65 publications from this institution
Romania has an outstanding natural and cultural heritage which is not yet valorised to its full potential through ecotourism. In order to do so, the existence of green tourism businesses is not enough to assure authentic ecotourism experiences. Ecotourism principles and guidelines need to be applied and reinforced by all stakeholders: businesses, governmental authorities and NGOs, with the aim of developing ecotourism destinations. In this context, the present paper uses a case study approach to outline the challenges of developing these ecotourism destinations in Romania. Several initiatives and projects are outlined as well as their work in progress.
In an increasingly competitive marketplace, viable destinations must develop competitive products in a framework of responsible development. Many destinations operate within highly competitive environments where customers have a wide range of choices even within a country or a region. The challenge is for destinations to develop a service culture, physical environment and a set of products that can satisfy not only first-time visitors but attract repeat visitors. Due to the obstacles of ensuring a quality destination experience many communities are missing significant opportunities to create productive employment for the residents and realize opportunities for poverty reduction due to the ineffective planning and management. Maintaining and improving high quality supply in Romanian tourist destinations situated inside or close to protected areas is fundamental to meeting the challenges of competitors and increasing their market share. Integrated Quality Management (IQM) is an argumentative and efficient method proposed by the European Commission to reach and maintain tourist products and services quality in destinations. This paper aims to explain how Integrated Quality Management (IQM), as an integrated management tool, can improve the level of sustainability in Piatra Craiului National Park keeping its comparative advantages and enabling long-term market competitiveness. Improving the quality of this tourist destination is essential in satisfying tourists' needs, making the local tourism industry more competitive and ensuring that tourism development is in a balanced and sustainable way.
No abstract is provided for this article.
No abstract is provided for this article.
Although tourist cards and cultural routes have been interesting innovations when they were launched on the international tourism market, they are rarely implemented in Romanian tourism destinations, especially in an integrated manner. This paper presents a theoretical model regarding the integration of tourist cards in cultural routes, based on the assumption that tourists who are interested in both products have similar demographic and travel characteristics. The research results outline only the infl uence of tourists’ travel characteristics on their interest to buy cultural routes and tourist cards. Leisure travelers should be the main targeted segment, as their probability to buy such products is higher than in the case of business or VFR (visit friends and relatives) tourists. These results can assist the Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) regarding the choice of marketing strategies aimed at integrating cultural routes in a tourist card.
As the tourism marketplace is currently highly competitive, Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) need to have a thorough understanding of the actual perception of their destinations and even of the desired perception they should have to adequately implement measures to alter or maintain such images. In this context, the present chapter provides an overview of tourist destination image evaluation, from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. It outlines the role of conducting research in order to evaluate destination image as key strategic information which has to be provided to DMOs. The chapter provides a theoretical framework to destination image evaluation as well as a case study on the evaluation of a Romanian city's image as a tourist destination.
This paper is set on the context of tourism marketing and it investigates the concept of segmentation as an important tool in the management of urban tourism destinations. Segmentation presumes the existence of heterogeneity among customers in the market, and has received considerable support within the tourism literature while urban tourism has been the object of intensive research for several years. Based on a quantitative research, the present study, aims to provide a deeper insight into the typology of tourists visiting Romanian urban tourism destinations, with a focus on the city of Brasov. The survey reveals that the studied sample can be grouped into different clusters according to their socio-demographic and travel characteristics. As the results demonstrate that each of the identified tourists segments has different profiles, the implications for destination management are discussed. Recommendations are also highlighted in order to assist destination managers to formulate marketing strategies adapted to the different market segments, aiming to better position Brasov as an urban destination on the competitive national and international market.
The aim of our research is to identify Brasov residents` attitudes regarding the role of sport events in local tourism development. The research has been focused on residents` awareness regarding the organization of the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Brasov and their intention to actively participate in this process. The outcomes reveal a poor information of local residents especially due to few and late promotional actions performed by local authorities. As people have a positive attitude regarding such events we recommend that local authorities should develop strategies to help spread the benefits of these events to the wider community.
No abstract is provided for this article.
Social media can be used to raise awareness about health issues, especially concerning the importance of periodical screening. The present study aims to identify the role of social media awareness campaigns in the early detection of breast cancer, with a focus on Romania, a country with a high female mortality due to this disease. The research is performed using a survey, based on an online questionnaire, which was self-administered by the respondents included in two samples selected from a Facebook community of Romanian women. Sample A was composed of 1945 women who were not exposed to periodic campaigns regarding the importance of screening for the prevention and early detection of this type of disease, and Sample B was composed of 289 women who were exposed to such annual campaigns within the last 5 years. The results outline several differences among respondents from the two samples regarding their awareness of prevention necessity, as well as the frequency and chosen methods for breast cancer screening. The findings hold important implications for public authorities, which must intensify their efforts in raising women's awareness regarding the importance of screening for the early detection and prevention of breast cancer.
Sport event tourism is a huge and growing global industry with important economic implications for both the sport, the event and the impact of travel and tourism related benefits on host destinations. A primary function of a sport event is to provide the host community with an opportunity to secure high prominence in the tourism market place. However, international or regional prominence may be gained with significant social and environmental costs. Hosting sport events has been a focus of destination marketers as a strategy to enhance its destination image and differentiate its tourism products. Communities are attracted to hosting sport events to draw marketing benefits that will contribute to the success of the destination in the long run by creating awareness, improving their image with visitors and attracting tourism business to generate future inbound travel. As such, destination images can be influenced by the hosting of a sport event and the attributes associated with this event. The purpose of this paper is to outline the role of sport event tourism in the promotion of tourist destinations. A case study has been chosen in order to illustrate the interdependence between event and destination marketing: Brasov, hosting the winter edition of The European Youth Olympic Festival in 2013. The paper includes a series of recommendations for destination managers in order to maximise the benefits of this event and take this opportunity to promote Brasov on the international market.
Ecolabels are key instruments for a sustainable tourism development and implementation of environmental certification of tourist accommodation facilities and services. The present paper aimes to analyze whether eco-certification is considered by tourists in the choice of accommodation in Romanian destinations. We have chosen as a case study the city of Brasov in order to evaluate if certification as a sustainability policy tool is needed for accommodation facilities. A survey was conducted among 940 tourists from the analyzed destination. Data collected in the survey was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and several statistical methods have been used: descriptive analysis, crosstabs, Cluster Analysis. T he results of the research outline the necessity for Brasov’s accommodation managers to consider the eco-certification of their businesses. However, since some tourists remain unaware regarding the existence of tourism certification programs and far fewer understand their meaning, they would have to consider educating tourists with respect to the utility and scope of tourism ecolabels alongside efforts towards creating or adopting tourism ecolabeling programs.
No abstract is provided for this article.
The Landscape of Outstanding Features of “Islands and Cliffs near Slankamen” (ICS) is a protected area in the Danube region, characterized by diverse forest and wetland habitats. Different forms of sustainable tourism (SUTO) can be developed in this area, including nature-based tourism, ecotourism, and scientific tourism. This study aims to examine the impact of SUTO dimensions on residents’ satisfaction in the settlements of Stari Slankamen and Novi Slankamen. The research is based on the Prism of Sustainability (PoS) model, which includes ecological, economic, socio-cultural, and institutional dimensions. A total of 1030 inhabitants participated in the survey. The results show that all four dimensions have a statistically significant impact on residents’ satisfaction. The economic and institutional dimensions have a stronger influence, while the socio-cultural and ecological dimensions were evaluated more positively by respondents. The results indicate the need for better coordination of tourism development and management activities in order to achieve a balance between nature protection, economic benefits, and the needs of the local community.
The present paper aims to investigate the factors which influence the adoption of environmentally friendly behaviors by the citizens of Brasov, as well as the means, resources and tools that local authority offers to residents in order to stimulate this behavior. In this sense, a qualitative research was conducted, using semi directive in-depth interviews, among 13 residents from the city of Brasov, Romania. The selection of the interviewed subjects was based on their involvement in environmentally friendly activities. The results outline several influence factors of the respondents’ environmentally friendly behaviors, such as: the level of environmental education, the awareness concerning environmental problems, the time required for the adoption of environmentally friendly activities, the standard of living in Romania, development of specific local infrastructure, the institutional and legislative framework on environmental protection, the comfort and willingness to conform to group norms. Thus, the involvement of individuals in environmentally friendly activities should be based on the judicious combination of all factors that influence the adoption of such behavior.
