Methodological approach to the economic and geographical positioning of a country in the global tourism market

The article is devoted to substantiating the theoretical and methodological foundations of positioning the tourism market in the global environment. The study aims to develop a methodological approach to a country’s economic and geographical positioning in the global tourism market. The article examines the key aspects of competitive dynamics in the global tourism market and their impact on shaping the attractiveness of destinations. The study analyses intercountry competition, which intensifies due to the growing demand for tourism goods and services and changes in consumption patterns. The primary directions of tourism flows are identified, including North-South movement, reciprocal exchanges between developed countries, and intraregional exchanges. The research emphasizes the importance of competitive advantages for destinations, determined by factors such as price levels, transportation costs, the host country’s image, infrastructure development, and the availability of qualified personnel. It reveals that competitive dynamics in the tourism market operate at three levels: intergovernmental, interfirm, and at the level of individual tourism products. The study also identifies trends in the changing positions of countries in the international tourism market, influenced by innovation levels, transportation accessibility, and adaptability to global trends. The peculiarities of Ukraine’s competitive position in the global hierarchy of the tourism space are analyzed, considering its historical development, geopolitical factors, and socio-economic potential. The study concludes that enhancing the attractiveness of a tourism product requires a comprehensive approach, considering market needs and innovative solutions. Based on the principles of a general economic approach, the article improves the methodological approach to a country’s economic and geographical positioning in the global tourism market. It assesses the development potential of the tourism business. Compared to existing methods, the proposed approach structures the global economic system and its components at different levels (periphery, semi-periphery, center). The study suggests evaluating destination positions using three indicators based on fundamental tourism development factors: population size, GDP per capita, and the specific availability of accommodation places per 1,000 residents. Positioning Ukraine’s tourism business in the global tourism space shows that Ukraine belongs to the peripheral group of countries with a disproportionately low level of tourism business development relative to the scale of its national economy. Keywords: tourism market, competitiveness of the tourism market, positioning of the tourism market, tourism destinations, tourism.