SEMANTIC ANALYSIS AND STRUCTURAL DECOMPOSITION OF THE DEFINITION OF «TOURIST CLUSTER»

The article presents the results of a study of the conceptual apparatus of a tourism cluster as an organizational and economic category. Despite the widespread use of the cluster approach in the theory and practice of tourism industry management, a unified interpretation of this concept is currently lacking in the scientific literature. The purpose of this study is to clarify the essential characteristics and elemental composition of a tourism cluster based on a content analysis of definitions. The study utilized methods of semantic analysis, structural analysis, desk research, content analysis, and comparative analysis. A refined definition of a tourism cluster is proposed, based on the identification of such essential features as a network form of cooperation between participants in the service chain, a common competitive logic, and a focus on creating a value chain for a tourism product. The structural elements of the cluster and the nature of the interrelations between them are identified. A proprietary structural model of a tourism cluster has been developed, including seven key elements combined into four levels: coordinating, supporting, central, and servicing. The presented research results illustrate a number of methodological issues, namely: the conflation of legal and organizational-economic interpretations of clusters, and the unjustified association of clusters with tourist destinations or special economic zones. Currently, the concept of a tourism cluster is not enshrined in law; in policy documents, it is primarily infrastructural in nature, leading to terminological confusion among many authors. The research results can serve as a theoretical basis for identifying cluster formations in the region's tourism sector and developing appropriate government support measures.