December 10, 2019 – What is the real impact of special programs on the development of a city’s tourist offer? A look at Split.
HRTurizam writes that during Advent, all major Croatian cities offer several special events and programs – and in the last few years, increasing attention has been given to this part of the tourist offer, in which tourist boards play a major role as leaders of destination management.
With this in mind, the first scientific study of special city programs was conducted in the function of growth and development of the offer of the city of Split. The authors of the research are Doctorandus Dino Bruža and Master of Economics and Professor Andreja Rudančić, Ph.D., who presented the research findings at the International Scientific Conference “International Management Research” in May 2017 in Opatija.
Scientific work on this topic has been published in the book INTERDISCIPLINARY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH XIII., Barković, Dražen; Runzheimer, Bodo, editor (s), Opatija: Faculty of Economics in Osijek; Hochschule Pforzheim, 2017 (p.121-138).
The purpose of this scientific research is to show the real impact and role of programs and implementing special city programs on the development of the tourist offer of the city of Split, primarily from the aspect of the Split Tourist Board.
Author Dino Bruža emphasizes that the aim of the paper is to determine to what extent and in what way specific city programs affect the increase of revenues, and the extent of the level of tourist expectations and satisfaction, through the analysis of key tourism indicators. He also points out that special city programs in the tourist offer of the destination represent a unique experience on the market
“There are two main goals of implementing specific city programs: to increase economic effects on the one hand and to increase the level of tourist satisfaction on the other. Contemporary tourists have a high degree of expectation, which is a great challenge in creating tourism experiences. Event management, in this case, represents a significant segment of destination management, which deals with the planning, organization, guiding, management, and control of these special programs.
In addition to contributing to the volume of content offered, special city programs also affect extending the tourist season, that is, reducing the seasonality of tourism and hospitality businesses, increasing revenues and attracting new guests while retaining existing tourists. Executing special city programs has a multiplier effect, as it, directly and indirectly, affects revenue growth, encourages additional hiring of skilled personnel, creates a virtual platform for a large number of manufacturers and providers of products and services and affects the development of the entire destination. That is why there is a need for strategic planning of special programs and for monitoring their success, and for providing all the necessary resources for re-implementation,” said Dino Bruža, adding that with this approach, the city of Split becomes a unique tourist destination, offering a whole range of special events and programs.
Dino Bruža also notes that in organizing special events and programs, special attention should be paid to implementing information and communication technology, for several reasons.
“The focus of this scientific research is on the interdependence of information management, communication technology and designing special programs. Opportunities and ICT impact assessments on the business performance and competitiveness of the specific program need to be continually conducted. As the author states, the number of special programs is growing at an unprecedented rate, various management, control and leadership models are being used, but what is common to most is the inevitable adaptation to current trends in information and communication technology. Specific programs by themselves did not play a major role in the past, but served solely to increase spending, which is still one of the goals today. However, a new goal is emerging today, for the program to be an end in itself and to take on the existing “empty” part that occurs in the offer of every segment on the market,” said Bruža.
In accordance with all the above, author Dino Bruža is conducting new scientific research in order to produce a doctoral dissertation, whose results he will present in his doctoral thesis, which he will defend at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek.
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