engleski

Religious tourism prospects in the case of Zadar (Croatia)

Tourism at the beginning of the 21 century shows in the most evident way how fragmented and dispersed is the overall development of socioeconomic life at micro and macro level of human existence. So far we have witnessed almost epical conflict between mass tourism and responsible tourism, between the economy of scale and the sustainable tourism development. Awareness and media dispersion of global crisis, acceptance of the idea that we live in a growing risk societies enables further rise of questions about tourism development and how to manage, shape and optimize all advances of accelerated technological development and change. Specific tourism development has seen special attention during last two decades and we are facing growing importance in scientific research activities oriented towards tailored tourism experience, hence all range of activities oriented towards specific destination management and marketing of specific tourism products and experiences. Travels based on religious feeling are profoundly rooted in the evolution of mankind as well as in the whole evolution of tourism. Religious tourism is that form of specific tourism that is strongly motivated for religious purpose and belief. One of the oldest types of human mobility, today it should be differentiated into several distinctive clusters. Different clusters of religious tourism need to be distinguished by their specific characteristics such as number of participants, modes of transport, number of travel per year, social structure of participants, strength of emotions and depth of religious experience. The research is based on the international meeting of catholic youth in Zadar in May 2010. As one of the most important religious event in the region of Zadar, it has attracted more than 25000 thousand of participants from several countries. In order to determine the motives and satisfaction of participants to above mentioned meeting, a survey was conducted among restricted number of participants. The resulting data were analyzed by methods of descriptive statistics in order to determine the profiles and motivations of religious participants. The scientific aim is to provide valuable information and insight of economic, sociocultural and glocal development of Zadar and its region due to existing opportunities of religious tourism development.

special interests tourism; religious tourism

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