Digital tourism ecosystems and platforms: theoretical and methodological aspects

This research considers the issues of digitalization of tourism. The need to create a universal digital platform in Russia as a result of the ecosystem approach is discussed at various levels, including state, education, and commerce. This study proves to be highly relevant because different strategies and investment initiatives are actively being undertaken in the industry. The attractiveness of the Russian regions is also increasing, thus contributing to the development of domestic tourism. The authors present a top-level comparative analysis of existing digital platforms and their limitations in meeting the needs of key stakeholders, and develop an algorithm of requirements gathering for the creation of a universal digital platform. As a result, a structured model for the development of a digital tourism platform is proposed, including the interests of stakeholders, functional roles of tourism market participants, as well as the necessary digital infrastructure. The obtained results can serve as a methodological basis for the development of a tourism ecosystem that promotes the interaction of market participants and increases the availability of industry tourism services.