engleski

Innovating the development concept to enhance the competitiveness of destination Kvarner

Despite the positive trends in times of recession, both Kvarner and Croatian tourism industry fail to fully valorise the preconditions for its development. While the numbers of tourist arrivals and overnights are highlighted, the figures pertaining to financial performance are skated over. The advantages of the Kvarner tourism offering are based on natural preconditions, whereas weaknesses can be found in all segments of tourism superstructure, as well as in the non-differentiated mass tourism offering and the lack of distinctiveness resulting in pronounced seasonality and low tourist spending. An innovating concept of Kvarner tourism development needs to turn the comparative advantages (natural beauty) into competitive advantages based on innovation and quality in responding to globalisation challenges and turbulent market changes. This paper provides a situational analysis (the attitudes of tourists, residents and tourism management) and sets qualitative and quantitative goals, as well as means of innovating operational strategies (R/D strategy, marketing strategy, offer strategy, human resource strategy), at the level of three sub-regions (coastal area, islands and the highlands) with the aim of repositioning the Kvarner on the market as a competitive and an appealing destination. The synergy of natural and geographic diversity and the micro-destinations’ offer in branding Kvarner as a distinctive and unique product based on local and indigenous values, enriched offer, events and a new value system relying on knowledge, intellectual capital and a new attitude toward tourists, guarantees the qualitative transformation of the Kvarner tourism. The research represents an upgrade of the concepts and strategies in tourism development in the Kvarner region (Kvarner Tourism Marketing Plan 2009-2015 and Kvarner Tourism Development Master Plan). It opens new questions regarding the dynamics of the tourism market, but also offers solid, qualitative solutions to the necessity of continuous improvement and optimisation of all segments of tourism.

tourism; Kvarner; competitiveness; tourism development concept; repositioning

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