The prospects and challenges of a sustainable development of domestic tourism: The opinion of the tourism industry and the expectations of tourists

<p><em><span>The increase in tourist activity has led to an exacerbation of negative processes, placing increasing pressure on the natural and socio-cultural environment. The study is based on a survey of employees of accommodation facilities from different regions of Russia to identify the extent of implementation of environmental and social responsibility principles in the tourism industry, as well as the factors contributing to the development of sustainable tourism offerings. А content analysis was conducted on the open results of research on tourists' opinions in order to determine conformity with the features of the green demand from the current and potential green supply of the domestic tourism sector. The research focuses on the current level of environmental activities of Russian accommodation facilities and the factors inhibiting or stimulating the transition of the Russian accommodation industry to principles of environmental sustainability. The research methodology involved a survey of industry representatives, including owners, managers, and line staff, from various regions of the Russia. The results demonstrated that, currently, Russian accommodation facilities mainly implement measures that provide direct resource savings. However, expert organization recommendations have limited influence on their green agenda. The main obstacles are a lack of knowledge and fears of high costs, a lack of incentives, including low demand for a green tourist product. A strong demand for government support and the creation of a "best practices" bank for sustainable tourism activities were identified. The majority of respondents support the idea of creating a national certification system for environmentally friendly and sustainable accommodation facilities.</span></em></p>