TOURISTS' SATISFACTION AS AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR INCREASING TOURISM DESTINATION COMPETITIVNESS IN THE GLOBALIZATION CONDITIONS - THE CASE OF DUBROVNIK-NERETVA COUNTY

Abstract

The increasingly impact of globalization process, that affect every field especially of social, economic, political, technological and cultural, have left a large imprint on the tourist market. Growing competitiveness between tourism destinations on the tourism market increases the role of marketing activities that work towards measuring the tourists’ satisfaction of the tourism destinations and according that findings create qualitative tourist offer and at the other hand satisfied tourists who return to the destination. Satisfied tourist is the best way for the positive word-of-mouth communication. On the tourism market, under this conditions of growing competitiveness between tourist destinations, which try to find the best development strategy is one of the main problem for those who participate in creating tourist destination policy. Therefore, a main factor in the creation of tourism policies is the satisfied tourist who makes a positive image of a tourist destination. Tourist satisfaction has been considered as a main tool for increasing tourism destination competitiveness in the globalization conditions. That is connected to the efforts of having a tourist supply that can satisfy the expectation of tourists. Hence this paper explores and analyzes the relationship between aspects of tourist education, motivation, accommodation and consumption and the tourist satisfaction on the case of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County in a changed environment caused by globalization process. The aim of the paper is to explore which tourist segments are satisfied with actually tourist offer and to indentify the main attributes of tourist segment that are satisfied which results with return to the destination. The research problem is the decline of tourist demand for travel to the Dubrovnik-Neretva County as a result of the global economic crisis. The purpose and the objectives of this research are to determine the level of satisfaction of tourist demand in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. It is important to find models that would maintain the competitiveness of destinations on the tourist market in conditions of globalization. This research offers suggestions for further tourism destination development policy stressing the importance of the tourist satisfaction measurement.