Tourism development in South Karelia Finland in the first half of 2010s

The development of tourism in peripheral and border areas is a driver of regional development, and the case of South Karelia is an outstanding example of this phenomenon due to the impact of the Russian tourist flow on the economy and development of the region. Since the 90s of the twentieth century, cross-border tourism has developed most intensively between the countries. The highest period of its development falls on the tenth years of the twenty-first century. The interest of the residents of South Karelia in tourists from Russia has always been high and positive. Russian tourists choose South Karelia as an attractive region due to transport accessibility, well-developed infrastructure, and a rich assortment of quality goods at affordable prices. However, the interest of Russians in the neighboring country is not limited to short-term visits. The region of South Karelia attracted Russian tourists with the undeniable advantages of owning property for recreation in Finland, such as environmentally friendly untouched nature, developed infrastructure, security, but at the same time, territorial proximity to the North-Western regions of Russia. The data confirm that Russians owned up to 5% of real estate in the border regions. The defining criteria for the competitiveness of the country, and South Karelia in particular, are a combination of security, respect for human rights and freedoms, the availability of developed infrastructure, and ample opportunities for leisure activities, which is confirmed by the results of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index report. Due to the geopolitical events of 2014, there has been a decline in Russian tourist activity. The case of South Karelia was investigated using the analysis of statistical and analytical data. On the basis of English and Finnish language sources, the reasons for the cross-border mobility of Russian tourists were identified. With the help of content analysis, objects of tourist interest in the territory of South Karelia of Finland were considered. Based on the results of the assessment of statistical data from the Ministry of Economic Development and Employment of Finland, the dependence of the number of border crossings and overnight stays and, consequently, the volume of financial spending by domestic tourists on political and operational factors was proved. As a result, understanding this dependence and differentiation of tourist flows will allow the region to be less dependent on the geopolitical situation.