DEVELOPMENT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENT AS A MEANS OF RECREATIONAL AND TOURIST GROWTH OF THE UNITED TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES IN IVANO-FRANKIVSK OBLAST

Abstract

At present, the development of tourism industry is taking on greater importance. Tourism is among the five largest sectors of economy in terms of contribution to the world gross domestic product. It provides a multiplier effect in the related sectors of economy – transport, trade, construction, agriculture, finance – and is a kind of catalyst for the socio-economic development. A developed tourist infrastructure is the most important factor for the development of tourism industry. Ivano-Frankivsk oblast has large natural and recreational, historical and cultural resources for tourism development. The united territorial communities were formed in the conditions of local self-government reform in Ukraine and received significant powers and financial resources. The communities can independently form and develop their tourism infrastructure through the construction and reconstruction of tourist facilities, creation of tourist investment centres, development of promotional materials about the existing tourist resources, international cooperation, and attraction of investors. Having assessed the tourist infrastructure of Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, the authors found that due to its geographical location, rich natural, historical and cultural resources, the region has great potential for the development of tourism. There are many tourism entities in the oblast – tour operators and travel agents. It was established that most of them operate in the oblast centre and large cities. The oblast has a good hotel base, but there are a large number of accommodation facilities that operate unofficially. The analysis of transport infrastructure has showed that the oblast has long stretches of roads and good railway connections, but some roads are in poor condition. The oblast has problems with the development of air transport due to the underdeveloped infrastructure of the oblast airport and the lack of air connections in other cities.