Increasing the availability of financial services in remote, sparsely populated and hard-to-reach regions through the development of an entrepreneurial initiative in rural tourism

Activities to increase the availability of financial services are the primary task of the state economic policy. The formation of an active consumer of financial services is possible through the development of entrepreneurial activity among residents of remote areas, whose sparse population can become a competitive advantage. World experience in rural tourism development has shown that it is the sparsely populated, remote rural settlements from industrial centers that make them attractive for potential users of tourist services that are supplied by local people: tourist accommodation, catering, souvenir production, etc. This article presents the results of a study of the level of physical accessibility of financial services for residents of the Pozharsky district of Primorsky Krai, as well as their level of satisfaction with financial products and services. The study was conducted in 2018-2019. The main goal of the article is to examine the problems of ensuring financial affordability in remote, hard-to-reach and sparsely populated regions by the example of Pozharsky District, Primorsky Region of the Russian Federation. Measures are proposed to increase the availability of financial services through the development of entrepreneurial initiative of the inhabitants of the region.