The article is devoted to the possibilities of the use of legal reference systems in the training of students studying "Tourism" and the professional development of teachers in the course of their use. Successful experience is demonstrated by the example of the P.G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University. Applying of legal reference systems allows more effectively implementing the requirements of the current federal state educational standards of higher professional education of the third generation in the formation of important professional competence of specialists in tourism. The range of use of these software systems is very wide. They can be used not only in the study of "Information Technologies in the tourism industry", but also during the development of the legal and economic disciplines, writing term papers and final qualifying works. Compared with other sources of legal information, legal reference systems have significant advantages. Legal reference system"Consultant Plus" most actively cooperates with institutions for many years, its share in the market of legal information systems in Russia is more than 70%. In P.G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University all regular lecturers of the Department of Regional Study and Tourism have been trained in the framework of the developed by the company the program of cooperation with educational institutions and have got the right to conduct teaching activities in this area. Professional version of "Consultant Plus" has been installed on computers of faculty and computer lab. Materials of reference legal system allow teachers to actualize the lecture material, taking into account changes in the legislation, to apply innovative tools and techniques with the advice of professionals on their use. Introduction of reference legal system in educational process also allows to increase students´ interest in learning and to enhance their independent work.