Ugljesa Stankov

BUSINESS TOURISM DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS: A CASE OF VOJVODINA PROVINCE (SERBIA)

Abstract The main purpose of this article is to create model of business tourism destination competitiveness and test it on the example of Vojvodina Province, tourist cluster in Serbia, where business tourism is defined as one of key tourist products. The paper aims to examine in which areas Vojvodina Province is more competitive as a business tourism destination and where it is less competitive compared to“competitive set” of three chosen destinations. Also, this paper aims to test relationships between destination competitiveness determinants in order to determine the weakest point of Vojvodina Province business tourism competitiveness, and specifically the position of destination management. The study results indicate that two determinants: destination management and destination policy, planning and development are the weakest points of Vojvodina Province competitiveness, while highest ratings are assigned to core resources and attractors determinant. The results will be most valuable in assisting destination management organizations, tourism policy creators and tourism practitioners to better understand identified destination advantages and problems in business tourism and general tourism development in Vojvodina Province, and to formulate strategies to effectively manage destination disadvantages.

An importance-performance analysis of service quality in spa hotels

This paper identifies the results of a questionnaire designed to measure service quality in spa hotels in the Republic of Serbia. Service quality was measured with a model based on the original SERVQUAL model. Due to the fact that many previous research papers have shown that SERVQUAL is insufficient to identify and measure all determinants of service quality in hospitality, the original SERVQUAL model has been slightly changed. Namely, this modified version of SERVQUAL was adjusted to measure a large number of tangible and intangible elements of the service quality in spa hotels. Based on the research results, seven dimensions of the service quality were identified: assurance, food and benefits, empathy, entertainment, recreation facilities and wellness, responsiveness and reliability. After applying the modified SERVQUAL model, an Importance – Performance Analysis (IPA) was performed. By using an Importance – Performance Analysis (IPA), this paper examines the efficiency of hotel resources allocation and the possibility of designing management strategies to improve the quality of hotel service.

Variability of seasonal and annual precipitation in Slovenia and its correlation with large-scale atmospheric circulation

Abstract This paper examines temporal and spatial variability and trends of annual and seasonal precipitation in Slovenia and their relationship with three atmospheric circulation patterns represented by their indices: North Atlantic Oscillation index (NAOi), Mediterranean Oscillation index (MOi) andWestern Mediterranean Oscillation index (WeMOi). Data from 45 precipitation stations were used for the period 1963–2012.Mean annual precipitation varies from 736 mm in eastern Slovenia to 2,518 mm in northwestern Slovenia. A significant annual precipitation decrease (from −3% to −6% per decade) is observed in western Slovenia. Significant negative trends are observed in southwestern Slovenia in summer (from −4% to −10% per decade) and near the Adriatic coast in spring (from −6% to −10% per decade). Non-significant negative and positive trends are observed in winter and autumn, respectively. Results indicate significant correlations between winter precipitation and MOi (from −0.3 to −0.7), NAOi (from −0.3 to −0.6) andWeMOi (from 0.3 to 0.6). Significant We-MOi influence is observed in spring and autumn, while NAOi and MOi influence has not been detected. Annual precipitation and WeMOi are significantly correlated in central and eastern Slovenia, while significant NAOi and MOi influence is observed in western Slovenia (with the larger area covered by MOi influence).

Determination of ecological significance based on geostatistical assessment: a case study from the Slovak Natura 2000 protected area

The Sitno Natura 2000 Site covers an area of 935,56 hectares. The Sitno region is significant due to the number of rare and endangered species of plants, and as a result is considered a location of great importance to the maintenance of floral gene pools. The study area suffers human impacts in the form of tourism. The main purpose of this study is to the measure landscape elements, determine the ecological significance of habitats within the Sitno area, and from this data, organize the study area into conservation zones. The results of this landscape quantification are numerical values that can be used to interpret the quality of ongoing ecological processes within individual landscape types. Interpretation of this quantified data can be used to determine the ecological significance of landscapes in other study areas. This research examines the habitats of Natura 2000 Sites by a set of landscape metrics for habitat area, size, density, and shape, such as Number of patches (NP), Patch density (PD), Mean patch size (MPS), Patch size standard deviation (PSSD) and Mean shape index (MSI). The classification of land cover patches is based on the Annex Code system.

Changes in the spatial pattern of net earnings: Evidence from Serbia

Spatial autocorrelation analysis is an important method that can reveal the structure and patterns of economic spatial variables. It can be used to identify not only global spatial patterns in the country, but also characteristic locations at micro levels. In this research, we used spatial autocorrelation methodologies, including Global Moran’s I and Local Getis—Ord Gi statistics to identify the intensity of the spatial clustering of municipalities in Serbia by the level of average monthly net earnings from 2001 to 2010. We identified and mapped local clusters (hot and cold spots) by the level of average monthly net earnings for the same period. The results show that overall spatial segregation between municipalities with high and low average monthly net earnings was predominantly increasing during the investigated period. Local statistics illustrated that overall spatial segregation followed a broad north—south divide, with a concentration of municipalities with high net earnings in the north of Serbia, and low net earnings in the south. Closer inspection showed that at the beginning of the study period, there were three statistically significant hot spots in the north. As time passed, only one highly clustered hot spot remained — the Belgrade region. One cold spot retained a relatively stable position in the country’s southeast. This research shows that spatial changes of net earnings can be successfully studied with respect to statistically significant global and local spatial associations in the variables using spatial autocorrelation analysis.

Former Yugoslav national parks are going social?: An exploratory study on Facebook

Today, a large number of people use the Internet for a variety of purposes. There is a growing presence of social networks in different spheres of life. Consequently, the connection of national parks and social media has begun. In this way, the management of national parks is facilitated in general, because data from social media can be of great help. Communication with visitors of national parks, through social media, has great potential in protecting such areas, but also in providing a wealth of experience. Therefore, it is essential to constantly update and direct visitors to the official Facebook sites of national parks. In this paper, the presence and activity of national parks sites on Facebook, in Former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia) is explored with the aim to seek for common practices, good examples or pitfalls.

Influence of users’ psychosocial traits on Facebook travel–related behavior patterns

The principal aim of the article was to explore the psychological aspects of Facebook (FB) users’ travel-related behavior on FB. This especially refers to the time they post their travel-related information, the type of information they post (photos, videos, comments, etc.), when they watch the photos of other people, are they keen to post the information when their impressions are positive or negative, and what level of privacy they keep (with whom they are sharing travel-related information). A total of 804 general FB users from Serbia were included in the study. Analysis of the relationship between travel-related behavior on FB and the different psychosocial aspects of FB use (PSAFU) can be of great importance for online destination marketing. This could help in identifying the patterns of tourists’ FB behavior that result in sharing their travel experiences via electronic word-of-mouth as well as in predicting the FB behavior of future tourists. The study revealed that all analyzed dimensions of PSAFU are related to certain travel-related behavior on FB, explained from 1.9% to 13.7% of these behaviors. The strongest and most consistent predictor of travel-related FB behaviors was ‘Virtual self’ dimension. On contrary, the study showed that Compensatory use of FB is not related to travel-related behavior on FB to a great extent, thus is not of much interest to destination marketers. The further implications are discussed in the article.

Going beyond the traditional destination competitiveness – reflections on a smart destination in the current research

ABSTRACT This paper reviews the literature on tourism destination competitiveness from different aspects, focusing on comparative and competitive advantages. Also, the paper highlights the importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in tourism destinations and their increasing impact on the achievement of destination competitiveness. Thanks to the wider application of ICTs in tourism, tourists nowadays are well informed and have access to global market which creates a new dynamic environment by creating a smart demand. Since smartness emphasizes on ICT-based tools, including smartness integration for value co-creation, it can increase and enhance destination competitiveness. In this regard, special emphasis is placed on exploring the core components of smartness and smart tourism destination.