E-Knjižnica FET "Dr. Mijo Mirković"

Design of the hotel tourism product in Croatia - research in the SME sector

Rocco, Sanja and Hodak, Marina (2012) Design of the hotel tourism product in Croatia - research in the SME sector. In: Marketing challenges in new economy. Sveučilište Jurja Dobrile u Puli. ISBN 978-953-7498-57-3

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The tourism sector is becoming a significant factor in the growth and development of the world economy given that it has a 5% share in the world GDP and amounts to almost 30% of the total world export in terms of international tourism consumption of goods and services (UNWTO, 2011). In the last 20 years, the international tourism trends have experienced important changes as new destinations are emerging alongside two of the most attractive tourist regions in the world: the European Union and the United States of America. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) 2010 indicators show that emerging markets are making significant progress: China now holds third place - right after France and the United States - on the TOP 10 World Destinations list, even managing to push Spain to fourth place. These changes in tourist consumption trends towards destinations in emerging markets such as countries of Eastern Asia and the Pacific are attributed to the development of economic situations in the world. Investments also closely follow global trends regardless of the economic sector and are primarily governed by market factors/criteria of tourism consumption that are reflected in the creation of higher profits and the reduction in the time needed for the return on invested capital. Tourism represents an important sector of the Croatian economy: in 2010 the tourism sector had a 13.20% share in the total GDP foreign exchange earnings (DSZ, 2011). With its unique natural wonders, cultural and historical heritage, as well as a cherished tourism tradition, Croatia - as a part of the European tourist space and soon-to-be Member State of the European Union - demonstrates great possibilities in the development of the tourism sector. Croatia’s tourism potential should be properly assessed in order to stimulate the formation of a recognizable identity of Croatian tourism, which would in turn benefit the increase of competitiveness and facilitate market positioning. It is also interesting to note that most of the tourist accommodation capacities are located on the Croatian shore, which leads to the conclusion that unlike the coastal region of Croatian tourist space, the continental region is still underdeveloped and underused for tourism purposes. Combined with an outdated concept of tourism, the low quality level of accommodation capacities is one of the main reasons for the diminished productivity of Croatian tourism. In an environment of internationalization and quest for quality, the innovation policy in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is a fundamental subject for their survival. Among the experts helping firms in launching new products, professional designers are gaining additional importance. Design has proved, and continues to demonstrate, its impact on the performance of both companies and nations alike. Design creates product value because it improves: product image, its external appearance, and the perceived quality of the product: design viewed as bonus, the conception process and the level of user satisfaction: design is viewed as a system or as a process comprised of separate elements, the quality of the product: its performance, efficiency, functionality, originality: design is viewed as a tool to create performance differentiation. Consistent with previous, the highest scores are for the impact of design on brand, product appearance, and perceived quality (Borja de Mozota, B., 2002: 91). Art historian Robert Maxwell interprets the relationship between contemporary and historic design - the dialectic of new and old - as “a complex one, for within the new there is something of the old, which precisely renders the new recognizable; and within the old the new is already pregnant.” Without the context provided by history, contemporary design can be perceived as shallow or trendy. In that respect, history and design are not separate or different dimensions, but instead, closely related features of one idea. With regard to the tourism sector, Croatia is surrounded by strong competitors - nations that have long traditions and rich histories, but also a strong visual identity. When you think of Greece, the first association would be traditional white houses on Greek Islands; if you think of Portugal, the correlation would be ceramic tiles, etc. Design is a strong visual communication tool in all of its segments; from information to environment; and hotels are increasingly concentrating on offering memorable experiences through the incorporation of unique design features, from soft and luxurious to deliberately artistic kitsch, through to minimalism. Design in general… has tended towards extremely differentiated products, almost unique pieces, targeting niches of sophisticated consumers. Designers are artists and their designs mirror their specific cultural ideas (Bettiol, Chiarvesio, Micelli, 2010. Though there are many talented designers and architects in Croatia - capable of creating original content based on our rich tradition and cultural heritage combined with contemporary trends - the main issue is that SME entrepreneurs rarely seek designers’ services when starting their business. Moreover, the impact of hotel design on guest satisfaction and on the overall image of the tourist destination has not been yet properly examined in Croatia. Therefore, research into the small and medium hotel sector has been conducted in order to examine the decision-making processes concerning the hotel design identity. The aim of this research isto demonstrate the importance of raising awareness of small and medium entrepreneurs in the tourism sector about quality tourist accommodation capacities that represent an important segment of the tourism offer. In order to achieve this aim, the following hypotheses were formulated: H1) Croatian small and medium entrepreneurs are not sufficiently aware of the importance of a high quality design of a tourism product, which is necessary for a successful venture in tourism; and H2) The Istrian region is the leading region for the creation and design of tourism products, while the South continues to be the most conservative. The primary research consisted of a survey by questionnaire, which was conducted during 2009 and 2010; it involved small and medium-sized hotels and family-run estates (agrotourism) in Croatia. The focal point of this research was the way in which crucial elements of tourism products affect quality, originality and competitiveness, in terms of naming the product - hotel, designing the sign/ trademark, the logotype/logo and the website, choosing an architectural style and designing the exterior and interior. Data from secondary research, analysis, synthesis and descriptive statistics were also employed in the research.

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Tip objekta: Dio knjige
Mentor: NIJE ODREĐENO
Dodatne informacije: e-book
Teme: 3 Društvene znanosti > 33 Ekonomija. Ekonomska znanost > 339 Trgovina. Međunarodni gospodarski odnosi. Svjetsko gospodarstvo > 339.1 Opća pitanja trgovine. Tržište > 339.138 Marketing
Odjeli: Odjel za ekonomiju i turizam "Dr. Mijo Mirković"
Datum pohrane: 04 Jul 2013 06:21
Zadnja promjena: 04 Jul 2013 06:21
URI: http://eknjiznica.unipu.hr/id/eprint/2215

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