Integrated quality management of tourist destinations in protected areas, the case of Piatra Craiului national park

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.