Content area
Full Text
ARTICLE INFO
JEL classification: L83, C12, O20
Keywords:
- Destination competitiveness
- Competitiveness model
- Tourism
- Slovenia
- Serbia
ABSTRACT
The study aims to provide a better understanding of destination competitiveness and elements that affect competitive position of a tourism destination. The research is design as a comparative study of Slovenia and Serbia. For analysing a competitiveness of mentioned destinations, the Integrated model of destination competitiveness was used. The results showed that both destinations are considered to be more competitive in its natural, cultural, and created resources, but less competitive in the destination management and, according to the Integrated model, demand conditions. Based on these findings, relevant proposals are made in order to improve competitive positions of destinations.
I. INTRODUCTION
The continuous development of new tourist destinations and the growth of the existing ones impose the need for continuous and responsible destination management in order to achieve and maintain an appropriate level of competitiveness. Tourism competitiveness is an ability of destination to meet visitor needs on various aspects of the tourism experience (Ritchie, Crouch, 2003) which means that competitive position of a destination on the tourism market, depending on which and how well the destination resources are managed. Thus, destination's competitiveness can be advanced if there are adequate matches between tourism resources and management of the destination and this is simultaneously the guiding principle of the study.
In order to achieve proper matches between tourism recourses and management strategies, it is necessary for the industry and government to understand where a country's competitive position is the weakest as well as strongest. In addition, it is helpful for both industry and government to know how competitiveness is changing and why these changes are occurring (Dwyer, Forsyth & Rao, 2000).
The main aim of this study is to answer the following questions: What are the main weaknesses of the tourism industries of these two countries and how could their competitive positions be improved? In order to provide answers to the research questions, the authors applied an Integrated model of destination competitiveness created by Dwyer et al. (2003) to Serbia and Slovenia. The authors decided to research and compare the competitiveness of two mentioned destinations because these countries were former states of Republic of Yugoslavia...