Study of the Northern Baikal Brand Perception as a Tourist Destination

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the study of the Northern Baikal brand perception as a tourist destination. The study includes a series of in-depth expert interviews (public authority in tourism sector and tourist industry in the region) in order to assess the tourist potential of the Northern Baikal, identify upcoming trends of tourism development in the region, as well as associated problems and limitations. The formal questionnaire survey focused on the study of target audiences perceptions and intentions about the Northern Baikal as a tourist destination and exploring the existing tourist experience. The results of the study showed the high potential of Northern Baikal in the Russian tourist market. One of the main problems of the tourist potential fulfillment besides geographical distance, high transportation costs and substandard infrastructure was inaccurate positioning of the brand which does not distinguish the region from other territories adjacent to Lake Baikal.