Regional agritourism: A method of integrated spatial economic analysis

Agritourism is one of the priorities in stimulating socio-economic growth of Russia’s rural territories. Poorly developed agritourism and weak integration of infrastructural and economic parameters necessitate inventing effective analytical methods to ensure the sustainable growth of this sector. The research aims to propose an integrated analysis method designed to assess the development of regional agritourism by incorporating economic and spatial indicators. The theoretical foundation of the study includes the theories of spatial analysis and regional economic sustainability, as well as the concept of cluster development. Among the research methods are synthesis, econometric analysis, expert evaluations, and multivariate regression analysis. The empirical evidence is comprised of data from statistical reporting and balance sheets of agritourism facilities in the city of Sochi (Russia) for the period of 2020–2023. The study concludes that the existing agritourism analysis models are isolated in nature, being limited to either economic or spatial indicators. A method of integrated spatial economic analysis of agritourism with object ranking was developed, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of agritourism objects through the lens of spatial and economic dynamics. As a result, agritourism facilities in Sochi were categorized into three groups: highly efficient, moderately efficient, and those with low infrastructural integration and economic efficiency. The presented method can be utilized to shape regional development strategies, eliminate imbalances in infrastructural and economic connectivity of objects, and ensure optimal allocation of resources.