RUSSIAN TOURISM EDUCATION INTEGRATION INTO THE EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL SPACE: THE PROBLEM O STAFF TRAINING FOR RUSSIAN TOURIST INDUSTRY

Abstract

The article describes the status and basic problems of the development of tourism education in Russia. The relationship of the training system for the tourism industry with the modernization of the entire education sector in the country under the influence of the Bologna process and other external factors is described. The article shows the influence of the European TACIS and TEMPUS projects on the development of tourism education in Russia. The author identifies the relation between low quality of domestic tourism services, which is largely determined by the quality of the staff of the tourist enterprises, and the level of their training at higher and secondary educational institutions, which brings to small volume of tourist arrivals. Proposals to modernize the Russian tourism education in accordance with international requirements of society, market and employers’ demands are formulated.