PROSPECTS FOR NATURAL-ORIENTED TOURISMIN THE RUSSIAN-BELARUSIAN BORDERLAND IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The article examines the structure and potential of nature-oriented tourism within the territory of the Russian-Belarusian border area, taking into account the impact of the pandemic. The author analyzes various definitions of the concept of «nature-oriented tourism» through the works of domestic and foreign researchers. The importance of the research problem is confirmed by the fact that UNWTO experts consider domestic nature tourism to be the most relevant today. This is due, first of all, to the relative epidemiological safety of this type of tourism, its accessibility (including economic) and a variety of forms. Assumptions about the benefits of nature tourism and recreation in cases of mental health problems are also an important reason for the growth in popularity of tourism and outdoor recreation.