Competitiveness factors of Serbian tourism

Abstract

According to the concept of authenticity, competitiveness of a tourist destination depends on the complex interdependence of numerous destination components and their interaction with the visitors of the destination. The global standard for measuring competitiveness of countries is the TTC Index of the World Economic Forum, the ranking list where Serbia holds a relatively weak position. This position has been cyclically improving and deteriorating, and opposite trends of indicators within individual sub-indices also contribute to this, suggesting that activities are uncoordinated. The Tourism Development Strategy of Serbia (TDS), as an umbrella document to coordinate efforts to develop and improve the competitiveness of Serbian tourism, identifies priority products and destinations in Serbia. Such established priorities should contribute both to the coordination among key stakeholders and, consequently, to competitiveness in the international market. The analysis conducted in this paper indicates that TDS has only partially identified the products and destinations chosen by visitors.

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