THE METHOD OF IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE POSSIBILITY OF FORMING A REGIONAL TOURIST CLUSTER. IN THE EXAMPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN.

In the article, having studied the socio-economic importance of tourism development, the proposal to form regional tourist clusters in the regions of the Republic of Uzbekistan is scientifically substantiated. The main approaches to the definition of the concept of "tourist cluster", methods for identifying clusters are considered. A methodical approach is proposed, using an integral localization coefficient to identify the process of forming a regional tourist cluster.


Introduction
By the beginning of the 21st century, tourism has become one of the most important economic activities on a global scale, many states see it as an important tool for achieving sustainable development. Being a powerful catalyst for the socio-economic development of individual countries and regions, it ensures the inflow of foreign currency and investment, promotes rapid growth of related industries, helps to solve problems of employment of the population, and enhances the reputation of the country in the world community. It is important to keep in mind that the economic power of tourism is largely based on the multiplicative effect, which in tourism is very large. Because of this, tourism can start a qualitatively new stage in the development of many of the country's regions, especially with great recreational opportunities.
Tourism in many countries of the world makes a significant contribution to the production of gross domestic product. Uzbekistan is not an exception, since ancient times it was famous for its ancient cities. However, in Uzbekistan, which has huge tourist resources (there are about 7000 natural and historical and cultural monuments in Uzbekistan), tourism has not yet reached the level of development adequate to its potential. While only a small part of natural and tourist routes affects historical and cultural monuments in Uzbekistan. The share of tourism revenues in the country's GDP has not yet exceeded 3.1 percent. Although for a country that has such great opportunities, this indicator is very insignificant, compared with the states in which tourism is one of the leading branches of the national E-mail address: info@researchparks.org Peer review under responsibility of Emil Kaburuan. ISSN (electronic): 2620-6269/ ISSN (printed): 2615-4021 . Hosting by Research Parks All rights reserved. economy (Value of this indicator in 6%,etc.).
We think that the unique nature of natural resources and cultural heritage alone cannot be the only and sufficient condition for ensuring the successful development of tourism in the country, as they represent only one of the elements of the tourist and recreational potential. In the modern global economy, the state of tourism largely depends on the development of the most competitive tourist consolidations, based not only on cultural and historical and natural resources, but also on the relevant infrastructure, professional staff, a single information service, educational and research institutions, spheres of entertainment and so on.
Since the first years of independence, Uzbekistan has been actively building up cooperation with international organizations, regularly acting with initiatives to deepen cooperation in this promising direction. An important milestone in the history of domestic tourism was the entry of the republic in 1993 into the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). In 1994, 19 countries of the world adopted the Samarkand Declaration on Tourism along the Silk Road. In 1999, the Khiva Declaration on Tourism and Preservation of Cultural Heritage was adopted, supported by UNWTO, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. In 2002 -the Bukhara Declaration on Tourism along the Silk Road, which emphasizes the benefits of sustainable tourism and identifies specific steps to promote cultural and ecological tourism in this direction.
Moreover, in recognition of the special place of the republic in the world tourism industry, in 2004 the regional office of UNWTO was established in Samarkand to coordinate the development of tourism on the Silk Road. It should be noted that such an office exists only in two countries -Japan and Uzbekistan. Its main function is to designate directions in the development of not only regional, but also international tourism.
The opportunities of Uzbekistan are evidenced by the presence of over seven thousand objects of material cultural heritage of different epochs and civilizations, including historical centers of Bukhara, Khiva, Samarkand and Shakhrisabz included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. World-famous historical monuments, modern cities, unique nature of Uzbekistan, unique national cuisine, as well as the unrivaled hospitality of our people attract travelers.
Through the efforts of the republic's leadership, the tourist infrastructure has been raised to a rather high level in recent years. In the country, in particular, 1,176 tourist organizations, including 621 tour operators, 555 hotel farms, function successfully. An extensive network of hotels for more than 25 thousand seats meet modern international standards.
During the years of independence, due to truly large-scale works on the construction and reconstruction of infrastructure facilities in Uzbekistan, 11 airports have received the status of international harbors. Modern comfortable airplanes of the National Air Company "Uzbekistan Airways", consisting of Boeing and Airbus airliners, perform regular flights to more than 40 cities in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and America. In 2016, two modern «dream liners» -Boeing Dreamliner, will supplement the country's civil aviation fleet.
To date, there are five higher educational institutions in the country that produce specialists in this field: the Samarkand Institute of Economics and Service, the Tashkent State Economic University, the Bukhara and Urgench State Universities, and the Singapore Institute of Management Development in Tashkent. Annually more than 500 students who graduated from universities in this specialty receive diplomas of bachelors, and over 40 -masters. In addition, more than 3,5 thousand cadres produce 12 specialized professional colleges.
A major role in ensuring the accelerated development of the tourism sector in Uzbekistan, the formation and maintenance of the country's image on the world market is played by large-scale events held regularly in the republic. One of the most important annual events is the Tashkent International Tourism Fair "Tourism on the Silk Road". Today it is the largest forum in Central Asia where industry professionals meet, negotiations are held in various formats, including business-to-business, the Hosted Buyers program is being implemented for buyers of the national tourism product, conferences are held on topical issues of development of the tourism industry in Uzbekistan and the world generally.
Representatives of Uzbekistan also regularly participate in international fairs and exhibitions held abroad to present the tourism potential of the republic. Participation in them allows you to keep abreast of the latest trends in the world tourism market, conclude business contracts, and develop cooperation with foreign partners.
Thus, the intensive development of the tourism industry in Uzbekistan, including the careful attitude to the historical and cultural heritage, the creation of an infrastructure that fully meets international standards, the strengthening of international relations has made our region one of the most visited countries in the world.
The scenario of long-term development of the domestic tourism industry presupposes the growth of its competitiveness, a breakthrough in improving the quality of human capital and the dynamics of labor productivity, in the advancing development of high-tech industries and the transformation of innovative factors into the main source of economic growth.
At the same time, aspects of assessing the feasibility of innovative activities in tourism are important. At the same time, it is possible to formulate several criteria for the success of innovations in tourism: 1) Necessity of cooperation of scientists and management of tourist 2) enterprises in the process of developing and implementing innovations; 3) Partnership of the private sector and state authorities in the development of innovative projects; 4) Integration of the private sector, government bodies and science in the process of preparing and improving the quality of labor resources.
The solution of these problems will require the creation of a system of clear interaction between the state, business, science and education based on the use of effective tools for innovative development, of which an important role should be played by the cluster approach.
The advantage and novelty of the cluster approach lies in the fact that it attaches great importance to the territorial and social aspects, as well as to the innovative approach of economic development. In addition, it offers effective tools for stimulating regional development, which manifests itself in increasing employment, increasing the competitiveness of regional production systems, increasing budget revenues, etc. In our opinion, this indicates the need to introduce a cluster approach for the development of the tourism industry in Uzbekistan, as well as its regions.
In its essence and structure, cluster policy is precisely the set of measures that can contribute to the solution of the main task: increasing the competitiveness of the national economy through the development of E-mail address: info@researchparks.org Peer review under responsibility of Emil Kaburuan. ISSN (electronic): 2620-6269/ ISSN (printed): 2615-4021 . Hosting by Research Parks All rights reserved. competitive markets, increasing the innovation of the tourism and related industries, accelerating the development of small and medium-sized businesses, interaction between the state, business and the scientific community. In our opinion, this indicates the need to introduce a cluster approach for the development of the tourism industry in the regions of Uzbekistan.
To develop targeted development programs for individual territories of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which have a high tourist potential, on the basis of the cluster approach, identification and analysis of the possibility of forming a regional tourist cluster in these territories is necessary.

Literature review
The term "cluster" (English cluster -cluster, brush, bundle, cluster) has long been used in many sciences, primarily natural: mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, nuclear physics. For example, in the last of these sciences, a cluster is called a cluster of elementary particles. In the economic and economic-geographical literature, this term was intensively used only in the last two decades, after the publication of the article by the American economist M.Porter "Competitive Advantages of Countries" (1990). It defines clusters as "geographically concentrated groups of interrelated companies, specialized suppliers, service providers, firms in relevant industries, as well as organizations associated with their activities (e.g universities, standardization agencies and trade associations) in certain areas that compete, but at the same time and leading joint work ". In his studies, M.Porter drew attention to the fact that the most competitive firms on an international scale of one industry are usually not scattered in different developed countries, but have the property of concentrating in one and the same country, and sometimes even in the same region of the country . This is not accidental. One or more firms, achieving competitiveness in the world market, spreads its influence on the nearest environment: suppliers, consumers and competitors. In turn, the successes of the environment have a positive impact on the further growth of the competitiveness of this company. As a result, a "cluster" is formed -a community of firms, closely related industries, mutually contributing to the growth of each other's competitiveness. Porter noted in his studies that "... the competitive industries of countries are not evenly distributed in the economy, but are connected in what I call clusters consisting of branches of the economy of the country, connected with each other by various connections".
One of the first scientists who tried to apply the concept of an industrial cluster to the sphere of tourism was M. Montford. Such foreign specialists as carried out investigations of the cluster approach in the tourism industry: Summarizing the above, we propose the following definition of this concept: a regional tourist cluster is an open system of geographically localized interconnected competitive business structures that closely interact with government bodies, public organizations, educational and scientific institutions directly or indirectly involved in the technological process of rendering tourist services on the basis of effective use of the recreational potential of the region.
In the economic literature devoted to the general problems of implementing the cluster approach, several basic ways of identifying economic clusters are considered. We investigate the essence of the proposed approaches and try to form methodological provisions on their adaptation to the characteristics of tourist and recreational clusters.
In view of the fact that the theory of economic clusters is quite young, there is no single universal approach to identifying clusters in the region. In our opinion, two types of diagnostics of clusters should be distinguished. The first type, based on the study of a specific cluster, can be attributed to the diagnosis of existing clusters. This type has a specific character and, as a rule, its main goal is to confirm (or refute) the existence of a specific cluster. To the second type, which is of a general nature, is the diagnosis of potential clusters. The main goal of this approach is to analyze the region or the country as a whole for the presence of clusters in it. To begin with, geographic concentrations of enterprises (industries) are determined, and then the presence and degree of interaction between them is determined.

Theoretical background
Currently, scientists identify several approaches to the identification of economic clusters in the region, for example, the concept of clusters from the perspective of competitiveness, the definition of clusters because of the effect of economies in agglomeration.
The first approach, based on the identification of clusters from a competitive perspective, was proposed and repeatedly approved by the founder of the cluster concept, M. Porter, and includes a wide range of evidence: the internal scale effect, the value chain, competitiveness, technological innovation, in geographical space.
The main elements of this approach are: -Analysis of a large firm or concentration of similar firms; -Identification of a chain of vertically related lower and higher firms and organizations; -Horizontal search for industries passing through common channels or producing by-products / services; E-mail address: info@researchparks.org Peer review under responsibility of Emil Kaburuan. ISSN (electronic): 2620-6269/ ISSN (printed): 2615-4021 . Hosting by Research Parks All rights reserved.
-The allocation of organizations that provide the cluster with special skills, technology, capital or infrastructure, as well as the allocation of any group entities that include members of the cluster; -The search for government, legislative structures that affect the participants of the cluster.
According to M. Porter, the main signs of the presence of potential clusters are the following: concentration of participants in a cluster on a geographically limited territory; availability of competitive advantages in the region-based region; presence of leading companies that contribute to concentration, facilitating attraction of supporting and servicing enterprises; presence of industrial-technological interconnection and cooperation between the participants.
The algorithm of identification of classifiers proposed by M. Porter has received a certain development in the sphere of tourism in the identification of regional tourist clusters. As an example of practical implementation of the approach under consideration, it is possible to cite studies of specialists of the Karelian Research Center of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which are the basis for the development of the project of a regional tourist-recreational cluster of the network type developed within the framework of the Strategy of Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia up to 2020. A significant drawback of this approach is that it is based only on qualitative analysis and expert assessments.
The second approach is aimed at identifying the potential of classifying the region, it is based both on quantitative and qualitative analysis of the region's competitive stability. Here, foreign experts offer a number of approaches to measuring regional specialization or agglomeration. Among the main methods can be identified the following: -Localization coefficients; - The Ginny coefficient, which is a macroeconomic indicator that characterizes the differentiation of the population's monetary incomes in the form of the deviation of the actual distribution of income from an equal distribution among the inhabitants of the country.
In Russia, the method of analyzing the competitive stability of the region in order to identify clusters was proposed by A.V. Ermishina and was further developed in the writings of A.N. Dyrdonova and a number of other scientists. This technique includes the following three steps: Stage 1. Quantitative analysis of competitive stability, which consists in determining the market position of the region's branches. This analysis is based on the calculation of the main indicators reflecting the competitive stability in the region and the potential for its clustering. These indicators include the following: the coefficients of shower production, localization and specialization. However, the application of these coefficients causes certain difficulties, mainly due to the absence of accurate thresholds indicating the existence of a cluster.
For example, it is customary to assume that the localization coefficient exceeding one indicates a higher level of concentration of employment in a particular region of the region than the national average. E. Bergman and E. Fiser believe that the presence of specialization of the region is accompanied by a localization coefficient above 1.25. P. Braunhelm and B. Karlsson, when identifying clusters in Sweden, took the threshold value of this coefficient equal to 1.3. N. Kumral and S. Deger determined the level of clustering based on the minimum and maximum values of the localization coefficient, from 1.25 to 5, respectively.
A.V. Ermishina proposes to adopt a minimum threshold value for the above coefficients equal to unity. In her opinion, it is necessary to trace the dynamics of localization coefficients, which indicates the possible prospects for cluster growth. A.N. Dyrdonova proposes to assess the potential of clusterization with the help of an integrated indicator (which is a combination of the above coefficients), the threshold value of which must also be at least 1. To assess the prospects for growth, the author also considers it necessary to trace the dynamics of the inte-grated indicator.
Stage 2. Qualitative analysis of the availability and composition of the resource base necessary to ensure the competitiveness of enterprises in the region in certain areas.
This analysis is aimed at determining the competitive stability of the region's industries, based on the assessment of a number of conditions, such as production factors, domestic demand, competitive supplier industries or other related industries and factors, and factors motivating the formation of effective strategies.
Step 3. Analysis of the cluster itself. The purpose of this stage is to determine the nature of the management impacts on the competitiveness of the region. This analysis can be carried out from the point of view of institu-tional organization and strategic potential of clusters, internal motivation and support of cluster initiatives, comparative competitiveness of cluster members.

Methodology
In the territory of the Samarkand region of the Republic of Uzbekistan, there is a process of concentration of tourism industry enterprises, related industries, research institutes, and public organizations that support the development of tourism in the region. The concentration of enterprises in the sphere of tourism forms the order for qualified personnel of service and tourism enterprises, leads to the diversification of the tourist product, and actualizes the conduct of scientific research in this field. The nature of competitive struggle between business entities is changing. To replace the "acute, conflict, defensive" strategy of doing business comes the strategy of mutually beneficial co-operation, obtaining competitive advantages due to the synergetic effect, the overall competitiveness of the industry.
To identify the process of forming a regional tourist cluster in the Samarkand region, a methodology has been used to identify the possibility of forming a regional tourist cluster with the help of localization coefficients.
In addition to the technique of ballistic assessment of the characteristics of the formation of a regional tourist cluster, it is important to use traditional methods of cluster analysis. One of such methods is the analysis of the localization coefficient, the territory indicator (TI), which allows determining the degree of development of tourism specialization in the Samarkand region, which also indicates the dynamics of the regional tourist cluster development. This method is affordable, allows you to get results in a short period.
The CT cluster analysis method (territory indicator) is a simple ratio of the share of employment: the share of employment in the regional sector from total employment in the regional economy to the share of employment in the national industry from total employment in the national economy. If the TI is equal to 1.0 then this means that the regional economy has the same share of employment in the industry as the country as a whole. If the TI exceeds 1.25, then this is regarded as evidence of regional specialization in this sector.
In our work, this method is improved, an integrated indicator is used, from a number of other indicators related to the characterization of the development of the sphere of tourism, compared at the national and regional levels.
The method of identification and analysis of the possibility of forming a regional tourist cluster Therefore, to analyze the possibility of forming a regional tourist cluster in the Samarkand region, we used the "integrated localization coefficient". To date, in the scientific studies and in the scientific literature on the directions "regional economy", "economic geography", the authors use the localization coefficient to assess the specialization of the region in the production sphere. In our opinion, this indicator can be used in analyzing the specialization of the region in the sphere of tourism, and assess the possibilities of forming a regional tourist cluster in the region. For this purpose we used a number of indicators reflecting the development of the tourist infrastructure at the level of the region (Isam) and at the level of the state (Iuz), as well as the localization coefficient for regional and national levels (Kuz; Ksam), which will be calculated using the given indicators The evaluation system is as follows: 1. If the value of the indicator calculated for the regional level (Ii(sam); inumber of the indicator) is greater than the value of the indicator calculated for the national level (Ii (uz); i is the index number of the indicator), that is, Ii(sam)>Ii(uz), then, respectively, the localization coefficient for the regional level takes the value "2" Ki(sam)=2, and the localization coefficient for the regional level takes the value "0" K i(uz)=0; 2. If the value of the indicator calculated for the regional level (Ii(sam)) is equal to the value of the indicator calculated for the national level (Ii(uz)) Ii(sam) =Ii(uz), then the localization coefficient for the regional level, respectively, "1" Ki(sam)=1, and the localization coefficient for the regional level takes the value "1" K i(uz)=1;; 3. If the value of the indicator calculated for the regional level (Ii(sam)) is less than the value of the indicator calculated for the national level (Ii(uz)) Ii(sam)<Ii(uz),, then the localization coefficient for the regional level, respectively, "0" Ki(sam)=0,, and the localization coefficient for the regional level takes the value "2" K i(uz)=2; 4. The integrated localization coefficient for the region is calculated as: (n is the number of indicators included in the analysis), and for the national level as Kuz=∑ ( )

=1
. If the Ksam>Kuz inequality is confirmed, then the conclusion on the possibility of forming a regional tourist cluster in the Samarkand region will be confirmed.
The study examines indicators that allow us to assess the concentration of tourism industry enterprises at the national and regional economy level (see Table 1).

Table 1. Indicators used in the analysis К1
The share of tourist and recreational services (tourism and hotel services) in the sectoral structure of GDP (GRP) (by code OKONX 91620), in%.

К2
Share of tourism and recreation (the amount of tourism services and hotel services) in the total volume of services provided as a percentage of the sectoral structure of GDP (GRP) in%.

К3
The share of the employed population in the tourism sector (according to OKONX -91620) in the total employment structure, in%.

К4
The share of sanatorium and resort services in the total volume of services rendered, in%.

К5
The share of tourism enterprises and organizations in the total number of registered enterprises and organizations in the economy, in%.

К6
Share of hotels and similar accommodation facilities in the total number of registered enterprises and organizations in the economy, in%.

К7
Number of places in hotels and similar accommodation facilities, per thousand inhabitants, in%.

К8
Number of places in sanatorium-resort organizations per thousand inhabitants, in%.

К9
Tourist load on the regions (number of serviced visitors in tourist organizations per km square).

К10
Tourist load on the regions (the number of visitors served in hotels and similar accommodation facilities per km square).

Results
Based on the data of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Statistics, we calculated the indexes of tourism specialization and the corresponding localization coefficients for regional and national levels (see Table 2-12).
1.K1-share of tourist and recreational services (tourist and hotel services) in the sectoral structure of GDP (GRP) by types of economic activity (according to OKONX -91620) for 2014 in percent (see Table-2) Table-2. K1-share of tourist-recreational services (tourist and hotel services) in the sectoral structure of GDP (GRP) in percentage terms *
2. К2-The share of tourism and recreation (the amount of tourism services and hotel services) in the total volume of services provided in 2014 in percent (Table 15)
3. К3-The share of the employed population in the tourism sector (according to OKONX -91620) in the total employment structure in 2014 as a percentage.  4. К4the share of sanatorium-resort services in the total volume of services rendered in 2014 as a percentage (Table 17) Table-5. K4 -the share of sanatorium-resort services in the total volume of services rendered in 2014 in percent *
5. К5 -the share of tourism enterprises and organizations (tour operators, hotels and similar accommodation facilities, sanatorium and resort organizations, recreation organizations, camp sites) in the total number of registered enterprises and organizations in the economy as a percentage (Table 18)   6. К6-share of hotels and similar accommodation facilities in the total number of registered enterprises and organizations in the economy in percentage terms (Table 7) Table-7. K6--share of hotels and similar accommodation facilities in the total number of registered enterprises and organizations in the economy *
7. К7the number of places in hotels, and similar accommodation facilities, per thousand inhabitants in 2014 * 8. К8 -number of places in sanatorium-resort organizations per thousand inhabitants in 2014. This indicator indicates that the infrastructure of the sanatorium and resort complex is poorly developed in the Samarkand region, which is a deterrent when considering the given territory for the formation of a tourist cluster.
10. К10-tourist load on regions (number of served visitors in hotels and similar accommodation facilities per km 2 ) in 2014. 12-table. Comparative analysis of territory indicators at the regional and national levels Thus, according to the results of the analysis, the integrated localization coefficient for the region K (sam) = 16 (optimal value: K (sam) optimum = 20), indicates the high specialization of the Samarkand region in tourism, the concentration of tourist enterprises in geographic space, which confirms the process of cluster formation in the Samarkand region. This statement can also be seen in the figure below, where the locating coefficients are compared.

Main findings of the study
The conducted research showed that the level of development of tourism industry enterprises in the Samarkand region is higher than the average for the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The coefficient I1, I2 shows that the share of tourism in the structure of services rendered to the population in the Samarkand region exceeds similar indicators in the Republic. The high coefficient I7 -the number of places in hotels, and similar accommodation facilities per thousand inhabitants, attests to the active development of this sector in the tourism industry, which is an important backbone of the regional tourist cluster.

Conclusion
At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that the integral indicator was calculated according to statistical data for the entire region, however the level of infrastructure development and the number of enterprises in the sphere of tourism and recreation in the region are different. Therefore, if we consider these indicators for territories that are growth points sphere of tourism, it can be assumed that the integrated indicator for these territories tends to K-optimal, which is an obvious proof of the economic activity in this area sphere that leads to the idea that the regional tourist cluster is really formed in the territory of the Samarkand region.
Since ancient times, Uzbekistan has attracted the attention of the whole world as one of the important centers of the Great Silk Road, possessing great potential, natural, historical and cultural values, fine traditions and customs. At present, our country has entered a new stage of development not only in the political, socio-economic, cultural spheres, but also in the field of tourism.
An important guide to action creation of optimal economic and organizational-legal conditions for accelerated development of tourism, more complete and effective use of the huge tourist potential of the regions may improve the management of the tourist sphere, creating national tourism products and promoting it in the global market were considered as major features of development strategies of tourism in Uzbekistan.
Forming a positive image of Uzbekistan in the tourism sector, actively attracting investments in the sphere, introducing innovative ideas and technologies, raising the propaganda of the cultural and historical heritage and natural resources of the country to a new level, increase the tourist flow to our country.
The expected results of the implementation could be underlined on programs and indicators for the creation of an effective competitive tourist complex of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which will become a pivot point for the development of regions. Last but not the least, interregional relations, by activating around itself the development of small and mediumsized businesses such as investment in fixed capital of the tourist industry, the increase will be due to the introduction of new and reconstruction of existing accommodation facilities, creation of new tourist firms may easily improve sector as whole.