Positioning strategies of health resort organizations of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region in the Russian tourism market

   Aim. The presented study aims to identify the key arguments and factors influencing the choice of positioning strategy and to determine the specific features and stages of the positioning of health resort organizations in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.   Tasks. The authors investigate different approaches to defining the concept and operational features of health resort organizations; examine existing approaches to the formation and implementation of positioning strategies; consider the peculiarities of the positioning of health resort organizations; identify the factors of successful positioning of modern heath resort organizations; develop recommendations for the positioning of health resort organizations of the St. Petersburg agglomeration and their products based on the conducted analysis.   Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition, structural analysis of positioning factors, analysis of the product offering structure, and competitive analysis of health resort organizations in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region to determine the key prerequisites and directions for developing a strategy for their positioning as tourism and recreationorganizations.   Results. Positioning should be viewed as a set of strategic and tactical decisions aimed at forming a positive perception of organizations and their products by target audiences combined with a clear awareness of the benefits received by the consumer. The positioning strategy can be selected only after market segmentation and targeting. The positioning of an organization and its product line should follow the same logic and make allowance for the positioning of competitors.   Conclusions. A study of the positioning of health resort organizations shows that a strategy is needed to expand market coverage. Thus, it is necessary to develop positioning strategies for health resort organizations aimed at a wider range of target audiences. New target segments tend to be less focused on the medical component of health resort services. Therefore, positioning strategies of health resort organizations should be aimed at forming consumer understanding of their advantages and benefits as tourism organizations offering services at an appropriate level of quality. Among the tools used for implementing positioning strategies, particular attention should be paid to a system of marketing communications that would make it possible to build effective interaction with target audiences.