Seasonality in the tourism industry has long been seen as a problem, particularly in cold-climate environments. Despite the fact that this phenomenon has received a lot of attention in the literature, there is not yet a simple solution that can be applied to all destinations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to map how the Swedish island Öland, whose demand 2020 is directed towards the summer, could develop it’s other seasons. With empirical findings from 24 different qualitative interviews and one observation, the study examines whether there are conditions for Öland to increase the number of visitors during current traditional low seasons. In conclusion we summarized five aspects that we consider significant for a seasonal development and gave suggestions for further research. First of all, it's important that Öland has a good and functioning cooperation between the actors. It is also important to be patient, a seasonal development is not something that happens overnight. Öland should also strive to deliver a unique experience with quality. In the long term, this will generate free marketing in the form of word of mouth. Other strategies are that the destination should focus more on secondary travel reasons. Finally, a common platform would be the finishing touch.

Title: Sport Tourism and its Influence on Development of Regions Objectives: The objective of the thesis is to introduce the sport tourism as a convenient tool for the regional development, to find out if the regions think about it in this way nowadays and how the sport tourism is incorporated in the strategic documents if so. The finding if the sport tourism is considered as a separate branch or if it is still divided into sport and tourism industry is also remarkable. This thesis sets the target to outline the different ways of the sport tourism application in a regional development and to determine certain recommendations as well. Methods: The methods used at research are qualitative content analysis and semi- structured interview. The analysis is used for the strategic documents of regions and the interviews are held with the regional representatives and the private institution agents chosen by a snowball sampling. Subsequently, a holistic analysis and an interpretation of discovered results are made. Results: I have revealed that sport and tourism are both part of the strategic documents of the regions, but no region uses the term 'sport tourism' in these documents. Sport and tourism are still two separate industries in the conception of the regions. Basically, it is possible to say that sport...

<p>Vojvodina je potencijalna turistička destinacija (TD), koja ima sve predispozicije da jednog dana postane poznata i uspe&scaron;na turistička destinacija. To &scaron;to nas na primeru TD Vojvodine najvi&scaron;e zanima je pitanje za&scaron;to su druge turističke destinacije kompetitivnije od nas, za&scaron;to su poznatije, popularnije i za&scaron;to stvaraju vi&scaron;e prihoda nego turizam u Vojvodini. Odgovor leži u činjenici da su sposobne da u sve jačoj međunarodnoj konkurenciji koja vlada u svetu povećaju broj turista, njihovu potro&scaron;nju, i da nude turistima nezaboravno, odgovarajuće i po mogućstvu bolje iskustvo od očekivanog. Popularnost turističkih destinacija u svetu se konstantno menja. Njihova popularnost varira zbog zbivanja u samoj turističkoj destinaciji i u njenoj okolini. Turistički menadžeri mogu veoma uticati na zbivanja u samoj turističkoj destinaciji, ali su uglavnom nemoćni kad su u pitanju zbivanja u okolini. Proces pojavljivanja, razvoja i opadanja omiljenosti turističkih destinacija u svetu poznat je pod imenom &raquo;životni ciklus&laquo; turističkih destinacija. U kojoj fazi tog ciklusa se trenutno nalazi Vojvodina? Da li je Vojvodina dovoljno poznata kao turistička destinacija je prvo pitanje koje je autor disertacije postavio i koje je opisano u prvom delu istraživačkog rada. Drugi deo istraţivanja odnosio se na kompetitivnost turističke destinacije Vojvodina. O kompetitivnosti je autor diskutovao sa turističkim radnicima i stručnjacima u samoj destinaciji, uz pretpostavku, da je oni najbolje poznaju i da je njihova ocena realna, naravno upoređena sa komparatibilnim turističkim destinacijama u okruženju. Danas je celokupni koncept kompetitivnosti turističke destinacije redefinisan, jer je sama priroda kompetitivnosti i održivosti u konstantnoj evoluciji i zato moraju menadžeri turističkih destinacija konstantno pratiti razvoj destinacija i anticipirati budućnost radije nego ispravljati i reagovati na pro&scaron;lost. Svaka turistička destinacija ima i svoje komparativne i kompetitivne prednosti. Komparativne prednosti su uglavnom vezane za prirodne, a i izgrađene resurse. Kompetitivne prednosti turističkih destinacija se odnose na njihovu sposobnost kako upravljati prirodnim resursima, na održivi naĉin i to na duži rok. Koncepti komparativnih i kompetitivnih prednosti poslužile su kao osnova za razvoj autorovog modela destinacijskog menadžmenta Vojvodine, i on je predstavljen na kraju disertacije. Ukoliko bi ovaj ili sličan model bio striktno primenjen u TD Vojvodini, moţe se smatrati da bi ona zaista postala dobro rukovođena i popularna turistička destinacija Evrope i sveta.</p> / <p>Vojvodina is a potential tourist destination which has all the possibilities to become one day better known and a successful destination. The question that arises first is why other tourist destinations are more competitive than Vojvodina, why are they better known, more popular and why do they generate more tourist income than tourism in Vojvodina. The answer lies in their ability to augment the number of tourist in the international competition that is becoming tougher every day, to augment tourism expenditure and to offer to the visitors an unforgettable experience, if possible, even better than they can expect. The popularity of tourist destinations in the world is changing constantly. It varies because of the changes in the tourist destination itself and also in its surroundings. Tourism managers can influence on the changes in their own tourist destination but are unable to influence on other destinations. The process of emerging, growing and diminishing of popularity of one tourist destination is known as a &raquo;tourist destination&#39;s life cycle&laquo;. In which phase of the destination&#39;s life cycle is Vojvodina now? Is Vojvodina well known as a tourist destination? The first part of author&#39;s research in this work dealed with these questions. The second part was dedicated to the competitiveness of the tourist destination Vojvodina. The author had numerous discussions with the experts in the tourism field, presuming that they knew the destination the best and that their marks are real, of course, compared to the comparable tourist destinations in the surroundings. The whole concept of tourist destination&#39;s competitiveness has been redefined, as the nature of competitiveness itself is changing constantly and this is the reason why the tourist destination&#39;s managers have to monitor the developments and changes in tourist destinations, and if possible, to anticipate the future changes rather than to correct or to react upon the past. Every single tourist destination has its own comparative and competitive advantages. Comparative advantages concern natural and created resources, while the competitive advantages of tourist destinations represent the destination&#39;s ability to manage the natural resources in a sustainable way on the long term. The concepts of comparative and competitive advantages were used as the base for creating the author&#39;s own model of destination management which is presented at the end of this dissertation. Applying this model in the practice may yield to the well managed and well known tourist destination in Europe and around the globe.</p>

Seasonality in tourism has been present in the literature for decades. It is a universally phenomenon connected to climate and institutional factors which contributes to an imbalance in demand. It can be expressed through numbers of tourists, bed nights and expenditure. Seasonality is most obvious in peripheral destinations and it has generally been described as an issue that needs to be solved. Previous studies have put much attention on macro levels which includes how destinations could mitigate seasonality and create all-year around tourism. This study examines seasonality at a micro level by using Gotland as a case. The aim of the study was to explore perspective of Gotlandic nature-based tourism companies on seasonality, all in order to increase the understanding on seasonality aspects in tourism. The data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews with nature-based companies on Gotland. The results of the study indicate that lifestyle motives are strong for running a nature-based company on Gotland and the short, intense summer-season make it possible. Seasonality is therefore not considered as an issue that needs to be urgently solved. Other themes related to sustainable destination development such as carrying capacity, employment, possibilities of growth and regional strategies are also being deeply discussed in this study.

Idrottsevenemang används ofta för att attrahera turister till en destination. Jönköping har med framgångsrika arrangörer, föreningar och destinationsbolag etablerat sig som en idrottsevenemangs stad. Dessa evenemang har bidragit med olika hållbara effekter till destinatioen. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur idrottsevenemang har påverkat Jönköpings utveckling. Det har genomförts elva intervjuer med personer som är verksamma i Jönköping och undersökningen har kartlagt hur Jönköping arbetar med idrottsturism samt vilka hållbara ekonomiska, sociala och miljömässiga effekter som idrottsevenemang lämnar kvar på destinationen.

In the modern competive situation on globalized market it is extremely important to find a comparative advantage that could place the company on the edge of rivalry on the market, either internal or international. Many companies face the issue of the lack or unaccessibility of resources. In such circumstances companies can find appropriate solution in outsourcing or offshoring their processes. In addition, many companies not only adopt outsourcing into the working process, but also build their business around Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) as a core competency of the company. Outsourcing in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Industry becomes a leading trend in many areas of economy enabled by fast development of communication technologies.      In this paper we studied outsourcing in general, outsourcing in ICT sector as well as the modern  position of Ukraine on the global ITO market and its perspective of cooperation with Nordic companies.     Theoretical data were analyzed in static, reflecting modern state of affairs in this industry branch, and dynamic way, showing the outcomes of development of the industry in the country during the last few years. Empirical study was fulfilled through a case study. Ukrainian ITO industry was shown as an attractive outsourcing destination for companies from Nordic region, with some drawbacks.

Tourism could be discussed as being a damaging phenomenon if not managed correctly as well as being destructive towards its own industry by its contribution towards climate change (UNWTO 2008; Glegg et al 2021; Grilli 2021). However, tourism is often considered to be highly important for the destination's economic and social development (Glegg et al 2021). Besides this, natural resources often tend to play an important role in the attractiveness of a destination (Fennell 2015; Uyarra et al 2009). A strategic tourism strategy is therefore needed in order to protect the natural resources of the destination, and in order to become economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. The blue destination strategy could be defined as the sustainable use of ocean resources for growth, well-being, and jobs while protecting the oceans’ ecosystems’ health (Tourism Corporation Bonaire 2017). Bonaire is a small island in the Caribbean that, since 2017, has been implementing a blue destination approach as their destination development strategy. By examining the case of Bonaire, the study aims to develop a better understanding of the contribution of a development strategy towards a sustainable tourism industry within a tourism-oriented society, and aims to highlight the stakeholder’s perspective. This is trying to be obtained by answering the three research questions of what the tourism industry looks like on Bonaire, what is trying to be achieved with the blue destination company certification and what the blue destination strategy is as well as what effect it has had on Bonaire so far. In order to provide an answer, the study uses a triangularization method. Six interviews with stakeholders, document analysis, and statistical analysis were carried out. Results highlighted that tourism on Bonaire is an important driver for economic and social growth. The tourism industry on Bonaire is seen as highly dependent on the natural resources of the island, mainly its ocean. The blue company certification has been highlighted as a tool to ensure that sustainable criteria are met as well as an important tool for marketing and inspiring others to become more sustainable. Blue destination has then been highlighted as a way to create and ensure a tourism industry that generates economic welfare and stimulates sustainability for the whole island while highlighting the connection between human activity and the marine ecosystem that takes place in the ocean economy. Measurable effects have so far been minimal or not noticeable but stakeholders highlighted that it has helped by synergizing the island and providing better cooperation between stakeholders, leading to them having the same vision.

This research study is based on the visual marketing of African destinations and the colonial influence in a post-colonial world. Recent tourism research tourism has examined post-colonial realities in developing countries addressing the experience of British post-colonialism, however, only a few of those studies have examined the cultural consequences of tourism marketing image influence on culture and national identity. This study’s objective is to investigate the colonial imagery and visual representation of Kenya while evaluating the extent to which the colonial discourse has shaped tourism marketing in Kenya.To investigate the colonial imagery influences in destination marketing in Kenya, qualitative analysis tools such as content and discourse analysis were used to evaluate images in this study. By evaluating the images, the endeavour was to discern how marketing represents the tourism culture, the people and the place. The results conclude that the construction of Kenya’s tourism space in post-colonial times should be thought of from a neo-colonial perspective.The study mainly concludes that the images on Kenya’s tourism come out of a colonial fantasy and nostalgia that contributes to the manufacturing of ‘safari country’ initiated by the colonialist gaze. The colonial myths endure in Kenya’s tourism space and continue to shape the tourists’ fantasies as a majority of tourism marketer’s hail from western countries. The Kenya colonial myth is perpetuated through films and memoirs that depict Kenya through repeated images and analogies of beautiful prehistoric scenarios of fantasies. Like most developing countries and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenya will continue to rely on its tourism industry for foreign exchange.While this study was aimed at a practical problem, future research on this topic is recommended to find out how consuming different cultures especially of former colonies could be done ethically, and how hosts’ active inclusivity and tourist diversity marketing should be upheld as part of responsible travel for travel agencies and luxury camps.

The focus of this research lies on the possibilities and willingness of accommodation businesses to work for and towards sustainability in a destination. The area of investigation is the municipality of Bad Hindelang located in the German Alps. The so called Ökomodell stands for a collaboration agreement between agriculture and the municipality in order to preserve Bad Hindelang’s ecologically and touristically extremely valuable cultural landscape through continued traditional pasture-based livestock farming. The point of departure for this research is the destination’s goal to bring the accommodation sector on board. Two questions are particularly relevant in this context. First, to what extend do accommodation businesses recognize the Ökomodell’s importance for their own success as tourism stakeholders? And second, what factors influence their willingness to implement appropriate sustainability measures? The approach chosen for this research is mixed methods. Both, qualitative semi-structured expert interviews as well as a quantitative survey have been conducted. The results lay open the perspective of accommodation providers in Bad Hindelang. They have shown to be aware of agriculture being the condition for landscape preservation and thus long-term success in tourism. However, their willingness to contribute by implementing suggested sustainability actions is influenced by a multitude of other factors; above all, the costs and benefits going along as well as their level of engagement and foresight as tourism entrepreneurs.

This study was conducted to theoretically develop and empirically test a structural equation model of tourism destination competitiveness from the tourism stakeholders'perspective. The proposed hypotheses that attempted to identify the structural relationships among the five constructs in the model were examined through a series of analyses in LISREL: 1) perceived tourism development impacts, 2) environmental attitudes, 3) place attachment, 4) development preferences about destination attractions/resources, and 5) support for destination competitive strategies The principle guideline of this study was that the support of tourism stakeholders for tourism planning and development is a key element for the successful operation, management, and long-term sustainability of tourism destinations. Tourism stakeholders' solid knowledge and experiences in tourism management and industry, professional involvement and participation in tourism planning and development, and long-term community observation and interactions have played an important role in tourism destination management. A total of 646 usable questionnaires were collected from randomly selected tourism stakeholders in the state of Virginia. From the results of hypotheses tests, tourism stakeholders' preferences about tourism attractions/ resources development are a function of perceived tourism development impacts as well as place attachment. The more stakeholders' preference for developing tourism attractions/resources, the more likely they were to support destination competitive strategies such as marketing efforts and activities, and destination management organizations' role. An additional finding that was not hypothesized indicated that tourism stakeholders, who have perceived benefits from tourism development, particularly in its economic and cultural aspects, are likely to support enhancement strategies for destination competitiveness. The implications of these findings can be applied to the enhancement of tourism destination competitiveness. / Ph. D.