СURRENT PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF ECOLOGICAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT ON THE TERRITORY OF THE UKRAINIAN CARPATHIANS FOREST FUND
Abstract
In order to study current problems and prospects of the ecological tourism development on the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians Forest fund, a sociological survey was conducted among Ukrainian citizens. The share of tourists who rested on this territory and are interested in traveling to nature protection sites in order to feel the aesthetics and cleanliness of these objects, get acquainted with local traditions and stay in the unchanging natural conditions of the Ukrainian Carpathians is studied. Attention is drawn to the current problems and relevance of the study of ecological tourism on the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians Forest fund, since the forest plays a significant role in the development of this type of tourism. A comparative characterization is made between mass and ecological tourism, since mass tourism is considered as a more traditional form of tourism development, where short-term free market principles dominate, income maximization is paramount, and ecological tourism corresponds to the concept of sustainable development. The main factors that hinder the development of ecological tourism on the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians Forest fund are considered. The key factors are the lack of information, ignorance of potential visitors about the possibility of functioning of ecological tourism on the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians Forest fund, illegal logging, fires, lack of proper infrastructure and the lack of a step-by-step education system in the sphere of tourist and recreational complex, the lack of specialized structures capable of organizing and coordinating the development of ecological tourism at the regional level. It is revealed that effective economic and legal regulation will contribute to the successful development of ecological tourism. The assessment of the level of ecological tourism development on the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians Forest fund was carried out by identifying its strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as a result of which the main idea of ecological tourism was established: environmental protection, new sources of financing for the nature reserve fund, improving the ecological well-being of the population and developing society in accordance with the concept of sustainable development.
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