<p><span>The article considers tourism attractiveness as a part of the local overall attractiveness and its role in the policy of economy diversification in a resource region. The paper features the Kemerovo region as a typical region of the «resource type», whose economy is based mostly on export-oriented industries (coal mining, metallurgy, heavy machinery, chemical products). It presents the results of a survey aimed at identifying attractive and unattractive sides of the region as a tourist destination. The respondents were residents of the Kemerovo region and adjacent territories, the European part of Russia, Ural region, as well as Transbaikalia and the Far East. The analysis allows one to identify the importance of proper positioning of the region on the domestic tourist market and highlights some particular features of the formation and promotion of a positive image of the Kemerovo region. The local tourist industry is considered an alternative source of additional income in the economy that promotes a long-term sustainable development. The current paper offers a complex of measures aimed at increasing the tourism attractiveness of the Kemerovo region.</span></p>