COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TOURISM DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS: CROATIA VS. SERBIA

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the tourism destination competitiveness of Croatia and Serbia from the perspective of tourism industry stakeholders, and subsequently compare their perceptions. Using the convenience sampling method and the snowball approach, tourism stakeholders in both countries were asked to assess 47 competitiveness indicators across four dimensions on a 5-point Likert scale. Comparative analysis of survey results revealed commonalities and disparities in stakeholders' viewpoints. The findings indicate that both Croatia and Serbia should focus on addressing perceived weaknesses and leveraging strengths to enhance their competitiveness. Notably, both countries receive positive evaluations for their natural and cultural resources, suggesting their potential for tourism development. Stakeholders in Croatia perceive their country as more competitive than Serbia, particularly in marketing, experience, and infrastructure. However, Serbia faces challenges in these areas, indicating the need for improvement, especially in quality of tourism offerings and infrastructure. Also, Serbia struggles with international awareness, destination positioning, and brand perception. Croatia should continue investing in sustaining and enhancing its competitive advantages, while Serbia should focus on improving infrastructure, refining tourism policies, and enhancing marketing initiatives. Both countries should prioritize stakeholder consultations to gather insights and foster collaborative decision-making, along with establishing systems for continuous monitoring of competitiveness indicators and adapting strategies to changing market dynamics. The study highlights implications for DMOs and tourism businesses in each country, emphasizing the importance of cross-country comparisons to understand the significance of competitiveness attributes and the efficacy of strategies within the tourism industry context. This research offers both theoretical and practical contributions, providing policymakers and stakeholders with insights to tailor strategies aligned with stakeholder perceptions and to boost competitiveness in the tourism industries of Croatia and Serbia.