The spread of urban lifestyle determines the interest in recreation in the natural environment, on the other hand, in public consciousness, an environmental behavior trend is forming, implying a "responsible" attitude to the environment, including during recreation.  The Russian eco-tourism market has a high potential for growth due to the lack of significant competition. With appropriate investments, the natural conditions and diversity of cultural and historical sites will make it possible to make original routes interesting for travelers, which will enjoy stable demand. The lack of infrastructure significantly hampers development of eco-tourism in protected areas. The socio-economic aspect of eco-tourism has a significant impact on local budgets.  At the regional level, attempts are made to organize tourism activities, but the effectiveness of such initiatives differs significantly in terms of the actors. The national project «Ecology» has united about a dozen of federal projects. They involve solving the tasks aimed at improving the environmental situation, increasing the area of the special protected areas, providing them with the necessary infrastructure, as well as stimulating the development of knowledge and environmental tourism, carrying out active educational work and development of surrounding areas. The article deals with the phenomenon of ecological tourism, analyzes the peculiarity and potential possibilities of implementation of tourist activity in specially protected areas of the republic. The factors restraining the development of tourism are identified, and the mechanisms promoting more active involvement of specially protected natural areas in the region's tourism activities are determined. The authors in the study used a wide range of methods: system analysis, case study, comparative and statistical analysis, and the sociological method.