Religious tourism as a component of the Arkhangelsk region branding.

By the example of the Arkhangelsk region, the process of religious tourism development on the northern Russian subjects territory in the dynamics of the post-Soviet decades, is analyzed. The northern regions of the country are far from its main economic centers, which is not only a limiting factor, but also a competitive advantage for the development of niche types of tourism, which is determined by the creation and implementation of variety of tourist products that are competitive and generate stable demand. In modern conditions, a competent and consistent tourist brand development of the territory is necessary for the successful recreational services promotion on the market. The main purpose of the submitted research is to identify the religious tourism role in the tourist branding of the Arkhangelsk region.The Arkhangelsk region is a region of ancient development and settlement, characterized by a large number of Orthodox religious infrastructure objects. To identify the degree of its placement uniformity, calculations of territorial concentration coefficient were made. By results, the conclusion is justified that Orthodox chapels, temples and monasteries are dispersed and, accordingly, several administrative districts of the region are allocated, acting as the core of the development of Orthodox religious tourism. The list and structure analysis results of the already approved and announced routes of religious tourism in the Arkhangelsk region allow us to assert that the designated sub-sector of recreational economy contributes to the development of local folk crafts, individual entrepreneurship, the preservation and historical and cultural heritage objects revival, as well as the preservation of settlements remote from large centers. The arguments are given in favor of the fact that religious tourism occupies an essential place in the tourist branding of the Russian Federation studied subject. This is confirmed by the results of a survey specially developed and conducted by the authors, which was carried out in order to identify the importance of Orthodox religious infrastructure objects in the Arkhangelsk region perception system among the population of the Russian Federation. The main effective conclusion based on the article results is that the role of religious tourism in the tourist branding of the Russian Federation studied subject is undeniably high, and the further development and improvement of the Arkhangelsk region tourist brand can be largely associated with religious tourism in the organization of a systematic approach to the use of marketing tools.