ENSURING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BASED ON THE RELIGIOUS AND CONFESSIONAL IDENTITY OF THE RURAL POPULATION IN THE PENZA REGION

In the context of growing interreligious tensions worldwide and strengthening interfaith harmony in Russian regions, the study of religious and confessional identity as a resource for sustainable territorial development is becoming increasingly important. The aim of this research is to identify the differences between religious identity (individual, reflective, based on personal faith) and confessional identity (collective, ethnically determined) and to assess their potential for tourism development in the Penza Region. The study employs methods of comparative analysis, cartographic approach, correlation analysis, as well as analysis of statistical data from Rosstat and registers of religious organizations (2011–2025). It has been established that the distribution of churches and mosques in the region is closely linked to the demographic and ethnocultural landscape: churches are concentrated in large cities, while mosques are located in areas of compact settlement of Tatars and Mordva-Moksha. Based on this, two tourist streams are identified: religious-cultural (motivated by interest in ethnoconfessional traditions) and pilgrimage (based on personal spiritual needs). Recommendations are formulated for the differentiation of tourism products and infrastructure, which will not only preserve cultural diversity but also enhance the socio-economic development of the region through sustainable tourism. The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation No. 25-28-20463, https://rscf.ru/en/project/25-28-20463/.