The decrease of employment level in the region and priority of developing tourism industry as a strategic factor of unemployment rate decrease are estimated in the article based on research of the current condition of Yaroslavl region labour market. It was determined that conditions of labour market and tourism industry of the Yaroslavl region are connected as complementary and interdependent functional areas. It was defined that tourism sphere has a multiplied positive effect on the employment level in the region due to increase of its functioning scope caused by relatively high shares of unoccupied population in the region. The basic development trends of the tourism industry in the Yaroslavl region characterised by positive development of a tourist infrastructure, improved quality, and outreach of services range, increase of tourist inflow in the region were designated in the research. It was found out that availability of various tourist resources in the Yaroslavl region creates conditions for many kinds of tourism: cultural and informative, cruise, medical and secondary wellness, business and event, ecological and adventure, as well as rural tourism. Taking into account results of research of the main regional features and potential, groups of development potential of the tourism industry in the Yaroslavl region were determined. Such groups include natural and geographical, culture-historical, professional and demographic, social and economic, material and technical, and economic-political potentials. The main destabilising factors of development of the regional tourism market as the base for increase of employment level in the region were summarized, and the complex of conceptual recommendations for creation of favourable conditions for formation of development potential was proposed.