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Modern experienced society calls for new ideas and projects that are implemented to ordinary life and its activities. There is no difference in tourism. Through developing new products, regional visits can be supported and bring new tourists to it. Paper brings theoretical overview of regional development based on innovation implementation. The main purpose of the paper is to point to the necessity of innovation implication while developing the region. It points out the theory of regional development with combination of innovation management. The paper shows real examples of chosen regions and their successful strategies and projects. The paper analysis was made by using the desk and field research method. By visiting different new models, it brought wider view of their operating and bases. The obtained data were complemented by using documentary method. Theoretical part of the paper brings theory of regional development through scientific literature abstraction. The paper brings empirical insight about how the innovation can be implemented to the region. It shows how new different strategies can support the visitors to participate to tourism in the area. It mentions that the innovations and marketing are more than needed in modern and fast developing society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel agencies and their activities have great potential for developing tourism in Slovakia. Their role is to offer, sell and organize individual tourism services. Travel agencies offer services that meet the needs of customers of all generations. Generation Y gradually gaining in importance in terms of the number of visitors who use the services in tourism. Instead of saving money or establishing family life, the generation Y prefers to travel to different destinations and explore the world. The aim of this paper is to examine the clients of travel agencies in terms of generations and see if the travel agencies in developing service offerings focused on customer included in generation Y. In order to fulfill the aim of the paper we have made survey in the months from January to May 2019 in 65 travel agencies in Slovakia. We used the questionnaire method to meet the aim. Up to 69.2% of travel agencies use social networks to offer their services to customers of generation Y. Up to 80% of surveyed travel agencies do not use mobile apps to sell products to customers. More than half of customers (60%) of travel agencies in Slovakia consists of generation X. The second largest group of customers is generation Y (20%). With the Spearman correlation coefficient, we found that the more travel agencies focus on generation Y, the greater the impact of generation Y on travel agency services. The negative finding was that almost half of the surveyed travel agencies do not offer specialized products for customers of generation Y. The results of the examination enable to take action in practice of travel agencies in order to increase the number of generation Y customers, extend the service offer for generation Y as well as improve the promotion of Slovakia as a target place for generation Y. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the competitiveness of Slovak spa facilities and partly also with the competitiveness between Slovak and Hungarian spas. The main aim of the paper is to process and analyze the competitiveness in Slovak spa facilities through the use of all available information. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part summarizes the theoretical background of the examined issue; it's focused on theoretical knowledge about tourism, spa tourism and balneology. It also deals with the theoretical knowledge of competitiveness, the impact of globalization on competition, the financial crisis and its impact on competitiveness and, last but not least, on competitiveness as part of the development of tourism in the Slovak Republic. The second part is the analytical part, where the methodology and the aim of the paper are described. The analysis of the competitiveness of the Slovak and Hungarian spas follows. The third part includes information and analysis of selected spa facilities, such as the Slovak Healing Spa Turčianske Teplice, and the Slovak Healing Spa Rajecké Teplice. The last part of the thesis is the conclusion part, which offers us also suggestions and recommendations for increasing the competitiveness of the Slovak spa industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to describe the tourism industry in Russia. The authors define the clustering in tourism and ecotourism as two important features of perspective. Cluster-based tourism development in Russian regions and new approach to ecotourism are presented in the article. The researchers show its necessity and importance on the base of the history of cluster tourism in Europe. The paper shows that the concept of clustering is becoming increasingly popular in tourism. The study is an attempt to suggest tourist destinations with global quality tourism service and standards of good environmental policy and practice. As the finding of the paper Eco cluster Project is presented by the authors. The research highlights the importance of eco cluster as an instrument for environment protection. Much attention is paid to tourism branding. The authors emphasize eco cluster as a powerful tool in order to attract tourists and to contribute at achieving competitive advantages of marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to establish the Brasov tourist destination profile, in the context of sustainable development. The paper takes into account the European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS) which provides a guide for using indicators that involves the following steps: Raising Awareness, Creating a Destination Profile, Forming a Stakeholder Working Group (SWG), Establishing Roles and Responsibilities, Collecting and Record Data, Analysing Results, Enabling On-going Development and Continuous Improvement Flow. Destination profiling provides an overview of the destination and stakeholders and is helpful in the process of data collection. The European Tourism Indicators System version proposed in the paper is adapted for the characteristics of the Brasov tourism destination. In conclusion, Brasov County is an important tourism destination, well known at national and international level for its natural and manmade resources, for its diversified structure of the tourism sector and for the high quality of the tourism services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid developments in information and communication technologies have improved all sort of services, including tourism services. At the same time new technologies can also be used to measure and monitore tourism activities. As tourism generates directly and indirectly an increase in economic activity through consumpting goods and services in the places visited it is important for destination managers to have a clear understanding of the number of visitors as well as their activity, spendings and duration of the visits. An assessment of the number of visitors to a destination and the value of these visits to the economy is the most basic but significant piece of information required for an area and local policy makers. This paper compares the applicability of passive mobile positioning data with most commonly used tourism statistics. We use database of the locations of roaming (foreign phones) call activities in Network cells: the location, Radom ID, time and country of origin of the signaled phone. Using example of Tartu we analyzed the potentiality of mobile positioning data and compared it with accommodation statistics. The results proved that although there is a strong correlation between these two, real picture of the visitors and their activity is totally different from statistical base. The results proved that mobile positioning data has valuable applications for local policy makers as well as tourism enterpreneuers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication in tourism sphere is very important. We can say that communication affects tourism as it is. Informational technology in recent years hit every area of business and influenced the use of marketing tools in the field of tourism as well. In the era of information society the information have character of power supply. Internet communication is essential to the success of any company, organization, destinations, but also of each individual. Timely and relevant information help to obtain a significant competitive advantage. Time savings of electronic communication, customer responsiveness and use of complex services delivers time and cost advantages. Paper focuses on use of the chosen possibilities in virtual market of small and mediumsized enterprises in tourism from the perspective of the consumer. The aim of this paper is to point out the possibility of the impact of the Internet and social networks on the purchasing behaviour of Slovak consumers in tourism sphere. The research was carried out on the basis of a questionnaire as main tools. The selection of respondents was nonrandom and focused to Slovak respondents as consumers in mentioned sphere. To detect differences among multiple groups' comparisons more statistical methods were used. Internet and social networks are the most recent period an essential part of small and medium enterprises in tourism, but also for consumers. The competitiveness of SMEs in the field of tourism in Slovak as well as the world market grows very fast. For this reason the internet and social networking in tourism plays very important role. Internet and social networks can equally affect buying behaviour and purchasing decisions of consumers in tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the quality of private accommodation facilities or accommodation in households is one of the key objectives of the Development Strategy of Croatian Tourism till the 2020th . At the same time it is the reason for developing the National Programme what includes creation of new and innovative tourism products. All this actions lead to increasing demand in the rural areas in main season and out of peak seasons and strengthen the competitiveness of Croatian tourism. The concept of a diffuse hotel is designed to connect small tourism providers in a specific small geographic area into a broader and more complete offer of tourist services. The diffuse hotel model enables the village or specific selected area to become a "hotel" with one reception, offering accommodation and gastronomic services and including other providers into a network of activities (guiding, selling of traditional food products, wine and souvenirs, horse riding etc.) Agricultural households in Dubrovnik- Neretva County very often offer just a part of service. The aim of the paper is to analyze some specific features of the diffuse hotels and to explore the possibility of improving the agricultural household tourist offer based on implementation of diffuse hotels. For the purpose of this paper in June, July and August 2013, the perception of 220 tourists in the area of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia has been explored. According to the results of the research it is visible that the diffuse hotel can be considered and accepted as suitable form of accommodation facilities in the future development of tourism in the area of Dubrovnik- Neretva County. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization is one of the major trends of today's world, and at the same time a challenge, not only to the tourism industry, but also to tourism education. The modern civilization model is focused on overcoming intercultural barriers, national, language and cultural boundaries, on integration of the best national cultural achievements. The aim of this paper is to discuss the necessity of building intercultural competence for the effective performance of tourism employees in a multicultural environment. The fact that the new educational paradigm implies changes in strategy and content not only of contemporary language teaching, but also of humanities in general, is underlined. An important result of these changes is the integration of the elements of culture in the educational process. Based on the studied literature, this paper presents a model for exploring the effects of educational program on the formation of intercultural competence and its role on the effective performance of front line staff in tourist services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The researches were performed in Orsova region, located at a distance of about 25 km far from Drobeta Turnu Severin (Mehedinti County). The point of attraction of the studied area is the Danube River. In Orsova area tourism is performed through the capitalization of the natural environment and of the accommodation supply, of the services offered by hotels and farms managers and the objective of this activity is to achieve incomes. In the ellaboration of this paper, our objective was to present the touristic potential from the Orsova area (Mehedinti County), and in the performance of our studies, we distributed 100 questionnaires in this region. A big problem is the pollution of the Danube River, but the managers and the population should take measures to prevent the environment pollution and should try to reduce the waste quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the impact of domestic and international tourism on the economic growth process in the Visegrad countries - Czech republic, Slovak republic, Poland and Hungary. The aim of paper is to analyse the influence of domestic and international tourism on the economic growth rate over the period 2002-2012. The territorial breakdown is based on Eurostat's NUTS classification, and we consider the NUTS2 level, which defines regions as the basic territory al unit for the application of regional policies. The econometric analysis is based on the panel regression model, where we specify the regional rate of per capita GDP growth as a function of tourism flows, as well as the standard right-hand side growth model variables. Besides controlling for initial conditions, we also include a wide set of covariates to account for the endowment of human and technological capital and for the geographical, social and institutional features of the regions. The results demonstrate that regional growth is positively affected by domestic and international tourism flows on regional growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is dedicated to the points of efficient recreational management of natural resources in the steppe area of Russia. It is the authors' opinion that koumiss therapy - the traditional for the region kind of tourism - is necessary to consider as an upcoming trend in the development of recreations in steppes of the Russian Federation. The history of the koumiss therapy at the territory of Russia and the USSR is analyzed in the paper; it was noted that the organized at the beginning of the XX century net of health resorts, practicing koumiss therapy stopped the existence with the USSR decay. The special attention is paid to the steppe trans border region of Russia - the Orenburg region. Taking into account the competitive advantages of the region steppe climate, possibilities of landscape therapy, maturity of horse breeding), the authors came to conclusion on advisability and perspective for revival of the koumiss therapy and modernization of the health resort net, practicing koumiss therapy in the Orenburg region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the current unstable market economy conditions, every business entity must constantly monitor the development of its financial situation, competition, get new customers and offer new products and services. From the point of view of financial managers, it is the continuous monitoring and assessment of the financial situation of the business entity. Given the dynamically changing economic environment, it is essential to monitor enterprise performance analysis not only in terms of the past, but also to focus on predicting future developments. Such a complex analysis is now an indispensable part of the assessment of each company's financial situation. The aim of the paper was to analyze the performance evaluation of selected tourism enterprises by applying financial - economic indicators and modern concepts of performance evaluation - indicator Economic Value Added (EVA). Appropriate statistical methods helped to identify significant determinants taking into account the specificities of tourism enterprises that have become input indicators for creating an innovative Enterprise Performance Model (EPM) for tourism enterprises operating in the conditions of the Slovak business environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a tourist destination generates many influences on residents, both positive and negative. The main purpose of this paper is to identify the most significant aspects regarding the impact exerted by the tourism development in the destination Brasov County on the residents. In order to achieve this goal a qualitative marketing research focus-group type was conducted. The sample included 16 respondents, from different areas of activity, namely representatives of local authorities and public institutions who know which are the residents' perceptions and attitudes regarding the effects of tourism development in the destination, NGO's representatives, tourism companies managers and also academics from the tourism field. The paper also highlights which are the effects of tourism development on issues like quality of life, local identity and specificity, and reveals the extent in which residents were involved in planning the destination's tourism development. The results obtained represent a first step in conducting a future quantitative marketing research among the residents from the destination Brasov County on this aspects. Moreover, the results reveal the fact that education and awareness campaigns may be a step toward increased understanding of the industry and, ultimately, greater support from the community and residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After several years of considerable research efforts, in 2013, the European Commission launched the first version of a European Tourism Indicator System Toolkit for Sustainable Destinations. It was created by European experts as a simple and easy to apply tool, composed of 67 indicators, specially conceived to offer support for European tourist destinations which are interested in developing in a sustainable way. It can be used both as an evaluation tool and as a benchmarking tool. In this context, this paper introduces the Research Project called Destination Intelligent Management for Sustainable Tourism (DIMAST) which was launched in Romania in 2014, aiming to implement the European Tourism Indicator System through a Business Intelligence application. Two qualitative research methods were used within the present paper: the case study and innovation. The first part of the article shortly introduces the information on the European Tourism Indicator System TOOLKIT for Sustainable Destinations. The paper than focuses on the above mentioned Pilot project which has as its main objective to support the local Destination Management Organization from Brasov County, one of the most famous tourist destinations in Romania, to develop in a sustainable way using an innovative Business Intelligence software based on the 67 indicators developed by the European Commission in 2013. The project groups seven partners from tourism research institutions, tourism industry, as well as an ICT software developer and it is actually in progress, a genuine set of indicators being already conceived based on Brasov's profile. Due to the fact that there was not available data for many European Indicators, the article presents how the European system has been genuinely adapted in the case of Brasov County. The main findings of this project can be used as best practice by other European destinations willing to develop in a sustainable way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the forms of functionality of agritourism in Romania, which have not been investigate until present. Firstly, we statistically examined the arrivals and overnight stays in agritourism compared to the arrivals and overnight stays in tourism in general, in the monthly structure of the year 2012. Secondly, we attempt to illustrate the correlative forms between arrivals and overnight stays. By the coefficients of elasticity (E, E', E"), the existence of forms of relationship between the factor considered independent arrivals (x) and the dependent factor, overnight stays (y) were determined. Also, the methodology allowed that, in the dynamics of the 12 months, the comparison basis be successive: E with fixed comparison basis which was the first sub-period (the month of January), E' with comparison basis the previous immediate sub-period (the precedent month); E" where the comparison sub-period was a certain season sub-period (the month when the seasonality registered the maximum value). The results highlight correlative connections and implicit dependence between arrivals and overnight stays, but also the necessity to identify other factors with influence over the tourism attraction of Romania. The originality of the paper comes from investigating the functionality of agritourism in Romania with an emphasis on the correlative links between arrival and overnight stays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basis of the research is the analysis of the foreign tourists' arrivals, the tourism revenues and the foreign direct investment (FDI) in tourism. This paper, based on the analysis of available data, presents the overall trends and fluctuations of the observed variables. Results of the analysis show that the number of foreign tourists' arrivals in observed period mainly grows. Also the same conclusion applies to the tourism revenues and FDI in the tourism of Primorsko Goranska County. It should be noted that there is a positive incomplete correlation or moderate to good correlation between the FDI in tourism and tourism revenues and between FDI in tourism and tourist arrivals in Primorje Goranska County. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many EU governments recognize that rural tourism is an alternative that can save agriculture and that "over the next 20 years, tourism will be the mainstay of the economy, and tourism and rural tourism will become the tourism of the future". Peculiarities of rural tourist areas, various financing arrangements for the purpose of investment in rural tourism, create for the future investor many dilemmas. There are many regions in that serve to be promoted and visited, particularly for traditional, specific, authentic products that it offers. The paper's goal is to realize an overview of the valuable elements of a rural, mountainous area from Romania, still not appropriate exploited in terms of tourism. Furthermore, the purpose is to realize a concrete study specifically on how the employment degree of an agrotourist household influences payback time. Were analyzed cases considered: (I.a) total investment, without loans, (I.b) total investment, subsidized with 50% case, (II.a) investment with 10 year loan, advance 50%, 7% interest, (II.b.) 10 year loan investment with 50% advance, interest 7%, subsidized with 50% case, (III.a) the investment with 10 year loan, advance 0%, 7%interest (III.b.) investment with 10 year loan, advance 0% 7% interest, subsidized with 50% case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement and modernization of transport or deterioration of transport on the other hand has a direct impact on tourism. The history of tourism and transport provides a clear understanding of this relationship. The transportation can be discussed without taking tourism into consideration but tourism can't flourish without travel. Transportation is an essential part of tourism industry. Due to the improvements of transportation the tourism industry has expanded especially during last years. This paper analyzes different structures of public transport systems and their contribution to tourism industry in the city-region, especially the contribution of public metro system. In the paper proposed metro system could have the potential for city-region to become a high profile tourism destination. In addition the metro system could ensure for the region to be more economically prosperous, less reliant on fossil fuels, more social equitable, better connected and convenient, recognizable place to invest and a place with a high standard of living and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The caves of the Slovak and Aggtelek Karst have been included in the World List since 1995 heritage of UNESCO. These caves are based on bilateral nomination SlovakHungarian the project has become a value not only for Slovakia and Hungary, but for all mankind. On karst below them, more than 1000 caves and abysses with different forms have been discovered sinter and ice fillings. Such cave density does not occur in the mild climate zone probably nowhere in the world. Speleological tourism is a form of tourism that is associated with a tour of the caves and the discovery of its spaces and abysses. The accessible caves are illuminated, have marked paths, the stairs are technically secured and the inspection takes place with the help of a trained guide. Cave visitors use the services associated with their visit and examination. The main goal of our paper is to analyze and compare visitors' satisfaction with selected natural heritage services listed in the UNESCO National Park Slovak Karst. The object of our analysis was Domica caves and Ochtinska aragonite cave. The basic methods of collecting primary data is the questionnaire survey, in which we have investigated visitor satisfaction with information provided, souvenir sales, guide services, social facilities, parking and infrastructure in the area of interest. The results of the questionnaire survey were evaluated by appropriate mathematical-statistical methods and decided on the merit of the proposed hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural heritage of the Romanians has often been highlighted internationally, being part of the country's brand, regardless if it's about traditions, crafts or built heritage. At the same time, Romania is an important tourist destination although it is difficult to say whether the long-term development strategy will ever make tourism a national priority. However, and in the absence of an integrated strategy, the country has several strong tourist destinations, and Bucovina region is one of them, but that is really not enough. Rural areas are becoming poorer, the population is going through an aging process that has become irreversible and young people who are able to work leave the country as soon as they finish their studies. This paper aims to analyse whether cultural tourism could be a way to attract tourists in a sustainable way, supporting the development of social economy and enriching rural areas, and also attempting to slow them assive exodus of the working-class population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diasporas nowadays consists of economic migrants who are belive to have the potential for chanelling financial and social transfers as well as technology and qualifications. Remittances sent by migrants make the main source of external income, not only often bigger than the foreign help but also direct foreign investment. Money transfers make the stable source of funds reaching directly families and make the poverty smaller. Dominican Republic is constantly percieived as a country of a mass emigration to United States. It belongs to less developed countries, depending from global economy. The external focus of the country’s economy is caused by mass, economic emigration to United States and the development of foreign tourism sector. The problem of the scale of the emigration and the amount of remitttances for families on the island is well described in the literature of the subcject. This sort of dependance from money transfers have been for many years the important barrier for shaping entrepreneurship among local population, what was a demoralizing factor for young Dominicans who believe to success in life thanks to emigrations (to United States) or thanks to money transfers from their families. The main aim of authors of the paper is to analyze the role of the remittances both for the country and houshold economies. The main research question is to find the answer if the money transfers remain the driving force for the country economy or the remittances will be used by the emigrants families for current consumtion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bran castle is a medieval fortress situated in south-eastern Transylvania and the most visited tourist attraction in Romania. Its popularity among international visitors is mainly due to its association with the famous Count Dracula, based on the assumption that this particular castle might be the one that Bram Stoker presents in his novel. The castle has its own history, starting from the 14th century and continuing with its transformation into a summer residence for the royal family of Romania, in the 20th century. The main challenge for the administration of this museum is to showcase the real history of the castle without disappointing visitors who are choosing this tourist attraction supposing that it is Dracula's castle. Based on these issues, the present paper presents a qualitative study regarding visitors' image of Bran Castle in relation to its fiction or real connection to Dracula. The analysis of international and Romanian tourists presents their main motivations, pre-arrival expectations, and their opinions regarding the visiting experience and the development of Dracula tourism in association with the castle. The findings may be use by the castle's management in its efforts to attract visitors and ensure their satisfaction during their museum experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism has both a positive and a negative impact on a tourism area, its economy and residents. Although is usually linked to its economic and environmental impact, no less valuable is its impact on socio-cultural elements. Social dimension of tourism is seen through tourists' staying, movements and interaction with other tourists as well as with residents of a certain tourist area. The extent and direction of the impact of tourism on residents significantly depend on the level of tourism development in a destination, on inclusion of residents in tourism offer as well as on momentary impact of tourism in the destination. The aim of this paper is to determine the mutual influence of tourism and local community in a tourist destination. The paper will present the results of a research of the attitude of residents conducted in Zadar County as a tourist destination during 2013. The research was conducted through a structured questionnaire encompassing all regionaldevelopmental units defined in Tourism Development Master Plan for Zadar County 2013 - 2020. An accidental sample of the residents included 889 examinees belonging to various age groups. The research analyzed the residents' perception of the impact of tourism on Zadar County as a tourist destination and their satisfaction with the level of tourism development and tourism offer. The research also determined in which activities the residents are involved in tourism as well as the ways for their future involvement. Moreover, the research identified the direct benefits from tourism for the destination but also the externals conditioned by them. The conclusion proposes possible directions in reduction of the negative impact of tourism on local community and reinforcement of the positive interaction between tourists and residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public sector approaches tourism with special interest due to its positive impact on the economy. However, in order to realize the benefits of the effects of tourism, the public sector must achieve certain prerequisites for the development of tourism. The public sector by its intervening in tourism development seeks to achieve its long-term sustainable development, i.e. the maximization of benefits from tourism activities while preserving the attractiveness of tourist destinations. After an overview of issues associated with measuring tourism, the paper describes some of the characteristics and possibilities for improving the Croatian tourism. Croatian public sector should adequately evaluate its tourism potentials. To bring about improving Croatian tourism, modern management practices will be needed, together with the creation of a desirable destination image, adequate valorization of natural, historical and cultural heritage, innovative forms of investment, and improvement in the infrastructure facilities. The next part deals with the role of the public sector in tourism. The fundamental role of the public sector in tourism lies in planning its development. The last part of the paper is based on conclusion that sustainable development is the reason for the public sector interventionism in tourism. However, the level to which the public sector can influence tourism flows is limited. Successful management of tourism as much as tourism planning and regulation of activities related to tourism, requires coordination between government bodies, interest groups, private sector and the involvement of local and regional government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, mobile websites and mobile applications are top elements in the online marketing component list. If we build a website, it must be responsive, which means that it must be viewed on any device, including smartphone and tablets. Concerning small devices, a modern strategy is to build a mobile application that contains the website information. In most situations, using a mobile app offers a better experience than the mobile website browsing. Inside the mobile app, the user can access the content more easily. A bad navigation, through the website on a smartphone, leads to content abandonment. In this paper, we build a mobile application with offers of tours in Egypt. Egypt is a country with a developed tourism and a very rich history. The main Egyptian tourist attractions are: the Egyptian Museum, the Pyramids of Giza, the Al-Azhar Mosque, Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Valley of Kings, the Nile, the Temple of Philae and Abu Simbel. As we can see from this list, most of the objectives are from the ancient period. For this reason, we connect our study to the greatest Egyptian personalities. Besides the mobile application with travel offers, we also present online marketing studies, that help us find what tourists are interested in out of the main objectives of Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of tourism as a factor of socio-economic development, the diversity and accessibility of tourism resources in the world strengthens competition between world tourist destinations for tourist arrivals. Meanwhile, the formation of a sustainable tourist flow as well as the return on investment in further development of tourism infrastructure projects require the solution of such common problems for developing destinations as a season factor of tourist arrivals and length of a tourist's stay. The key role of the tourist product diversification as one of non-price methods of regions competition for tourist arrivals is under discussion in the paper. The studies been carried out to substantiate regional tourism development strategies which was based on the structural and functional analysis of regional tourist and recreational systems, reveal the role of the regional tourist product diversifying as a way of equalizing the seasonal and spatial irregularity of the tourist flow. The work also examines examples of product innovations of tourist operators using diversification of recreational activity cycles as a way to increase the duration of tourist stays in the destination. The models for ensuring a new quality of the infrastructure complex in the Russian regions for a sustainable tourist flow formation are presented. On the base of examples of the spatial strategies for the development of tourist and recreational space implementation, such as the strategy of radial advancement, the strategy of transport corridors, the dot strategy, and the strategy of regional breakthroughs the models for ensuring the required quality of the infrastructure complex in the regions of the Russian Federation for the formation of sustainable tourism in them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the negative impact of shadow economy on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Tourism Industry, where SMEs constitute 98 percent of the national economy. Our findings indicate that shadow economy widens the gap between SMEs and large enterprises, and presents the biggest obstacle for the development of SMEs. Moreover, our research confirms that the shadow economy has the potential of destroying national economies in smaller countries, like Greece. Our research was based on a questionnaire survey amongst 213 owners of tourism SMEs in Greece. We used an innovative statistical method for data analysis combining Chi-Square Test, ANOVA and Econometric Analysis, in order to obtain high quality results, according to validity and reliability criteria. Our groundbreaking research offers practical implications and suggestions on how to address the crucial issue of shadow economy as a hampering block to the development of SMEs as well as Foreign Direct Investment. We suggest that the survival of SMEs is impossible without the reduction of the shadow economy, and that a change in the institutional framework is necessary to achieve this goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavior of local economies during the economic crisis is one of the greatest concerns in the scientific world. The study aims to highlight the patterns of evolution of local economies from Romania, which have a spa tourism function (officially in 2016 there were attested more than 30 territorial systems with spa tourism functionality), for the period 2009-2016, a period marked by a decline for most local economies. In the present paper we intend to quantify how spa tourism contributes to increase the adaptive capacity of local economies with spa tourism function. The research is based on a set of indicators considered relevant (total number of firms, total number of employees, turnover and total profit) for all spa resorts from Romania for the period 2000-2016, defining the period 2009-2016, when the economic crisis took place in Romania. Research has revealed different levels of adaptability to the structural crisis, noting the territorial systems with touristic function with superior functional complexity, where the adaptive capacity is clearly superior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2007 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index provides the opportunity to compare countries within the travel and tourism competitiveness. This index evaluates a number of areas related to travel and tourism, which may affect its competitiveness. One of the essential factors for travel and tourism competitiveness is health and hygiene. Within health and hygiene pillar, sub-pillars such as Physician density, Access to improved sanitation, Access to improved drinking water, Hospital beds, HIV prevalence, and Malaria incidence, are evaluated. In this paper, we summarize the development of the values of the partial pillars of the Health and Hygiene pillar within the Visegrad group (V4) countries, in the period from 2007 to 2017. The contribution also describes a change in the methods of measuring the Health and Hygiene pillar, as the overall Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index has so far been reported seven times. An international comparison of the main components of the Health and Hygiene pillar within V4 counties provides valuable information connected with accumulation of investment in potential destinations suitable for the development and promotion of tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transylvania became an important and well-liked destination for English travelers in the nineteenth century. Their travel accounts provide intriguing insights into the cultural, social, as well as political climate of the period. John Paget's journey was meticulously recorded in his extensive book entitled Hungary and Transylvania (1839) that served as a travel guide for other British visitors after him. Archibald Andrew Paton, writer and diplomat, synthesized his travel memoirs in the volume entitled: The Goth and the Hun; or, Transylvania, Debreczin, Pesth and Vienna, in 1850. John Arthur Patterson's The Magyars (1869) offers a compelling view on Hungarian society and culture in the years preceding as well as following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise. These men were courageous explorers of the "terra incognita", that is, the countries of Hungary and Transylvania seen as exotic places by the western societies, and, by thoroughly reporting their experiences and observations, their accounts of Hungary and Transylvania contributed to the shaping up of the nineteenth-century British image of the cultural groups of Eastern European nations and cultures. The research attempts to offer and inventory and an analysis of the most important urban descriptions of Transylvanian cities in the nineteenth century as seen through the lens of British travelers. The paper will argue that the travel journals can be interpreted not merely as "objective" records with more or less accurate historical and social data, but also as very subjective and personal accounts of places, people, and events, also serving as informative texts on leisure and tourism possibilities in Transylvanian cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The universal right to travel, alongside with the right of developing one's personality - in addition to the right to rest and enjoy relaxation - as an expression of the universal human rights - form the fundamental reason for social tourism. The main objective of this paper is to define social tourism, which through the objectives, population targets and achievements thus far obtained, is seen as one of the most important vectors that bring these rights in practical application. Within this approach, social tourism meets the characteristics of tourism in general or the characteristics of any other kind of traveling and distinguishes itself through the body of consumers it targets and through the way vacations are financed. qualitative research was performed. The questionnaire consisted of open questions structured in two chapters: questions regarding the perception of social tourism and questions regarding the perception towards other forms of tourism. Results are reflected by the profound insight into the benefits and limitations of social tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of the world economy over the last decades has demonstrated its importance in the consolidation / imbalance of world geopolitics for every country. The economic crisis has determined for most states or groups of states to consider a priority the economic stability. Tourism, as part of the state and world economy, is a major contributor to GDP. Besides the financial value (which represents a payable "service", also determines the international currency), tourism motivates the movement of people, cultural exchanges and supports the development of the adjacent industries. This paper analyzes the place Romania (a tourist destination already established at least in Europe, wich almost doubled its percent to GDP from 1,5% up to 2, 6% only in 2017) occupies in the European tourism and the role that the tourism phenomenon occupies in the national economy by analyzing the main tourism indices (tourist and economic flow, number of overnight stays, accommodation capacity, etc.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourist organizations are global corporations operating across national borders. In the tourism sector there is a trend towards globalization fueled by a variety of factors The term "globalization" refers to the fact that companies are increasingly selling products and services on a global market, that is becoming more homogeneous. Behavior patterns of consumers are becoming more and more similar, despite their national characteristics, this trend being analyzed for over two decades. Global consumers are becoming more standardized in their lifestyle, especially, because they are increasingly exposed to international media. There are evidences to suggest that more and more global products appear. These are primarily produced by large multinational companies. But there is a dilemma: whether there is or a not global consumer. Advertising agencies who design campaigns for products sold in several countries are aware of the subtle changes that must be made in advertising messages for products to be accepted at national level. The behavior of the consumer in tourism in relation to nationality has been studied very little. The only clear link established on a global basis is that the individual's income increases, so the income spent on holidays increases. The present scientific paper provides a brief overview of researches conducted in order to investigate the intercultural behavioral patterns in relation to tourism demand, especially in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the materialisation of the work of a team who participated in the „Design & Business workshop - innovative Romanian products. Creative Industries, Creative Communities, Creative Cities", which took place in 2015 in Arad, Romania at Aurel Vlaicu University - Faculty of Design. The team consisting of four students was coordinated by PhD. Prof. Ionescu Claudiu Emil and Ass. Arch. Tămăşan Maria. Arad County, Romania is located in the DKMT cross-border area. In spite of this favourable geographical position and despite the various tourist attractions existing here, the main tourist practice happening in this part of Romania is transitory. Consequently, tourist activities are underdeveloped in the Western part of Apuseni Mountains - also known as Zărand Mountains. The development of tourist activities within a given region requires, in the authors' opinion, three main key-features: advertising, efficient management and a functional infrastructure (means of access and transportation, housing, food services and the afferent structures). In this context, the present study focuses on an existing housing structure from Zărand Mountains: the Debela Gora complex, once a well-known holiday destination, but badly deteriorated and almost forgotten today. The proposals consist of feasible low cost and efficient refurbishment methods for the main cabin within this complex, in order to make it inhabitable again and to integrate it in tourist itineraries. Moreover, it is shown how interior design can become an effective tool for recycling buildings in an ecological approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper was identifying the needs, wishes and expectations of Romanian customers in connection with their holidays, to the purpose of attempting the rebound of this economic branch, and the increase of the interest of as many potential customers as possible for Romania. The reason for choosing this topic resulted mainly from a desire to offer relevant information about a real-life situation on the Romanian tourism market, in which Romanians prefer spending their holidays abroad. In the research process we chose the inquiry as a statistical instrument of analysis, with the purpose of identifying the reasons why Romanians opt for a certain destination and the manner in which they search for it. Subsequent to the analysis of results, a series of opinions and reasons for preferring destinations from outside of Romania were identified. In order to gather the analyzed data we used the questionnaire. The analysis and interpretation of data was done with resort to the SPSS 17.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) statistical program. The analysis showed that the Romanian tourist gets informed well before making a decision regarding his/her holiday. In the research process, (s)he uses information tools such as search engines specialized on the tourism field, blogs/vlogs and forums. Also, tourists are influenced by the extremely attractive offers posted on the social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that the information acquired before the journey is essential for building visitor expectations and behavior. With its increasing role as information and communication tool, internet has become a key factor for destination image formation. Specialized travel websites in particular have a major contribution to building and communicating destination image, especially those with user generated content. Perceived as more objective, personal visitor experiences shared online are much more convincing and influential for future tourists. They contain both cognitive and affective elements regarding tourist experiences, as well as recommendations. They also show the way visitors perceive destination image. Therefore, this paper was aimed to analyze the destination image of Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, as communicated by visitors' photos posted on the TripAdvisor website. Content analysis of pictures and reviews were used to identify the most important place attributes selected and highlighted by visitor photos as well as specific patterns of seeing and photographing the reserve. The results indicate an overall destination image of a wild paradise for nature lovers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this research is to identify different methodological approaches that can be used in economics to evaluate environmental resources that are integrated in tourism product. Environmental resources form essential physical plant for tourism development. It would be almost impossible to imagine tourism product that does not integrate, directly or indirectly natural resources. Strong expansion of tourism development, reflected in significant increase in number of international visitors, same as accepting tourism development as developing paradigm for many national economies, has resulted in increasing pressure on environment. At the same time natural resources and natural capital, are seen as a major factor of economic development and threatened categories. Therefore, UNWTO and UNDP encourage acceptance of the paradigm of sustainable development, and integration of its principals in key national strategic documents. Latter requires giving special attention to all those natural resources that are integrated in tourism product. Therefore, their economic valuation has become key research area of contemporary environmental economy and tourism development studies. Detecting their value and influence remains the main challenge, considering that natural and environmental resources are mostly not traded on tourism market. Last decade has witnessed several methodological approaches that can be used in order to estimate value and impacts of natural and environmental resources essential for tourism development. This paper focuses on identification and critical interpretation of those key methodological approaches in context of environmental economics and tourism development; and giving guidelines for future research. Based on conducted research, it is essential to highlight two main approaches: (1) reveal preference approach and (2) stated preference approach. Considering economic value, it can be concluded that not all methods reveal TEV (total economic value). The selected methodological approach, and therefore captured value will mostly depend on type and basic purpose of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creative tourism as part of the global creative economy has shown a significant increase in the world. However, Slovakia falls considerably behind these trends. The aim of the study is to analyse the current state of demand for creative tourism in Slovakia. In the paper we define creative tourism from supply and demand perspective and its growing importance for destinations as well as visitors. We characterize preferences and interest of Slovak tourists in domestic creative tourism activities, we define creativity and creative tourism activities with the greatest potential for future development. An electronic research was conducted in May 2017 and completed by 201 respondents. The data were interpreted by methods of descriptive statistics. Results of primary research proved weak interest of Slovak tourists in creative tourism, which indicates early phase of creative tourism development in Slovakia. According to the preferences and motivation of Slovak tourists to creative tourism we propose recommendation for strengthening of demand for domestic creative tourism. Findings provide valuable insight for all its stakeholders (public bodies, creative industry bodies, DMOs, tourism enterprises, local communities, artists, artisans, craftsmen, etc.) and add specific focus on creative tourism as a new tourism product in Slovakia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical literature and numerous medieval fortresses offer great premises for the development of cultural-historical tourism in Romania. Fiction tourism also fits into the general picture of tourism consumption. The phenomenon seems to lure ever more tourists that are interested in legends and myths. The tighter/closer the connection between the myth and the historical character, the stronger the attraction seems to be. The methodology of the paper is based on the determination of historical truth by a thorough analysis of authentic historical documents found at the National Archives of Romania and statistical data regarding tourism flows. The study aims to make a clear difference between the historical reality and the legend, while offering the image of tourism consumption. This study may represent an early form of understanding the relationship between the cultural-historical components and the possibilities for their tourist capitalization, as well as a pleading for a larger set of criteria used to analyse the evolution of cultural tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a long time, agriculture has played an essential role in the development of rural areas, but agricultural activities are no longer the only option for the development of these areas, "agriculture is no longer the vertebral column of rural economies." For the next period attention should be directed to: the development of rural villages and farms; support for processing agricultural products; relocating young people to rural areas; Development of activities in the tourism sector; Creating SMEs in rural areas. Rural settlements that offer unique products on the market are less numerous, and in creating a valuable rural tourist product, preserving a brand image of tourist activity requires an optimum report between the nature of the offer, the quality of the services and the perceived price. The rural area offers a lot of profitable tourist features: boarding houses, camps and accommodation in rural households can support a wide range of activities such as pedestrian walks, cultural tourism, river tourism, fishing, hunting, equitation, in this context, the possibility of creating a valuable tourist product is not only possible but also necessary. Concentrated on the important factors of the purchase decision under the conditions of the tourist market, we find that it is created a profitable market niche is created for rural tourism products, especially for those with bio character/nature. The purpose of this paper is to identify the elements of the tourist product, to highlight why the offer of the rural tourism product is special, to come up with a possible action plan, related to the rural tourism field and necessary directions that need to be targeted for capitalizing the potential of rural area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is one of the fastest growing and largest sectors of the global economy and has important economic, social, cultural and environmental effects. Slovakia is among the countries with high rates of unemployment in Europe, but has a lot of natural and cultural wealth. Fragmented and diverse socio-cultural and environmental aspects of rural areas in Slovakia offer a variety of business and employment opportunities in the tourism and traditional folk arts and crafts to anticipate the diversity of interests of tourists. The paper shows the possibilities of tourism development in disadvantaged regions of Slovakia, analyzing them in terms of unemployment offering a creative view on the continuation of traditional folk crafts through their development, resulting in improving living standards and quality of living of residents in the regions. The qualitative research in form of narrative interviews with the freelancers operating in folk crafts offered the detailed insight into the issue and assessed the real situation in this area and this was the basis for formulation of statements that could help in efficient support of this sector and regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper was the identification of opinions, attitudes and behaviors within tourism agencies in Romania regarding the use of information systems. The rationale for the choice of this topic was mainly to provide relevant information on a real situation in the tourism market, namely the use of information systems in tourism economic units, more precisely tourism agencies. Statistical inquiry was the method applied in order to find out about the information systems employed by the agencies, and to identify both their weaknesses and benefits [3]. The results of the inquiry showed the opinions of the users, but, more importantly, the type of information systems available in agencies and the advantages that they bring. The inquiry was the tool of gathering data. For data interpretation and analysis the statistical program SPSS was resorted to. The findings consist in the fact that managers introduced change in their companies in order to simplify and eliminate useless data and in order to utilize IT systems [2] that would help people work better with data. The emphasis falls on people's training, so that they should understand the business, on correlating employee performance with company performance and on using information and IT software effectively in doing business. Competitive edge will be gained by those companies which obtain superior results in business through the synchronization of three elements: employee management, information and IT [3]. The impressive advancements in the last decade of information technology have numerous applications in tourism. These technologies, together with progress in the area of telecommunications have contributed to the modernization of tourism services. The use of information technologies in tourism has allowed in-depth knowledge of both demand and supply in tourism, the tracking of tourism types, of means of transport, hotel reservations and the study of the tourism market overall [4]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the authors consider tourism as a geographical phenomenon, which can be evaluated and used in geographical perspective to understand the forms and functions of tourism resources along with the specifics of its demand. Tourism is one of the tools to achieve sustainable and balanced development of the region. The authors analyze the concept of "tourist space"" and "tourism industry", which resulted in the conclusion that, in essence, they have a very long and close connection with the local and spatial aspects and elements. The article discusses various approaches to the study of tourism sustainability, their relationship with spatial concepts. In order to introduce into use and to assess such complex concepts as sustainability or sustainable development, the article uses well-known structures, such as prism of sustainability. In particular, the indicators proposed by the United Nations (UN CSD), the World Tourism Organization were considered. The analysis allowed to define "stability of the system" as its ability to remain relatively unchanged (to keep its structure and functional features) within certain time frame despite external and internal disturbances. At the same time, one can distinguish three types of sustainability, related to spatial factors: 1) positional stability - relatively static notion and it reflects fixity of the elements of the system in a given area, it is connected with the existence of systems and their components; 2) structural stability - a concept that reflects the links (real and potential) between the elements of the system or different systems and has a static-dynamic nature; 3) functional stability defines the dynamics of systems, the actual existence of spatial interactions between elements of the system and other systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last years, improving accessibility in tourism and hospitality became one of the central preoccupations of the European Commission. Several studies were funded by the European Commission in order to offer a deeper understanding of what accessible tourism means. Also, several research projects were supported to create accessible tourism itineraries. In 2014, the European Excellence Awards for Accessible Tourism rewarded the true commitment to accessibility of several European enterprises and public authorities. Making European tourism more accessible is also directly correlated with making it more competitive. In this context, the present article advances the idea of creating an innovative tool, based on a friendly technology, offering the possibility to destination management organizations to obtain direct information regarding the accessibility of the tourism and hospitality facilities and services within destinations. We used the literature review, the case study and the innovation, as qualitative research methods. The first part of the article is an overview of the importance of accessibility for the European tourism. In the second part of this paper, we presented the central role of improving accessibility within the most recent European Tourism Indicator System ETIS Toolkit for sustainable destination management which was launched in March 2016. In this context, a brief presentation of the research project called Destination Intelligent Management for Sustainable Tourism (DIMAST) was included due to the fact that it was conceived mainly based on the first European Tourism Indicator System Toolkit for Sustainable Destinations, launched in 2013. We advanced the idea of improving the Business Intelligence tool created within this project by conceiving an innovative technology to obtain direct information from tourists with special needs from Brasov County. Such approach can support the efforts of the local destination management organization to improve the accessibility of tourism, hence making it more sustainable and competitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a constantly changing environment like tourism, a key feature of the offer concerns its intangible component. It happens quite frequently - nowadays - that the choice to visit or return to a specific location can be consistently affected by acceptance perception expressed by the consumer with regard to the intangible aspects that surround the context and the structural endowment held by the chosen location. The concept of intangible component is firmly associated to a multisensory-type experience, based on some simple evidences: when it's not possible to categorize a tourist flow depending on some tangible determinants of the offer, whether for morphological, architectural, cultural-historical or religious, it will be the "experiential" variant engendered by those who provide a service or sell a product to give more weight to each tourism component and explain the basis for an overall assessment of the experienced elements. This is the case of the "Feria de Abril" - a civil-type celebration that takes place in the town of Seville in Andalucía between the first and second week of April - it has grown exponentially in terms of flows and business volumes during the last decade, reaching the quota of about one million visitors in 2015 and generating direct and induced effects on the economy of the place, up to cover in just one week about the 3% of the annual Seville GDP. On the basis of such premises, using a sample survey conducted during the event in 2015, the paper aims to investigate about the consumer buying behavior, identifying any correlations between acceptance indicators and success factors, and then building different multiple regression models between the variables useful to understand whether - and in what way - the experiential component influences the purchasing habits of the visitor in this kind of events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental challenge of the contemporary world is how to transform the existing linear, unsustainable and irresponsible economy towards the circular economy, i.e. a closed, balanced and integral process of responsible use of resources considering the needs of present and future generations. Tourism, as a significant and powerful socioeconomic phenomenon, has a very important role in that transition. The aim of the paper was to point out the importance of responsible tourism, as a concept that refers to the willingness of different stakeholders involved in tourism to take responsibility to respond, to act and to contribute to sustainability. The empirical research was aimed to estimate the contribution of local population to environmental conservation of tourism destinations. The Istrian County, as the most developed tourist region in Croatia was taken as a case study. It has shown that in the Istrian County local people are environmentally conscious, but with a relatively low level of environmental literacy. It was explained with lack of free time, financial constraints, insufficient knowledge, etc. Tourism is considered as contributing to the conservation of natural heritage. The preserved environment is considered as an important competitive advantage of Croatian tourism. The inhabitants of cities more oriented toward tourism have a higher level of environmental literacy and are more satisfied with the state of the environment in their local communities. As it was supposed, women have a higher level of environmental literacy than men. They are more critical and less satisfied with the state of the environment, but in the same time, more ready to be active engaged. It can be concluded that tourism development have a positive impact on conservation of natural heritage in the observed communities. Educational activities (formal, informal and nonformal education) and relevant media could improve the level of environmental literacy of various stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is taking shape around the idea of analyzing the main oenotouristic resources of Romania and the manner in which they can be exploited. Wine is not just a beverage into a glass. Is history, rural civilization and urban fascination, story about the past, present and future, the story that can be conveyed in organized way, both knowers and wine lovers and to those that are seeing wine like just a simple drink served at meals or parties. Through its geographic positioning, through characteristics of soil and climate, Romania has a huge potential in producing topquality wines and to produce a wine tourism competitive with countries with a long tradition in the field. This requires adequate infrastructure, complete tourist packages and complex to meet and motivate the most exigent tourists. Romania can be considered a tourist attraction itself, but also a means to exploit the rich historical heritage, cultural and hence the production and processing of the vine and wine. For the realization of this study it was used a classical career research, with a comprehensive study on the bibliographic national and international literature, of data bases in the field, visits on the ground where it was used on-site observation and investigation. At the end we can say that we have all the advantages to become one of the countries with a strong wine tourism. We have wineries, vineyards, wine quality increases from year to year, and through investment and involvement we can attain heights of wine tourism world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism can be seen in two ways. First, as a purely entrepreneurial activity which brings considerable profits to providers of services in the tourism and related sectors, but also as an activity that has a positive economic, social, cultural and environmental impact on the region. In the previous programming period, the European Union invested from public sources into both tourism activities, in purely business, but also in activities that have a positive impact on regional development. This article aims to show how the investments from public sources in tourism were used and how significant its impact was on the selected region of the Czech Republic. The research question is whether the support of tourism from public sources has a major impact on the overall development and whether this effect is greater than that of the market itself. The main methods used to answer the research question are statistical descriptive methods, time series analysis, index analysis, correlation analysis, the chosen methods of so-called Counterfactual Impact Evaluation analysis and questionnaires. The outputs of analyses indicate that the market development of tourism has a greater influence than very high intervention from public funds into the development of tourism in the period 2007 - 2013, respectively 2015. The use of the Counterfactual Impact Evaluation methods show that 1 CZK from public sources generated in the selected region 34 cents from private sources, and that 71% of the projects focused on services, marketing and creation of tourism products in the region would not be implemented without public funds. These and more outcomes are covered in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism as a phenomenon of the third millennium is attributed to many components that only emphasize the wide-ranging nature. It affects not only the economic aspects but also social aspects of social life in general. Tourism allows to travel and get new experiences, to travel without barriers, escape from everyday stereotypes, and to selfrealize and disseminate the knowledge. One of the prerequisites for the development of tourism in the country is the capacity of the accommodation establishments. Within the accommodation establishments their number, size, spatial location, as well as the overall quality of services are important. The quality of produced provided services and goods determines long-term prosperity of an enterprise on the market. Quality is also a factor that enables an enterprise to achieve a competitive advantage on a constantly developing market. Tourism and its services represent a specific sphere in present society. Accommodation establishments and their services face to strong competitive environment that is a reason why they are forced to provide high quality services to distinguish from the others. Competition in the area of accommodation services is growing. Such establishments represent necessary potential for the development of tourism in general. Constant monitoring and improving in different areas of the quality boost competitiveness. To evaluate the level of quality of them, several research methods can be used. For the purpose of this paper the GAP model was exploited. It was focused on the dimension of service reliability in chosen hotel located in eastern part of Slovakia. Its services were compared in years 2009, 2012 and 2016. The results of the research made through questionnaire survey are described more detailed in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]