Zrinka Zadel

A Comparison of the Competitiveness of the Two Coastal Tourist Destinations

The main goal of this paper is to assess the competitiveness of the two coastal tourist (micro) destinations - Portorož, Slovenia and Opatija, Croatia. The paper focuses on the current state of competitiveness of these two destinations, assessed by group of senior tourist students that visited both destinations. The approach and methodology are based on the different destination competitiveness models. For the purpose of the assessment of competitiveness of these two micro destinations, the integrated instrument of the destination competitiveness was developed and tested for its face validity. These two destinations were chosen because they have a similar history of development as well as tourist offer. The research results confirm the main hypothesis and majority of supporting hypothesis that Portoroz is more competitive destination than Opatija.