are pursuing careers can afford frequent short trips. This trend is reflected in the hospitality and travel markets, which are shifting supply from traditional two-week vacations to the short three-day trips required by working couples.

(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION) Family structure is becoming more diverse. Single mothers, single fathers, same-sex marriages - all these social elements are becoming target groups for hotel niche markets. Many hotels proclaim themselves tolerant of same-sex couples, and for some they even become a target audience. The number of special tours for other target audience- for families that include several generations. This group is interested in hotels offering multi-room apartments. Despite the well-being of this group of tourists who allow themselves such massive family trips, that group of tourists very carefully allocates expenses, because. such trips are longer (up to 30-60 days).

Intercultural exchange at the international and intranational levels is increasing all over the world. The strengthening of intercultural communication, which is largely facilitated by the Internet, stimulates the demand for cultural tourism, aimed at getting to know another culture for its understanding and perception in one's own country. Such groups of tourists will continue to represent a valuable segment for specialized tours around the world.

There is a growing demand for services that meet the needs of Muslim tourists. Hotels, restaurants should prepare in a certain way to receive tourists who profess Islam and meet their specific needs of a religious, gastronomic, ethnic and cultural nature.

Thus, demand factors are international, but a feature of the current stage is the formation of new significant flows of tourists from China and India, the formation of specific demand due to demographic and social transformation (for single mothers or fathers, same-sex couples, national and religious minorities, for families, multi-generational, older tourists)

International openness carries the risk of terrorist attacks. Almost all Muslim countries are going through a period of political instability and a growing population, accompanied by significant population migration. According to the UN, there are 100 million international migrants in the world, a third of whom settled in Europe. Unstable welfare, the rejection of migrants by society, the growing violence in society causes protest reactions. Terrorism is growing on a global scale, which is fueled by supporters of various extremist organizations not only in Muslim countries, but throughout the world, including in Europe. Hotels, restaurants, vehicles become the targets of attacks by international terrorists who choose them as targets. To have a great public outcry. Therefore, the hotel sector is weakly protected and vulnerable. Political instability and especially terrorist attacks in hotel and tourist centers seriously undermine the attractiveness of the region for tourists. Until the problem of terrorism is resolved or at least under control, it will be difficult for tourists (especially Europeans and Americans) to sell tours to the unstable countries of the Middle East, Africa, Asia. Despite the abundance of attractors of historical and cultural heritage. This rule will immediately come into effect, without even waiting for the official reaction of the authorities, regarding visiting a tourist region during a period of terrorist danger. The threat of terrorism will be one of the most serious and unpredictable risks for the international tourism industry for the next 30 years.

The development of high-speed train infrastructure, the implementation of intentions for the use of commercial supersonic jet aircraft in tourism will increase the accessibility of many destinations around the world. The technologies of the latest generation of aircraft (Boeing 787, Airbus A350 XWB), which are designed using light materials and more efficient engines, are being modernized in order to reduce fuel costs, increase carrying capacity and flight range. Innovative technologies will reduce the dependence of airlines on oil prices and will allow them to receive revenue without adding additional fuel surcharges to ticket prices.

However, this is only a perspective. In 2008-2010 rising fuel costs, not filling seats on flights, due to increasing airfare, led to the bankruptcy of the weakest airlines. At the same time, the rise in oil prices stimulated the cooperation of competing companies forced to combine flights due to insufficient tourist demand. Cruise companies have also been forced to add fuel surcharges to the ticket price. This did not affect luxury travel much, but it significantly reduced the demand for economy travel. In general, the global deficit in the production capacity of oil refineries stimulated the rise in prices for gasoline, fuel and other fuel and energy resources. In some regions road transport tourists have become one of the fastest growing transport sectors. Of course, the change in oil prices does not greatly affect the hotel's activities. Energy costs are relatively small costs- significant, but no more. This factor is mainly of indirect importance, because when it appears, undesirable phenomena appear (an increase in the total cost of a tourist product, a decrease in the flow of tourists, etc.).

Tourists are becoming increasingly sensitive to security issues environment. The first step in the development of the environmental and social responsibility of the international hotel industry was taken by the international hotel company InterContinental, which issued in 1990 a guide to the environmental development and management of hotels. Then in 1993, 11 major international hotel chains (Accor, Forte, Hilton International, Holiday in, Worldwide, Conrad International Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels, Marriot Corporation, Societe Des Hotels Meridien, Wharf Hotel Investments, Ramada Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts, ITT Sheraton Corporation ) launched the International Hotel Responsibility Initiative, which is based on the leadership of the international hotel company Intercontinental. Virtually all of today's leading international hotel companies are involved in environmental improvement projects. For example, Sheraton has launched an environmental initiative in the African and Indian Ocean regions, and has developed programs to support the fauna of Benin, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. Most hotel companies around the world already voluntarily assume obligations to install treatment facilities and comply with environmental standards in the tourist region. For more than a decade, the trend of environmental friendliness has been traced in hotel business. Hotels use environmental technologies in the interior of rooms (environmentally friendly materials and green spaces), restaurants offer environmentally friendly products, in construction they use environmentally friendly self-cleaning materials for external facades, garbage shredders into cakes with further recycling, energy-saving sources ( solar panels), a system of economical energy and water supply is used, in particular, hotels in Austria, the United Arab Emirates, and Malta use a closed water supply cycle.

In addition, important from the point of view of tourist interest is ecological situation the tourist region itself. Most developing countries are experiencing problems with clean drinking water, with water supply for hotels and restaurants. Another problem may be a significant influx of tourists, for example, it is predicted that with the existing flow of tourists, the Galapagos Islands are already at risk of irreversible ecological balance in the region, in the long term, the disappearance of corals and other fauna.

Thus, the factors of development of the tourism market are primarily associated with the strengthening of transformational processes in society, internationalization, globalization, informatization of the tourism economy, new requirements for labor resources, ecology, intercultural communication, as well as with the emergence of new consumer groups in the tourism market.

Introduction

Chapter 1. Factors influencing the development of tourism in Europe

1.1. Economic and geographical factors

1.2. Historical and cultural factors

Chapter 2. Tourism in Europe

2.1. Types of tourism

2.2. Tourist flows in Europe

Conclusion

Literature

Introduction

Tourism - temporary departures (travels) of citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons from their permanent place of residence for recreational, educational, professional, business, sports, religious and other purposes without engaging in paid activities in the country (place) of temporary residence.

Europe is one of the most important financial, trade and tourist centers of the world. At the end of the twentieth century. Europe includes more than 42 countries. Europe is the most important tourist area in the world. Here the first centers of tourism arose in ancient world, organized tourism of the 19th century was born here, and the states most visited by tourists are located here. Europe is a very diverse territory in terms of natural features - here a tourist can get acquainted with almost all zones of the cold and temperate zone, up to the Mediterranean subtropics, which are especially popular in tourism. There are many seas with which Europe is literally indented, large lakes, very different in length and water regime of rivers, among which there are international ones that flow through several countries (Danube, Rhine, etc.)

The scale of Europe, the number of states, natural and climatic zones, the diverse relief of this part of the world, ancient architecture, monuments of ancient cultures, many universities, allows you to develop all kinds of tourism (business, scientific, sports, educational).

In order to judge the scale of tourism, its economic significance, it is necessary to analyze the relevant statistical data.

Purpose of the work: to reveal and show modern tendencies tourism development in Europe.

Objectives of the work: to find and show trends (such as economic, geographical and cultural factors, types of tourism and tourist flows in Europe) that contribute to the development of tourism in Europe.

Chapter 1. Factors influencing the development of tourism in Europe

Factors influencing tourism can be divided into physical-geographical, economic-geographical and cultural factors.

1.1 Physical and geographical factors

Character natural conditions has a huge impact on the choice of a route or travel area by potential tourists. Tourists take into account the climatic and landscape features, the richness and uniqueness of the flora and fauna, natural opportunities for outdoor activities. As a rule, the desire to relax, to change the situation is combined in many people with the desire to get acquainted with the exotic. Exotic natural sites are one of the most important tourist resources. Most widely used to attract tourists unique nature and its attractions in European countries.

The geographic location of a region or country plays a very important role for tourism, first of all, it requires to note the proximity to the sea, to mountains and forests, the nature of the coastline, the position of the country in relation to the main suppliers of tourists, the location of the region on important transit routes, etc. .

The relief of the area is of great importance for tourists. Areas with complex and, as a rule, picturesque relief are popular. The mountainous relief wins over the plain not only in aesthetic terms. It also has a large supply of recreational resources due to the purity of the mountain air, an increased level of ultraviolet radiation, the possibility of organizing ski and mountain climbing centers, etc. Therefore, it is no coincidence that many mountain systems of the world have become prosperous tourist areas (France, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria).

In an effort to have a good rest, tourists prefer routes and seasons that are characterized by favorable weather conditions. The frequent vagaries of nature inherent in areas with an unstable climate, as well as natural disasters contribute to reducing the number of guests in such places.

Taking into account the requirements of tourists for weather and climatic conditions, the main tourist regions are located in the temperate climate zones of both hemispheres, as well as on the islands of the hot zone, where high temperatures are compensated by sea winds. However, in recent decades, the interest of tourists to the exotic corners of the globe, the coast and islands of the Mediterranean Sea has increased, Norway is a country of lakes. The presence of sea and ocean coasts in the country favors the development of tourist regions. In conditions of a comfortable climate, well-heated sea water near the coast and the availability of convenient beaches, they can become a suitable place for creating seaside resorts, also sea ​​coasts provide convenience of communication, the possibility of cruise trips, are a magnificent natural decoration of the landscape (Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Spain, Italy, France).

Rivers and lakes are also important tourism resources. They decorate the landscape, form a favorable microclimate, provide tourists with a rest on the water, engage in water sports, and provide tourist centers with water. Currently, lakeside resorts and recreation areas in Finland, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland and other countries are popular tourism areas. Forests also belong to tourist resources, thanks to which an environment is created in places of recreation that allows one to “isolate” from the outside world and “civilization”. The forest has a very great health value, reduces the noise level in recreation areas (Switzerland, Austria, Germany).

For most tourists, the nature of the animal world does not play any role, however, in a number of places, great attention is paid to their interest in exotic animals to attract guests. Many national parks, nature reserves and areas open for hunting in Europe have become real tourist centers (Belovezhskaya Pushcha - Belarus).

In some countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Austria, etc.), mineral waters and mud with healing properties are an important tourist resource. International resorts on mineral waters attract fairly steady streams of tourists.

In general, it can be said about the influence of physical and geographical factors on the development of tourism in Europe that the more diverse natural resources suitable for recreation a certain area has, the more opportunities it has to attract tourists.

The influence of economic and geographical factors on tourism in Europe is carried out in two directions: in the first, these factors act as an object that attracts tourists to a certain area, and in the second, as an important means by which tourism develops.

Economic and geographical factors are an object that favors tourism in the sense that the economy different countries and districts is different among themselves in the structure and level of all sectors of the economy, in their territorial distribution and combinations, specifics technological processes etc., which is of interest to representatives of business and industry. The growing needs of the world economy entail the growth of international contacts. Often, the travel program of businessmen and industrialists includes visiting research centers and manufacturing enterprises in order to get acquainted with the results of the country's achievements in the scientific and technical field, study experience, technology, improve professional level and qualifications.

Economic and geographical factors as a means of promoting the development of European tourism are determined by the growth of tourism infrastructure and accommodation funds, the development of international and domestic communications, the improvement Vehicle.

The development of the material base of tourism is carried out by two methods: intensive and extensive. Hotels, motels, boarding houses and other accommodation facilities are appearing on an ever larger territory of the Earth, covering the most remote and exotic corners, developing and increasing in previously developed territories. So, in a number of European countries, numerous castles were converted into modern hotels (“castle hotels”, “behind” in Portugal). There are also many hotels and inns designed for tourists. different class(from five stars to small hotels). Chains of hotels begin to appear: Marriott, Metropol, Hilton, Radisson hotels, which even more attracts tourists (inexpensive rooms).

In some European countries, a different classification of hotel services is applied:

The system of "crowns" in the UK.

Greek letter system.

· System of "apples" (farms in Slovakia).

The most common in Europe is the classification of hotel services by stars from one to five stars.

The development of enterprises follows the same principle. Catering, retail, sports facilities, the entertainment industry, and serious qualitative changes are taking place, this is, first of all, the modernization and reconstruction of facilities, the introduction of the latest technical means and information technologies, a change in the structure of tourist complexes, which contributes both to improving service and increasing economic efficiency in the field of international tourism.

The most important role in the development of tourism belongs to transport. Transport has always been well developed in predominantly flat Europe, and began in the 30s. 19th century the construction of railways (already by 1910 their total length was 325 thousand km) finally “killed space”, in the figurative expression of Heinrich Heine. Now the largest cities are connected by both first-class highways and high-speed rail lines. The symbol of the transport union of Europe was the opening in 1994. tunnel under the English Channel, linking France and Great Britain.

Tourists can be served by several modes of transport: air, rail, road and water. Due to the ability to quickly cover long distances in a short period of time, the most popular among tourists is by air.

In recent decades, as a result of scientific technical progress transport has become faster, safer, more capacious and comfortable.

The economic and geographical factors influencing the development of tourism in Europe include the following provisions:

1. Economic and geographical position of the host country (position in relation to the tourist markets, transit opportunities).

2. the economic level of the host country and the countries that are its main suppliers of tourists.

3. availability of a sufficient number of qualified personnel to organize the reception of foreign tourists.

4. specific for a given territory, the level of prices for recreational resources, services of accommodation facilities, transport, public catering.

5. the level of development of external and internal transport links in the area.

1.2 Historical and cultural factors

Every country, every nation is the bearer of historical and cultural values. Historical and cultural heritage for tourism is especially great importance. In fact, what tourists want to see in a particular country. Nature and historical and cultural values, which determine the tourism specifics of the country and region.

There are countries in Europe with very developed historical and cultural traditions, the origins of which lie in different historical eras (France, Italy, Germany).

In very many European states there are monuments of civil and religious architecture dating back to the ancient era. In other words, their age is calculated in millennia. Such monuments are found in large numbers in the countries of the eastern and southern Mediterranean (Greece, Italy) and Macedonia. Visiting and viewing these monuments is the dream of many, many tourists.

But even more historical and cultural monuments were left by the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The vast majority of these monuments are in Europe. These are fortresses, and castles, and places of worship, and palaces, and monuments of distant civil architecture. This group of monuments finds millions of its admirers.

Monuments of modern times are also of great interest to tourists. There are a lot of them in European countries (France - Arc de Triomphe). The direct continuation of these relatively young objects (mainly the 18th-19th centuries) are the structures of our time (the 20th century). As paradoxical as it sounds, but many of them, which appeared in the memory of people living today, are the most interesting tourist sites, primarily due to curious technical solutions (the Eiffel Tower).

The history of any country has left its mark on all the processes of the past and present that have taken place and are taking place on its territory. And this imprint is the deeper and more interesting for tourists, the more ancient the culture of the country, the more “multilayered” it is. It is always more interesting for a tourist to see the traces of the culture of several historical eras (France, Italy, Germany) in one trip.

Chapter 2. Tourism in Europe

Tourism in the view of most people is associated with relaxation, new experiences, pleasure. He firmly entered the life of a person with his natural desire to discover and know unexplored lands, monuments of nature, history and culture, customs and traditions. different peoples.

2.1 Types of tourism

Any study of a particular area with the aim of developing tourism in it should, first of all, proceed from the definition of those types of tourism that will best meet the specifics of this area. It can be argued that the class of service also corresponds to trips for each of these types of tourism.

Recreational tourism - type of tourism associated with the treatment of citizens. This type of tourism is the most massive form for many countries. Moreover, a longer duration of the entire trip is characteristic, a smaller number of cities included in the route, and, accordingly, a longer stay in one city.

Another feature of mass trips for recreation is the widespread use of air transport and, above all, charter flights.

It should be noted that according to the experience of many countries, when traveling on vacation, the demand for accommodation in double rooms is very high. First of all, this is a purely individual type of travel, although individual tourists can be united by a travel company for joint transportation in order to receive group discounts on travel. The usual duration of a tour for treatment is 24-28 days, which is much higher than for other types of tourism.

Recreational tourism is well developed in the Czech Republic (these are famous resorts such as Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne, Frantiskovy Lazne, Teplice); Italy (thermal treatment); Hungary (balneological treatment - Heviz); France.

Excursion tourism. Excursion tourism, as well as recreational tourism, is characterized by trips both on an individual and group basis. This type of tourism includes trips for educational purposes.

Therefore, in the analysis, it is necessary to single out for each country the categories of the population interested in educational trips in general and to this country in particular, as well as those tourist organizations that specialize in this type of tourism.

It must be borne in mind that cognitive goals can be combined with the goal of recreation. An educational trip may precede a vacation at a resort, or during a vacation, tourists can make excursions, including even visiting other cities.

In many countries, a characteristic feature of educational trips is the tendency to make them over long distances, visiting a large number of countries and cities in one trip. For this type of tourism it is difficult to single out any one type of transport used. Along with a significant volume of air transportation, including charter flights, one can note the growing popularity of tourist trips by rail, river and sea cruises.

This type of tourism is developed in all European countries: in France - you will see the Champs Elysees, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris, many beautiful castles. In Italy - you will see the Egyptian Museum, Venice, the house - the museum of Nicolo Paganini, St. Peter's Square. In the Czech Republic - you will see the famous Charles Bridge, Old Town Square. Jewish cemetery, Old Town, Prague Castle. The list can be long.

Scientific tourism. This type tourism, which includes trips to participate in various congresses, symposiums and meetings, is taking an increasing place in modern international tourism. According to available estimates, participants in such international events make up 6-7% of the total number of foreign temporary visitors, and they account for about 10% of foreign exchange earnings from tourism. Participants of international events mainly use air transport.

Many European countries host international fairs, conferences and congresses in various fields of science.

Business tourism. Business trips are considered as one of the most important components of modern international tourist exchange. Moreover, this type of travel is considered one of the most promising, as it is based on the objective regularity of the further international division of labor. One of the varieties of business trips are also trips to participate or visit international and national exhibitions and fairs. A very common form of business travel are congresses and meetings of various international organizations. Another form of business tourism is travel as part of specialized groups by profession. In recent years, the demand for such trips has also been constantly growing.

Business tourism is developed in Germany, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, and Italy.

Ethnic tourism . This type of tourism associated with visiting relatives or birthplaces of parents. In this extremely peculiar form of tourism, certain structural changes have taken place in recent years that change its character. A kind of ethnic tourism is cross-border exchange.

In the 1920s and subsequent years of the 20th century, a certain part of the Russian population emigrated abroad, to Europe (France, Greece, Germany, Austria, Switzerland).

Adventure tourism. It ensures that tourists stay in an attractive place for them and engage in an unusual activity. Adventure tourism is divided into hiking expeditions, safari tours and sea travel, associated with risk, so highly qualified instructors and guides are used.

This type of tourism is developed on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea and the mountainous regions of Europe (France, Austria, Bulgaria, Sweden and many other countries).

Sports tourism. The main consumers are sports clubs, associations and tourists. The main task is to provide guests with places to practice a certain sport. A feature of this type of tourism is the presence of trails, lifts, platforms, inventory. This type of tourism includes ski resorts such as: Borovets - Bulgaria, Ore - Sweden, Garmisch - Partenkirchen - Germany; sailing– Gibraltar and Malta and other countries.

Educational tourism. This type of tourism refers to learning different languages. The exchange of students between universities is becoming very popular. various countries. Educational tourism is developed in Great Britain, Spain, France.

Religious or pilgrimage tourism . Enjoys great popularity. This is visiting holy places for worship. Greece - Mount Athos, Italy - Vatican, Bulgaria - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Sophia, Great Britain - shrines belonging to the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches (Jonah Island), Ireland - Holy Mount Crow, France.

Leisure tourism . These are trips to the carnival, parades, gambling establishments, bullfighting. The duration of the trip is 2-4 days. Germany, Italy, Spain especially stand out from the frequently visited countries.

Hobby - tourism . Allows the vacationer to engage in their favorite activity (concerts, football matches, etc.). Austria, UK, Germany, France.

Shopping - tourism . Trips abroad for the purpose of purchases and subsequent implementation. Among tourists, such countries as Turkey, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany are very popular.

2.2 Tourist flows in Europe

According to the World Tourism Organization, Europe is the main tourist region, but its share in world tourism is declining, while other regions are growing at a faster pace. In 2000, Europe accepted 58%. East Asia and Oceania have benefited the most from this market transformation. Statistical data show that this region developed the highest growth rates, its share was 16% of the world (Table 1).

Table 1. Arrival statistics in the world. Source: WTO

	Arrivals (million)		Change (%)		Market share (%)
World	650	698,3	3,8	7,4	100	100
Africa	26,5	26,9	6,1	1,5	4,1	3,8
America	122,3	130,2	2,3	6,5	18,8	18,6
East Asia/Oceania	97,6	111,7	10,8	14,5	15,0	16,0
Europe	379,8	403,3	1,7	6,2	58,4	57,8
middle Asia	18,1	20,0	18,1	10,2	2,8	2,9
South Asia	5,8	6,3	10,7	9,0	0,9	0,9

International tourism at the end of the twentieth century. has become one of the most dynamic sectors of the world economy. Economic importance international tourism, as a source of foreign exchange earnings, providing employment, enhancing regional development, a factor in economic restructuring, is constantly growing. The tourism industry is one of the three leading sectors of the world economy.

Table 2.

Income for 2005 leading tourist countries of Europe

The share of international tourism in total income from the export of goods and services is: in Spain, Austria - 25-30%, Portugal - more than 20%, Italy, Switzerland - 11-12%.

However, it should be noted that the development of tourism in Europe varies greatly geographically. As for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the development of these states, which entered in the early 90s. the past century on the path of sovereign development, is slower. For many years (starting from the second half of the 1950s) the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were closed in the tourist market of the countries of the socialist camp. This "isolation" in a certain way affected the volumes tourist flows, on their geography, on infrastructure and the tourism industry.

The transition in the early 90s of the twentieth century. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria to a market economy system required structural changes not only in the tourism industry of these countries, but also in the entire tourism policy, and, if you like, its ideology. The countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, including Belarus, found themselves in a similar situation in the period under review.

That is why the process of reforming the tourist complexes of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the very concept of tourism development in these countries in the first half of the 20th century are of particular interest today.

Almost all countries after the collapse of the socialist system faced the problem of low competitiveness of the national tourism product in the European tourism market. The quality of the tourist product offered to the refined Western European tourist could not meet the standards already established in the EU countries due to the extremely weak material and technical base. The backwardness of the latter was directly related to the form of management that existed in the late 1980s. in these countries. If we analyze the figures for the number of visitors to these countries in the period from 1991 to 1993, they confirm our conclusion. The exception is Poland. The Polish tourist "boom" of this period (in 1990, 3 million 400 thousand tourists arrived in Poland, in 1992 - 16 million 200 thousand people, in 1993 - 17 million tourists) can be considered as a conscious stimulation ( due to the difficult economic situation) the so-called "shopping tourism". The main countries - suppliers of such "tourists" were Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, some Baltic countries. It is clear that this type of tourism could not qualify for European standards in service.

In general, the above reasons for the crisis state of the tourist complex in the first half of the 90s. 20th century were almost identical for all states of Central and Eastern Europe (a similar situation was observed in the tourist complex in the post-Soviet space).

Realizing the situation in which international tourism found itself in these countries, and understanding what an economic component role tourism can play in the life of these countries, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria have taken effective steps to reform national tourist complexes.

Currently, the market of tourist services in these countries is free and operates in a competitive environment. As a rule, the state does not directly interfere in the activities of tourism business entities, but regulates it through taxes on servicing tourists and specifically produced services.

So, for example, the Hungarian government recognized the development of the tourism industry as a strategic issue (tourism here today provides more than 10% of GDP, provides employment for about 250 thousand people) and in the government plan for the socio-economic development of the country (the so-called Szechenyi plan) recorded the possibilities for developing tourism sectors of the national economy. The main objectives of the government program are:

Improving the efficiency of foreign tourism by improving tourist services;

Strengthening the stability of the industry through the development of domestic tourism;

Attracting tourists from non-traditional tourist countries for Hungary.

The Széchenyi plan for 2001 provides for the allocation of about 100 million euros from the state budget for the development of tourism. Funds are allocated to private entrepreneurs and municipalities so that those with the addition equity, invested them in those areas where there is an appropriate infrastructure. And although Hungary ranks 14th in the world in terms of the number of foreign tourists (about 30 million foreigners visit the country annually), there is still an active search for potential reserves for a more intensive development of national tourism. A special place in the program for the development of tourism in the near future is given to resort, balneological and conference tourism. On the territory of Hungary there are 800 thermal springs, and a third of them can be used for healing purposes. The country also ranks 15th in the world in terms of hosting international events.

In order to attract tourists to the country, Hungary conducts active information and advertising activities in the field of tourism abroad. To date, it has about 20 foreign representations of the national tourist bureau. A significant factor contributing to the development of tourism is the fact that Hungary has agreements on visa-free entry with 59 countries of the world.

Similar work is being carried out by the Slovak Republic. Currently, the Slovak Bank for Guarantee and Development is implementing the Tourism Development Support Program approved by the government. This program provides for partial state subsidy of loans for the restructuring of tourism infrastructure. The second tool for its development is the Credit Support Program implemented by the Slovak Agency for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises with the help of 5 commercial banks. As part of this program, 73 projects have already been implemented to develop tourism infrastructure for a total of $5.4 million. USA.

The republic is active work on the development of legislation in the field of tourism and bringing it into line with EU law.

It should also be noted that the 90s of the twentieth century. for Slovakia became a period of active creation and activity of tourist non-governmental structures. Thus, the Association of Travel Companies coordinates the activities of travel agencies, conducts marketing research, assists travel companies in establishing contacts with foreign partners. The Union of Hotel Owners, the Union of Guides, the Union of Agritourism, etc. are actively functioning.

The Law "On the Polish Tourist Organization", which came into force on January 1, 2001, significantly changed the existing model of tourism management in Poland. The main innovation is the separation of political-strategic and administrative-operational functions.

main organ government controlled Department of Tourism (Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Poland) is responsible for the formation of the general economic strategy of Poland in the field of tourism, and the Polish tourism organization.

Tourism Development Strategy of Poland for 2001-2006. determined that the government will support the development and increase of competitiveness, profitability and availability of the national tourism product. The priority tasks are:

Development of tourism infrastructure and services enriching the offer of tourism in rural areas and in protected areas, activating tourism in rural areas;

Support for companies that contribute to increasing the attractiveness of Polish cities as venues for fairs, conferences, congresses and business meetings, as well as enterprises whose activities are aimed at increasing the economic profitability of urban infrastructure;

Expansion of cultural, sports and other events, objects and routes of cultural heritage that increase the attractiveness of Polish cities and towns;

Development of tourism infrastructure, providing an increase in the number of recreation places and incomes of the local population;

Development of tourism infrastructure in border regions, especially in the northeast, as well as those located along transit routes.

The Republic of Romania also reorganized the management system of the country's tourist complex in the period under consideration. Tourism issues in Romania are currently handled by the Ministry of Tourism, created on the basis of the previously existing departments - the National Tourism Administration, the Service for Work with Travel Agencies and the Service for Tourism Development.

The functions of the Ministry are in many respects similar to those of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus. In addition, the Romanian Ministry of Tourism controls the process of privatization of tourist facilities. It is interesting to create in the Ministry of the Department of European Integration and international relations which exercises control over the effectiveness of measures in the field of tourism necessary for integration into the European Union. The abolition of the visa regime with the EU countries had a positive impact on the influx of foreign tourists into the country. A provision has also been introduced into the country's legislation, according to which organized groups of tourists are exempted from paying consular fees for issuing visas.

The reform of the tourist complex of the Czech Republic and Bulgaria is also carried out along the path of improving the tourist infrastructure, bringing the quality of tourist service in line with EU standards, improving legislative framework and tourism management systems.

Work carried out by the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to reform the tourism sector national economies gives positive results. For example, the number of foreign tourists visiting in 2000 Poland increased and amounted to 18.1 million people, Hungary - 30 million people.

Moreover, the work carried out to develop tourism has also affected the outbound flow of domestic tourists. So, for example, the departure of tourists abroad in 1998. in the Czech Republic amounted to 43.6 thousand people. (1995 - 41.8), in Slovakia and Poland increased to 23.7 and 49.3 thousand people. respectively.

All this suggests that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have indeed chosen their strategic goal reforming the economic complex of the country associated with the tourism sector of the economy. And it should be noted that they have already taken serious steps in this direction.

Studies of the nationality of guests coming to Europe show that 90% are tourists from European countries. Thus, Germans travel mainly within the region and make up 19% of the total number of international tourists. British travelers make up 10% of the total number of European tourists, French - 7%, Danes - 6%. The USA is the only non-European country among the top ten tourist generating countries for Europe.

Intra-regional tourism in Europe is a consequence of the high concentration of international tourism in the region. There are many state borders in a relatively small area and an excellent terrestrial extensive network of communications.

The factors behind Europe's relative loss of dominance are:

1. some Western European countries, in particular in the south of Europe, such as Italy and Greece, to a lesser extent Spain and Portugal, are suffering a decline in competitiveness due to the aging of their tourism product;

2. Some Eastern European countries are having difficulty adjusting their tourism sectors to market economy, and in addition, the conflict in the former Yugoslavia has affected tourism in Europe;

3. Some Nordic countries, such as the UK, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, are very expensive for tourists. This inevitably affects their competitiveness;

4. growing popularity of countries South-East Asia which have recently successfully developed their tourism industry.

However, the decline in the European market share in international tourism comes against the backdrop of an increase in arrivals to the region and tourism receipts. Tourist flows are mainly directed to the recreation centers of Western and Southern Europe. These zones account for 64.5% of all arrivals in Europe (Table 3). Such tourist concentration is the result of the habit of spending summer holidays on the beaches.

Table 3 Tourist flows to European regions in 2004

Region	Arrivals thousand people	Changes by 2000, %	Average annual growth rates in 1995-2004, %
				1995	2004
Western Europe	116377	-1,7	3,2	39,9	34,9
Southern Europe	98740	3,2	3,0	34,4	29,6
Central and Eastern Europe	72608	-2,3	9,6	13,6	21,8
Northern Europe	34179	8,7	4,7	10,1	10,3
Eastern Mediterranean	11395	14,6	10,3	2,0	3,4
Total

In Southern and Western Europe, France, Spain and Italy benefit more from tourist flows to this region and are the main tourist centers (Table 4). The UK is traditionally famous for educational tourism. The northern countries of Europe, in particular the Scandinavian countries and Ireland, specialize in "green tourism".

Table 4 Top ten tourist centers in Europe

Country	Number of tourists, million people		Share of the European level, %
France	60,0	-2,1	18,0
Spain	44,886	3,8	13,5
Italy	29,953	9,0	9,0
Great Britain	23,746	12,9	7,1
Hungary	20,7	-3,4	6,2
Poland	19,2	2,1	5,8
Austria	17,173	-4,0	5,2
Czech	15,5	-8,8	4,7
Germany	14,847	2,4	4,5
Switzerland	11,5	-5,7	3,5

Tourist flows to Central and Eastern Europe account for 22% of total European arrivals, and receipts - only 2-3% due to low prices for tourism products and relatively poor quality of service infrastructures. The average income from one foreign tourist in the countries of this region is less than $100, while in the Nordic countries it approaches $1,000.

As for tourist flows between regions, flows between America and Europe are in the lead here. This superiority is the result of an increase in the offer of flights across the Atlantic and a reduction in the corresponding fares for a large segment of the market.

In the world, many countries annually receive more than 1 million foreign tourists (for example, in the early 90s there were 50 such countries), and 23 countries are visited by 5 million guests. In table. 5 shows a list of the first six European countries by the number of tourists arriving in them.

Table 5 European countries by number of tourists in 2001

Country	Number of tourists, million people	The ratio of the number of tourists in 2000 and 2001, %	Share of the global level, %
France	61,5	2,3	10,39
Spain	41,425	5,3	7,0
Italy	35,5	14,3	6,0
Great Britain	25,8	7,5	4,88
Hungary	20,67	-0,1	3,5
Poland	19,42	1,1	3,28

Spain, France, Italy and Great Britain are leading in terms of income received from tourism (Table 6). According to preliminary WTO data, in 2001 Spain ranked second after the United States, ahead of France and Italy. Thanks to the increase in the number of tourists visiting Spain in the same year, tourism revenues increased by 12.2% compared with revenues in the previous year.

Table 6 European countries by tourism revenue (international tourist receipts) in 2004

Country	Tourism income, billion dollars	Ratio of income in 2003 and 2004, %	Share of the global level, %
Spain	28,428	12,2	6,72
France	28,241	2,6	6,67
Italy	27,349	-0,4	6,46
Great Britain	20,415	6,7	4,82
Austria	15,095	3,3	3,56
Germany	13,168	2,8	3,11
Switzerland	9,892	4,6	2,34
Total in the world

Conclusion

In my work on identifying new trends in the development of tourism in Europe, I can say that tourism in European countries is falling due to outdated material and technical base.

So, tourism in Europe has come a long way in its development and today is one of the most successfully developing sectors of the world economy.

Like any other field economic activity, the tourism industry in Europe is very complex system, the degree of development of which depends on the degree of development of the country's economy as a whole.

Currently, the industrialized countries of Europe account for 60% of all foreign tourist arrivals and 70-75% of travel worldwide. At the same time, the EU countries account for about 40% of tourist arrivals and foreign exchange earnings.

Literature

1. Voskresensky V.Yu. International tourism: Tutorial. - M.: UNITI - DANA, 2006 - 255 p.

2. Dmitrievsky Yu.D. Tourist areas of the world: Textbook. - Smolensk: SGU, 2000 - 224 p.

3. Tourism management: Tourism and sectoral systems / Chapter. ed. A.E. Semina. - M.: Finance and statistics, 2001. - 272 p.: ill.

4. Encyclopedia. T. 13. Countries. Peoples. Civilizations/Ch. ed. M.D. Aksyonova. - M.: Avanta +, 2002. - 704 p.: ill.

Content
Introduction
Chapter 1. Factors influencing the development of tourism in Europe
1.1. Economic and geographical factors
1.2. Historical and cultural factors
Chapter 2. Tourism in Europe
2.1. Types of tourism
2.2. Tourist flows in Europe
Conclusion
Literature

Introduction
Tourism - temporary departures (travels) of citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens and stateless persons from their permanent place of residence for recreational, educational, professional, business, sports, religious and other purposes without engaging in paid activities in the country (place) of temporary residence.
Europe is one of the most important financial, trade and tourist centers of the world. At the end of the twentieth century. Europe includes more than 42 countries. Europe is the most important tourist area in the world. The first centers of tourism in the ancient world arose here, organized tourism of the 19th century was born here, and the states most visited by tourists are located here. Europe is a very diverse territory in terms of natural features - here a tourist can get acquainted with almost all zones of the cold and temperate zone, up to the Mediterranean subtropics, which are especially popular in tourism. There are many seas with which Europe is literally indented, large lakes, very different in length and water regime of rivers, among which there are international ones that flow through several countries (Danube, Rhine, etc.)
The scale of Europe, the number of states, natural and climatic zones, the diverse relief of this part of the world, ancient architecture, monuments of ancient cultures, many universities, allows you to develop all kinds of tourism (business, scientific, sports, educational).
In order to judge the scale of tourism, its economic significance, it is necessary to analyze the relevant statistical data.
The purpose of the work: to reveal and show the current trends in the development of tourism in Europe.
Objectives of the work: to find and show trends (such as economic, geographical and cultural factors, types of tourism and tourist flows in Europe) that contribute to the development of tourism in Europe.

Chapter 1. Factors influencing the development of tourism in Europe
Factors influencing tourism can be divided into physical-geographical, economic-geographical and cultural.
1.1 Physical and geographical factors
The nature of natural conditions has a huge impact on the choice of a route or travel area by potential tourists. Tourists take into account the climatic and landscape features, the richness and uniqueness of the flora and fauna, natural opportunities for outdoor activities. As a rule, the desire to relax, to change the situation is combined in many people with the desire to get acquainted with the exotic. Exotic natural sites are one of the most important tourist resources. The most widely used to attract tourists is the unique nature and its attractions in European countries.
The geographic location of a region or country plays a very important role for tourism, first of all, it requires to note the proximity to the sea, to mountains and forests, the nature of the coastline, the position of the country in relation to the main suppliers of tourists, the location of the region on important transit routes, etc. .
The relief of the area is of great importance for tourists. Areas with complex and, as a rule, picturesque relief are popular. The mountainous relief wins over the plain not only in aesthetic terms. It also has a large supply of recreational resources due to the purity of mountain air, an increased level of ultraviolet radiation, the possibility of organizing ski and mountain climbing centers, etc. Therefore, it is no coincidence that many mountain systems of the world have become thriving tourist areas (France, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria).
In an effort to have a good rest, tourists prefer routes and seasons characterized by favorable weather conditions. The frequent whims of nature inherent in areas with an unstable climate, as well as natural disasters, contribute to a decrease in the number of guests in such places.
Taking into account the requirements of tourists for weather and climatic conditions, the main tourist regions are located in the temperate climate zones of both hemispheres, as well as on the islands of the hot zone, where high temperatures are compensated by sea winds. However, in recent decades, the interest of tourists to the exotic corners of the globe, the coast and islands of the Mediterranean Sea has increased, Norway is a country of lakes. The presence of sea and ocean coasts in the country favors the development of tourist regions. In conditions of a comfortable climate, well-heated sea water near the coast and the presence of convenient beaches, they can become a suitable place for creating seaside resorts, sea coasts also provide ease of communication, the possibility of cruise trips, and are a magnificent natural decoration of the landscape (Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Spain , Italy, France).
Rivers and lakes are also important tourism resources. They decorate the landscape, form a favorable microclimate, provide tourists with a rest on the water, engage in water sports, and provide tourist centers with water. Currently, lakeside resorts and recreation areas in Finland, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland and other countries are popular tourism areas. Forests also belong to tourist resources, thanks to which an environment is created in places of recreation that allows one to “isolate” from the outside world and “civilization”. The forest has a very great health value, reduces the noise level in recreation areas (Switzerland, Austria, Germany).
For most tourists, the nature of the animal world does not play any role, however, in a number of places, great attention is paid to their interest in exotic animals to attract guests. Many national parks, nature reserves and areas open for hunting in Europe have become real tourist centers (Belovezhskaya Pushcha - Belarus).
In some countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Austria, etc.), an important tourist resource is mineral water and mud, which have healing properties. International resorts on mineral waters attract fairly steady streams of tourists.
In general, it can be said about the influence of physical and geographical factors on the development of tourism in Europe that the more diverse natural resources suitable for recreation a certain area has, the more opportunities it has to attract tourists.
The influence of economic and geographical factors on tourism in Europe is carried out in two directions: in the first, these factors act as an object that attracts tourists to a certain area, and in the second, as an important means by which tourism develops.
Economic and geographical factors are an object that favors tourism, in the sense that the economy of different countries and regions is different from each other in structure and level of all sectors of the economy, in their territorial location and combinations, the specifics of technological processes, etc., which is of interest representatives of business and industry circles. The growing needs of the world economy entail the growth of international contacts. Often, the travel program of businessmen and industrialists includes visiting research centers and manufacturing enterprises in order to get acquainted with the results of the country's achievements in the scientific and technical field, study experience, technology, improve professional level and qualifications.
Economic and geographical factors as a means of promoting the development of European tourism are determined by the growth of tourism infrastructure and accommodation funds, the development of international and domestic communications, and the improvement of vehicles.
The development of the material base of tourism is carried out by two methods: intensive and extensive. Hotels, motels, boarding houses and other accommodation facilities appear on an ever larger territory of the Earth, cover the most remote and exotic corners, developing and increasing in previously developed territories. So, in a number of European countries, numerous castles were converted into modern hotels (“castle hotels”, “behind” in Portugal). Also, a lot of hotels and inns designed for tourists of different classes (from five-star to small hotels) appeared. Chains of hotels begin to appear: Marriott, Metropol, Hilton, Radisson hotels, which even more attracts tourists (inexpensive rooms).
In some European countries, a different classification of hotel services is applied:
The system of "crowns" in the UK.
Greek letter system.
· System of "apples" (farms in Slovakia).
The most common in Europe is the classification of hotel services by stars from one to five stars.
By the same principle, the development of public catering enterprises, retail trade, sports facilities, the entertainment industry is taking place, and serious qualitative changes are taking place, this is, first of all, the modernization and reconstruction of facilities, the introduction of the latest technical means and information technologies, a change in the structure of tourist complexes, which contributes to both improving service and increasing economic efficiency in the field of international tourism.
The most important role in the development of tourism belongs to transport. Transport has always been well developed in predominantly flat Europe, and began in the 30s. 19th century the construction of railways (already by 1910 their total length was 325 thousand km) finally “killed space”, in the figurative expression of Heinrich Heine. Now the largest cities are connected by both first-class highways and high-speed rail lines. The symbol of the transport union of Europe was the opening in 1994. tunnel under the English Channel, linking France and Great Britain.
Tourists can be served by several modes of transport: air, rail, road and water. Due to the ability to quickly cover long distances in a short period of time, air transport is the most popular among tourists.
In recent decades, as a result of scientific and technological progress, transport has become faster, safer, more capacious and comfortable.
The economic and geographical factors influencing the development of tourism in Europe include the following provisions:
1. Economic and geographical position of the host country (position in relation to the tourist markets, transit opportunities).
2. the economic level of the host country and the countries that are its main suppliers of tourists.
3. availability of a sufficient number of qualified personnel to organize the reception of foreign tourists.
4. Specific for a given territory, the level of prices for recreational resources, services of accommodation facilities, transport, public catering.
5. the level of development of external and internal transport links in the area.
1.2 Historical and cultural factors
Every country, every nation is the bearer of historical and cultural values. Historical and cultural heritage for tourism is of particular importance. In fact, what tourists want to see in a particular country. Nature and historical and cultural values, which determine the tourism specifics of the country and region.
There are countries in Europe with very developed historical and cultural traditions, the origins of which lie in different historical eras (France, Italy, Germany).
In very many European states there are monuments of civil and religious architecture dating back to the ancient era. In other words, their age is calculated in millennia. Such monuments are found in large numbers in the countries of the eastern and southern Mediterranean (Greece, Italy) and Macedonia. Visiting and viewing these monuments is the dream of many, many tourists.
But even more historical and cultural monuments were left by the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The vast majority of these monuments are in Europe. These are fortresses, and castles, and places of worship, and palaces, and monuments of distant civil architecture. This group of monuments finds millions of its admirers.
Monuments of modern times are also of great interest to tourists. There are a lot of them in European countries (France - Arc de Triomphe). The direct continuation of these relatively young objects (mainly the 18th-19th centuries) are the structures of our time (the 20th century). As paradoxical as it sounds, but many of them, which appeared in the memory of people living today, are the most interesting tourist sites, primarily due to curious technical solutions (the Eiffel Tower).
The history of any country has left its mark on all the processes of the past and present that have taken place and are taking place on its territory. And this imprint is the deeper and more interesting for tourists, the more ancient the culture of the country, the more “multilayered” it is. It is always more interesting for a tourist to see the traces of the culture of several historical eras (France, Italy, Germany) in one trip.

Chapter 2. Tourism in Europe
Tourism in the view of most people is associated with relaxation, new experiences, pleasure. He firmly entered the life of a person with his natural desire to discover and know unexplored lands, monuments of nature, history and culture, customs and traditions of different peoples.
2.1 Types of tourism
Any study of a particular area with the aim of developing tourism in it should, first of all, proceed from the definition of those types of tourism that will best meet the specifics of this area. It can be argued that the class of service also corresponds to trips for each of these types of tourism.
Recreational tourism - type of tourism associated with the treatment of citizens. This type of tourism is the most massive form for many countries. Moreover, a longer duration of the entire trip is characteristic, a smaller number of cities included in the route, and, accordingly, a longer stay in one city.
Another feature of mass trips for recreation is the widespread use of air transport and, above all, charter flights.
It should be noted that according to the experience of many countries, when traveling on vacation, the demand for accommodation in double rooms is very high. First of all, this is a purely individual type of travel, although individual tourists can be united by a travel company for joint transportation in order to receive group discounts on travel. The usual duration of a tour for treatment is 24-28 days, which is much higher than for other types of tourism.
Recreational tourism is well developed in the Czech Republic (these are famous resorts such as Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne, Frantiskovy Lazne, Teplice); Italy (thermal treatment); Hungary (balneological treatment - Heviz); France.
Excursion tourism. Excursion tourism, as well as recreational tourism, is characterized by trips both on an individual and group basis. This type of tourism includes trips for educational purposes.
Therefore, in the analysis, it is necessary to single out for each country the categories of the population interested in educational trips in general and to this country in particular, as well as those tourist organizations that specialize in this type of tourism.
It must be borne in mind that cognitive goals can be combined with the goal of recreation. An educational trip may precede a vacation at a resort, or during a vacation, tourists can make excursions, including even visiting other cities.
In many countries, a characteristic feature of educational trips is the tendency to make them over long distances, visiting a large number of countries and cities in one trip. For this type of tourism it is difficult to single out any one type of transport used. Along with a significant volume of air travel, including charter flights, one can note the growing popularity of tourist trips on railway, river and sea cruises.
This type of tourism is developed in all European countries: in France - you will see the Champs Elysees, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris, many beautiful castles. In Italy - you will see the Egyptian Museum, Venice, the house - the museum of Nicolo Paganini, St. Peter's Square. In the Czech Republic - you will see the famous Charles Bridge, Old Town Square. Jewish cemetery, Old Town, Prague Castle. The list can be long.
Scientific tourism. This type of tourism, which includes trips to participate in various congresses, symposiums and meetings, is becoming increasingly important in modern international tourism. According to available estimates, participants in such international events make up 6-7% of the total number of foreign temporary visitors, and they account for about 10% of foreign exchange earnings from tourism. Participants of international events mainly use air transport.
Many European countries host international fairs, conferences and congresses in various fields of science.
Business tourism. Business trips are considered as one of the most important components of modern international tourist exchange. Moreover, this type of travel is considered one of the most promising, as it is based on the objective regularity of the further international division of labor. One of the varieties of business trips are also trips to participate or visit international and national exhibitions and fairs. A very common form of business travel are congresses and meetings of various international organizations. Another form of business tourism is travel as part of specialized groups by profession. In recent years, the demand for such trips has also been constantly growing.
Business tourism is developed in Germany, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, and Italy.
Ethnic tourism . This type of tourism associated with visiting relatives or birthplaces of parents. In this extremely peculiar form of tourism, certain structural changes have taken place in recent years that change its character. A kind of ethnic tourism is cross-border exchange.
In the 1920s and subsequent years of the 20th century, a certain part of the Russian population emigrated abroad, to Europe (France, Greece, Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Adventure tourism. It ensures that tourists stay in an attractive place for them and engage in an unusual activity. Adventure tourism is divided into hiking expeditions, safari tours and sea travel, associated with risk, so highly qualified instructors and guides are used.
This type of tourism is developed on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea and the mountainous regions of Europe (France, Austria, Bulgaria, Sweden and many other countries).
Sports tourism. The main consumers are sports clubs, associations and tourists. The main task is to provide guests with places to practice a certain sport. A feature of this type of tourism is the presence of trails, lifts, platforms, inventory. This type of tourism includes ski resorts such as: Borovets - Bulgaria, Ore - Sweden, Garmisch - Partenkirchen - Germany; sailing - Gibraltar and Malta and other countries.
Educational tourism. This type of tourism refers to learning different languages. The exchange of students between universities in different countries is gaining great popularity. Educational tourism is developed in Great Britain, Spain, France.
Religious or pilgrimage tourism . Enjoys great popularity. This is visiting holy places for worship. Greece - Mount Athos, Italy - Vatican, Bulgaria - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Sophia, Great Britain - shrines belonging to the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches (Jonah Island), Ireland - the holy mountain of Crow, France.
Leisure tourism . These are trips to the carnival, parades, gambling establishments, bullfighting. The duration of the trip is 2-4 days. Germany, Italy, Spain especially stand out from the frequently visited countries.
Hobby - tourism . Allows the vacationer to engage in their favorite activity (concerts, football matches, etc.). Austria, UK, Germany, France.
Shopping - tourism . Trips abroad for the purpose of purchases and subsequent implementation. Among tourists, such countries as Turkey, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany are very popular.
2.2 Tourist flows in Europe
According to the World Tourism Organization, Europe is the main tourist region, but its share in world tourism is declining, while other regions are growing at a faster pace. In 2000, Europe accepted 58%. East Asia and Oceania have benefited the most from this market transformation. Statistical data show that this region developed the highest growth rates, its share was 16% of the world (Table 1).
Table 1. Arrival statistics in the world. Source: WTO

	Arrivals (million)		Change (%)		Market share (%)
	1999	2000	1999/98	2000/99	1999	2000
World	650	698,3	3,8	7,4	100	100
Africa	26,5	26,9	6,1	1,5	4,1	3,8
America	122,3	130,2	2,3	6,5	18,8	18,6
East Asia/Oceania	97,6	111,7	10,8	14,5	15,0	16,0
Europe	379,8	403,3	1,7	6,2	58,4	57,8
middle Asia	18,1	20,0	18,1	10,2	2,8	2,9
South Asia	5,8	6,3	10,7	9,0	0,9	0,9

International tourism at the end of the twentieth century. has become one of the most dynamic sectors of the world economy. The economic importance of international tourism, as a source of foreign exchange earnings, employment of the population, activation of regional development, a factor in the restructuring of the economy, is constantly growing. The tourism industry is one of the three leading sectors of the world economy.
Table 2.

Income for 2005 leading tourist countries of Europe

№	Country	Revenues, billion dollars
1 2 3 4 5 6 7	France Spain Italy UK Hungary Poland Austria	24,7 25,2 31,0 21,0 4,3 4,5 12,5

The share of international tourism in total income from the export of goods and services is: in Spain, Austria - 25-30%, Portugal - more than 20%, Italy, Switzerland - 11-12%.
However, it should be noted that the development of tourism in Europe varies greatly geographically. As for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the development of these states, which entered in the early 90s. the past century on the path of sovereign development, is slower. For many years (starting from the second half of the 1950s) the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were closed in the tourist market of the countries of the socialist camp. This "isolation" in a certain way affected the volume of tourist flows, their geography, infrastructure and the tourism industry.
The transition in the early 90s of the twentieth century. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria to a market economy system required structural changes not only in the tourism industry of these countries, but also in the entire tourism policy, and, if you like, its ideology. The countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, including Belarus, found themselves in a similar situation in the period under review.
That is why the process of reforming the tourist complexes of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the very concept of tourism development in these countries in the first half of the 20th century are of particular interest today.
Almost all countries after the collapse of the socialist system faced the problem of low competitiveness of the national tourism product in the European tourism market. The quality of the tourist product offered to the sophisticated Western European tourist could not meet the standards already established in the EU countries due to the extremely weak material and technical base. The backwardness of the latter was directly related to the form of management that existed in the late 1980s. in these countries. If we analyze the figures for the number of visitors to these countries in the period from 1991 to 1993, they confirm our conclusion. The exception is Poland. The Polish tourist "boom" of this period (in 1990, 3 million 400 thousand tourists arrived in Poland, in 1992 - 16 million 200 thousand people, in 1993 - 17 million tourists) can be considered as a conscious stimulation ( due to the difficult economic situation) the so-called "shopping tourism". The main countries - suppliers of such "tourists" were Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, some Baltic countries. It is clear that this type of tourism could not qualify for European standards in service.
In general, the above reasons for the crisis state of the tourist complex in the first half of the 90s. 20th century were almost identical for all states of Central and Eastern Europe (a similar situation was observed in the tourist complex in the post-Soviet space).
Realizing the situation in which international tourism found itself in these countries, and understanding what an economic component role tourism can play in the life of these countries, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria have taken effective steps to reform national tourist complexes.
Currently, the market of tourist services in these countries is free and operates in a competitive environment. As a rule, the state does not directly interfere in the activities of tourism business entities, but regulates it through taxes on servicing tourists and specifically produced services.
So, for example, the Hungarian government recognized the development of the tourism industry as a strategic issue (tourism here today provides more than 10% of GDP, provides employment for about 250 thousand people) and in the government plan for the socio-economic development of the country (the so-called Szechenyi plan) recorded the possibilities for developing tourism sectors of the national economy. The main objectives of the government program are:
- increasing the efficiency of foreign tourism by improving tourist services;
- strengthening the stability of the industry through the development of domestic tourism;
- attracting tourists from non-traditional tourist countries for Hungary.
The Széchenyi plan for 2001 provides for the allocation of about 100 million euros from the state budget for the development of tourism. Funds are allocated to private entrepreneurs and municipalities, to be invested, with the addition of their own capital, in areas where there is an appropriate infrastructure. And although Hungary ranks 14th in the world in terms of the number of foreign tourists (about 30 million foreigners visit the country annually), there is still an active search for potential reserves for a more intensive development of national tourism. A special place in the program for the development of tourism in the near future is given to resort, balneological and conference tourism. On the territory of Hungary there are 800 thermal springs, and a third of them can be used for healing purposes. The country also ranks 15th in the world in terms of hosting international events.
In order to attract tourists to the country, Hungary conducts active information and advertising activities in the field of tourism abroad. To date, it has about 20 foreign representations of the national tourist bureau. A significant factor contributing to the development of tourism is the fact that Hungary has agreements on visa-free entry with 59 countries of the world.
Similar work is being carried out by the Slovak Republic. Currently, the Slovak Bank for Guarantee and Development is implementing the Tourism Development Support Program approved by the government. This program provides for partial state subsidy of loans for the restructuring of tourism infrastructure. The second tool for its development is the Credit Support Program implemented by the Slovak Agency for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises with the help of 5 commercial banks. As part of this program, 73 projects have already been implemented to develop tourism infrastructure for a total of $5.4 million. USA.
Active work is underway in the republic to develop legislation in the field of tourism and bring it into line with EU law.
It should also be noted that the 90s of the twentieth century. for Slovakia became a period of active creation and activity of tourist non-governmental structures. Thus, the Association of Travel Companies coordinates the activities of travel agencies, conducts marketing research, and assists travel companies in establishing contacts with foreign partners. The Union of Hotel Owners, the Union of Guides, the Union of Agritourism, etc. are actively functioning.
The Law "On the Polish Tourist Organization", which came into force on January 1, 2001, significantly changed the existing model of tourism management in Poland. The main innovation is the separation of political-strategic and administrative-operational functions.
The main body of state administration for tourism (Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Poland) is responsible for the formation of the general economic strategy of Poland in the field of tourism, and the Polish Tourism Organization is responsible for promoting the tourism product in the country and abroad.
Tourism Development Strategy of Poland for 2001-2006. determined that the government will support the development and increase of competitiveness, profitability and availability of the national tourism product. The priority tasks are:
- development of tourism infrastructure and services enriching the tourism offer in countryside and in protected areas, activating tourism in rural areas;
- support for companies that contribute to increasing the attractiveness of Polish cities as venues for fairs, conferences, congresses and business meetings, as well as companies whose activities are aimed at increasing the economic viability of urban infrastructure;
- expansion of cultural, sports and other events, objects and routes of cultural heritage, increasing the attractiveness of Polish cities and towns;
- development of tourism infrastructure, providing an increase in the number of recreation places and incomes of the local population;
- development of tourist infrastructure in the border regions, especially in the northeast, as well as those located along transit routes.
The Republic of Romania also reorganized the management system of the country's tourist complex in the period under consideration. Tourism issues in Romania are currently handled by the Ministry of Tourism, created on the basis of the previously existing departments - the National Tourism Administration, the Service for Work with Travel Agencies and the Service for Tourism Development.
The functions of the Ministry are in many respects similar to those of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus. In addition, the Romanian Ministry of Tourism controls the process of privatization of tourist facilities. It is interesting to create in the Ministry the Department of European Integration and International Relations, which monitors the effectiveness of measures in the field of tourism necessary for integration into the European Union. The abolition of the visa regime with the EU countries had a positive impact on the influx of foreign tourists into the country. A norm has also been introduced into the country's legislation, according to which organized groups of tourists are exempted from paying consular fees for issuing visas.
The reform of the tourist complex of the Czech Republic and Bulgaria is also carried out along the path of improving the tourist infrastructure, bringing the quality of tourist service in line with EU standards, improving the legislative framework and the management system of the tourism industry.
The work carried out by the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to reform the tourism sector of national economies is yielding positive results. For example, the number of foreign tourists visiting in 2000 Poland increased and amounted to 18.1 million people, Hungary - 30 million people.
Moreover, the work carried out to develop tourism has also affected the outbound flow of domestic tourists. So, for example, the departure of tourists abroad in 1998. in the Czech Republic amounted to 43.6 thousand people. (1995 - 41.8), in Slovakia and Poland increased to 23.7 and 49.3 thousand people. respectively.

All this suggests that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have indeed chosen as their strategic goal the reform of the economic complex of the country associated with the tourism sector of the economy. And it should be noted that they have already taken serious steps in this direction.
Studies of the nationality of guests coming to Europe show that 90% are tourists from European countries. Thus, Germans travel mainly within the region and make up 19% of the total number of international tourists. British travelers make up 10% of the total number of European tourists, French - 7%, Danes - 6%. The USA is the only non-European country among the top ten tourist generating countries for Europe.
Intra-regional tourism in Europe is a consequence of the high concentration of international tourism in the region. There are many state borders in a relatively small area and an excellent terrestrial extensive network of communications.
The factors behind Europe's relative loss of dominance are:
1. some Western European countries, in particular in the south of Europe, such as Italy and Greece, to a lesser extent Spain and Portugal, are suffering a decline in competitiveness due to the aging of their tourism product;
2. Some Eastern European countries are having difficulty adjusting their tourism sectors to a market economy and, in addition, the conflict in the former Yugoslavia has affected tourism in Europe;
3. some northern European countries, such as the UK, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, are very expensive for tourists. This inevitably affects their competitiveness;
4. The popularity of the countries of Southeast Asia, which have recently been successfully developing their tourism industry, is growing.
However, the decline in the European market share in international tourism comes against the backdrop of an increase in arrivals to the region and tourism receipts. Tourist flows are mainly directed to the recreation centers of Western and Southern Europe. These zones account for 64.5% of all arrivals in Europe (Table 3). Such tourist concentration is the result of the habit of spending summer holidays on the beaches.
Table 3 Tourist flows to European regions in 2004

Region	Arrivals thousand people	Changes by 2000, %	Average annual growth rates in 1995-2004, %
				1995	2004
Western Europe	116377	-1,7	3,2	39,9	34,9
Southern Europe	98740	3,2	3,0	34,4	29,6
Central and Eastern Europe	72608	-2,3	9,6	13,6	21,8
Northern Europe	34179	8,7	4,7	10,1	10,3
Eastern Mediterranean	11395	14,6	10,3	2,0	3,4
Total	333299	1,1	4,5	100	100

In Southern and Western Europe, France, Spain and Italy benefit more from tourist flows to this region and are the main tourist centers (Table 4). The UK is traditionally famous for educational tourism. The northern countries of Europe, in particular the Scandinavian countries and Ireland, specialize in "green tourism".

Table 4 Top ten tourist centers in Europe

Country	Number of tourists, million people		Share of the European level, %
France	60,0	-2,1	18,0
Spain	44,886	3,8	13,5
Italy	29,953	9,0	9,0
Great Britain	23,746	12,9	7,1
Hungary	20,7	-3,4	6,2
Poland	19,2	2,1	5,8
Austria	17,173	-4,0	5,2
Czech	15,5	-8,8	4,7
Germany	14,847	2,4	4,5
Switzerland	11,5	-5,7	3,5

Tourist flows to Central and Eastern Europe account for 22% of total European arrivals, and receipts - only 2-3% due to low prices for tourism products and the relatively poor quality of service infrastructures. The average income from one foreign tourist in the countries of this region is less than $100, while in the Nordic countries it approaches $1,000.
As for tourist flows between regions, flows between America and Europe are in the lead here. This superiority is the result of an increase in the offer of flights across the Atlantic and a reduction in the corresponding fares for a large segment of the market.
In the world, many countries annually receive more than 1 million foreign tourists (for example, in the early 90s there were 50 such countries), and 23 countries are visited by 5 million guests. In table. 5 shows a list of the first six European countries by the number of tourists arriving in them.

Table 5 European countries by number of tourists in 2001

Country	Number of tourists, million people	The ratio of the number of tourists in 2000 and 2001, %	Share of the global level, %
France	61,5	2,3	10,39
Spain	41,425	5,3	7,0
Italy	35,5	14,3	6,0
Great Britain	25,8	7,5	4,88
Hungary	20,67	-0,1	3,5
Poland	19,42	1,1	3,28

Spain, France, Italy and Great Britain are leading in terms of income received from tourism (Table 6). According to preliminary WTO data, in 2001 Spain ranked second after the United States, ahead of France and Italy. Thanks to the increase in the number of tourists visiting Spain in the same year, tourism revenues increased by 12.2% compared with revenues in the previous year.
Table 6 European countries by tourism revenue (international tourist receipts) in 2004

Country	Tourism income, billion dollars	Ratio of income in 2003 and 2004, %	Share of the global level, %
Spain	28,428	12,2	6,72
France	28,241	2,6	6,67
Italy	27,349	-0,4	6,46
Great Britain	20,415	6,7	4,82
Austria	15,095	3,3	3,56
Germany	13,168	2,8	3,11
Switzerland	9,892	4,6	2,34
Total in the world	423,116	7,6	100

Conclusion
In my work on identifying new trends in the development of tourism in Europe, I can say that tourism in European countries is falling due to outdated material and technical base.
So, tourism in Europe has come a long way in its development and today is one of the most successfully developing sectors of the world economy.
Like any other area of ​​economic activity, Finance

International tourism, being an important branch of the world economy, is characterized by an extremely uneven level of development in the regions of the world, which is explained as different levels socio-economic development and differences in the structure of consumer demand and life attitudes of various social and demographic groups of the population, as well as the uneven distribution of recreational and tourist resources, the multifaceted tourism policy of various states and international organizations.

Let us trace this on the example of some of the most developed regions in the field of tourism.

Development of tourism in Europe

European countries continue to receive the largest number of foreign tourists. In 1989-1996 the number of tourists arriving in Europe increased from 274 million to 347 million people, and cash receipts from international tourism more than doubled. However, during this period, Europe's share of world tourism has steadily fallen, despite significant fluctuations in average annual growth in European arrivals and tourism receipts. Such instability is partly explained by the economic situation in the tourist-producing countries.

International tourism is sensitive to exchange rate fluctuations. In 1984 and 1985 the US dollar fell sharply compared to European currencies, and in the period 1985-1990. stabilized. In 1991, the currencies of Italy and Spain were very strong, which negatively affected the competitiveness of their tourism products.

Studies of the nationality of guests coming to Europe show that 90% are tourists from European countries. Thus, Germans travel mainly within the region and make up 19% of the total number of international tourists; British travelers make up 10% of the total number of European tourists; French - 7%, Danes - 6%. The USA is the only non-European country among the top ten tourist generating countries for Europe.

Intra-regional tourism in Europe is a consequence of the high concentration of international tourism in the region. There are many state borders in a relatively small area, as well as an excellent terrestrial extensive communications network.

The factors behind Europe's relative loss of dominance are:

• ? some Western European countries, in particular in the south of Europe, such as Italy and Greece, to a lesser extent Spain and Portugal, are suffering a decline in competitiveness due to the aging of their tourism products;
• ? some Eastern European countries are having difficulty adjusting their tourism sectors to a market economy, and in addition, the conflict in the former Yugoslavia has affected tourism in Europe;
• ? travel to some northern European countries, such as the UK, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, is very expensive for tourists, which inevitably affects their competitiveness;
• ? the popularity of the countries of Southeast Asia, which has recently been successfully developing its tourism industry, is growing.

Europe is the leader in the number of international tourist arrivals. This conclusion can be drawn from the analysis of Table. 3.1. The attractiveness of Europe for visiting its tourists from other countries is explained by the following factors:

• high per capita incomes in most countries;
• the desire of a significant part of the population of developed European countries, in particular Germany, France, Great Britain and others, to spend their holidays abroad, but not very far from their homeland;
• favorable conditions created by the European economic integration to move within the same region;
• presence in Europe as an ancient center of civilization a large number cultural, historical and other attractions;
• meeting the demand for international travel with the help of a well-developed tourism and hospitality industry with the necessary infrastructure;
• recognition of tourism in many European countries as one of the priority areas economic policy and support at the state and local levels.

In 2004, international tourist arrivals in the region grew by 5%. This growth was achieved to a certain extent due to the success in the development of tourism in the countries of Central and Eastern, as well as Northern Europe. The growth rate of international tourism development in the Mediterranean countries was more modest - 2%. A noticeable increase in tourist arrivals was marked by Germany - 10%. While in France the number of arrivals increased by only 0.1%. The decrease in interest in the Mediterranean countries of Europe occurred due to the reorientation of tourist flows to a number of countries in North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt), as well as to North America, the Caribbean and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. In 2004, the number of tourist arrivals to Italy and Portugal decreased, while those to France remained unchanged. The exception was Spain, which, despite the "expensive" euro and the tragic events of March 11, 2001, registered an increase in tourist arrivals by more than 3%. At the same time, the main emerging tourist destinations outside the euro area showed excellent results: Turkey - a growth rate of 26%, Slovenia - 9, Croatia - 7%.

The leaders in the number of tourists arriving in the region continue to be France - 75.1 million people, Spain - 53.6, Italy - 37.1 million people. But in terms of international tourism receipts in 2004, Spain led the way with $45.3 billion, followed by France with $40.8 billion and Italy with $35.7 billion.

If we consider the long-term trends in the development of international tourism in Europe, then, compared with 1990, the market share of the leading European countries in terms of the number of international tourist arrivals has practically not changed. Over the past fifteen years there has been a significant increase in interest only in Ireland, Poland, Turkey and Belgium. Significantly decreased interest in visiting Switzerland and Hungary (Table 3.2).

Table 3.2. International tourist arrivals in European countries (according to WTO)

Tourist direction
	arrivals,	Market share, %	arrivals,	Market share, %
Europe - total
Croatia
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
Norway
Switzerland
Great Britain
Other countries