Abstract. Current conditions are characterized by an increase in the socio-economic importance of tourism, serving as an important and rapidly developing sphere of the world economy, including the Russian Federation. Domestic and inbound tourism in the development process has a positive influence on the formation of the gross domestic product, thereby providing the improvement of the quality and standard of living. The transition to the innovation economy in Russia to a large extent is associated with the development of tourism, recognized by the state as a promising area. Russia, with its tourist potential and with the appropriate level of infrastructure development, according to the UNWTO prognosis, is able to provide an annual intake of up to 40 million foreign tourists, and in 2020 it will enter the top-10 countries with the most popular tourist destinations. However, the tourist potential of the country is characterized by its insufficient use. The development of competitive advantages in the tourist sphere at the regional level is an important direction to diversify the economy and improve the efficiency of use of resource potential, which in turn will ensure the growth of domestic and inbound flows and, consequently, will increase the efficiency of the regional economy as a whole.