COMPETITIVENESS OF THE TOURISM DESTINATION IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

Advanced destinations that dominated the international tourism in the second half of the last century, are feeling now the effects of the slowdown in economic growth as well as the population aging. New demand is increasing namely in developing regions such as South and East Asia, Latin America and Russia. Sustainable competitiveness in comparison with new destinations as well as the ability to attract tourists from emerging markets is becoming key factors of success in the international tourism market. At the theoretical level a concept of the competitiveness of the tourism destination is developed as a response to changes in the status and role of tourism in the global environment. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the meaning of internal and external factors of tourist destination competitiveness in a global economy and to define key prerequisites for the creation of a long-term successful operation of the management and planning of tourism at the national as well as regional level. A comparative profile of European countries within the major internationally recognized ranking of competitiveness of destinations and national brands will also be monitored.