the level of environmental preservation of rural istria as a vital factor of marketing and ...

8/13/2019 The level of environmental preservation of rural Istria as a vital factor of marketing and sustainable tourism development

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1st International Scientific ConferenceKonwledge and business challenges of globalisation

Faculty for commercial and business science■ 522

Tourism and challenges in sustainable development

Section sponsor Hotel torman General sponsor Banka Celje

Desimir Bošković Institute of Agriculture and Tourism Poreč

[email protected]

David PoropatValamar Hotels &Resorts [email protected]

Ana TežakInstitute of Agriculture and Tourism, Croatia

[email protected]

The level of environmental preservation of ruralIstria as a vital factor of marketing and

sustainable tourism developmentSummaryRural Istria has not been devastated. Environmentally, it is clean and preserved. It has no air,soil or water polluters. These are the reasons why it resources should be more fully exploitedfor developing various forms of sustainable rural tourism and for fostering organic foodproduction. The positive effects of rural tourism can be maximised, and its negative effects,minimised, providing tourism development is seen as a partner relationship of all actorsinvolved, and providing the mistakes of mass tourism development on the coast are notrepeated. The necessity for the joint action of all actors in rural areas is one of thepreconditions to taking a step forward in improving the quality of life of residents, whileproviding proper protection to all tourism resources available to the destination and enablingtourism supply providers to achieve positive results. Marketing plays a vital role insustainable rural tourism, although in changed conditions and using a new concept. Nolonger is the primary task of marketing to promote rural destinations and attract as manytourists as possible. Instead, its job is to send a message to potential tourists about thepreserved environment and the protection of the destination’s natural resources, aboutorganic food and other assets of the destination. In 2007 and 2008, the authors of this paperconducted an extensive tourist survey in 30 types of accommodation facilities in the coastaland rural parts of Istria. Based on this survey, they present the attitudes and travelmotivations of tourists in Istria, and underline the importance and influence of a preserved

environment to tourists in choosing a destination. Results show that over 18% of the touristssurveyed prefer to spend their holidays in a rural area and are accustomed to buying andconsuming ecologically produced food, while more than 70% of the respondents areinterested in buying and consuming organic food in Istria. The survey also shows that 60% ofthe tourist surveyed would like to consume organic food as part of the gastronomic offering ofthe hotels in which they are staying. Over 70% of the respondents would be willing to spendup to 30% more for organic foodstuffs relative to conventional food products. All of the aboveare important segments of marketing activities and organisation, to which special attentionwill be given in this paper.

AbstractIn 2008, the authors of this paper conducted an extensive tourist survey in 30 types ofaccommodation facilities in the coastal and rural parts of Istria. Based on this survey, they



1. mednarodna znanstvena konferencaZnanje in poslovni izzivi globalizacije

523 ■ Fakulteta za komercialne in poslovne vede

Turizem in izzivi trajnostnega razvoja

Pokrovitelj sekcije Hotel Štorman Glavni pokrovitelj Banka Celje

present the attitudes and travel motivations of tourists in Istria, and underline the importanceand influence of a preserved environment to tourists in choosing a destination. Results showthat over 18% of the tourists surveyed prefer to spend their holidays in a rural area and areaccustomed to buying and consuming ecologically produced food, while more than 70% of

the respondents are interested in buying and consuming organic food in Istria. The surveyalso shows that 60% of the tourist surveyed would like to consume organic food as part ofthe gastronomic offering of the hotels in which they are staying. Over 70% of therespondents would be willing to spend up to 30% more for organic foodstuffs relative toconventional food products.

Keywords: rural tourism, sustainable development, ecology, organic food, marketing,organisation

1 IntroductionThe protection and conservation of the environment is an acute social issue of today’s age,across all levels – local, regional, national or global. Resolving and alleviating this problem isa highly complex task and requires an interdisciplinary approach, considering that the onsetand causes of this issue can be viewed from different perspectives: social, cultural,economic, technological, ethical, and political, and ultimately from the perspective ofmarketing. Global climate change, sustainable development and socially responsiblebusinesses are topical areas of research for experts and scientists around the world. Muchhas been said and written about climate change and global warming in recent times. Thereason for this is that such changes have a pace that cannot be predicted; they can alter lifecycles and cause natural disasters and catastrophes worldwide. All of this is the result of avariety of human activities that generate greenhouse gases, the concentration of which is

continuously growing. Change in the warming of the climate system is manifested in thegrowth of average air and ocean temperatures, the melting of snow and ice, and in the risingof global sea levels. (OPCC 2007) Global warming is not an issue that is merely scientific innature, nor is it a political issue, despite the fact that, in a certain respect, politics can play adeciding role in its resolution. Instead, it is more about a moral issue and a crisis, whichneeds to be resolved by all countries of the world acting in synergy. (Gore 2006) The climateand the natural environment are the primary resources of tourism, and they are indisputablyinterconnected and interdependent. Space and its geo-physical base are the “raw materials”that provide the platform for the development of the entire tourism offering of a givendestination. (Blažević 2007, 175) The actors who should actively participate in conservingand protecting the natural wealth range from every individual across businesses and non-profit organisations to scientific and educational institutions at all levels, even to the highestlevels of legislature and executive power.Where Croatia is concerned, according to the National Strategy of Environmental Protectionof the Republic of Croatia published in 2003 and the National Action Plan for theEnvironment of 2002, the greatest problem in environmental protection is the inappropriatemanagement and disposal of waste. (Official Gazette no. 46 2002)The quantities of waste and the magnitude of the unsolved problem of waste and runoffwaters in Croatia and its most developed tourist destinations are constantly growing. Theexisting waste-disposal infrastructure and technology is lacking and inadequate. The issue ofgreatest concern at this moment is the fact that the waste management system at any levelis not fully operational and could bring about a waste management crisis. Unless wide-sweeping changes are made, this could become a major problem for certain sectors,primarily public health, tourism, water management and agriculture. Without a systematic







approach to addressing these issues, there can be no socially responsible businesses orsustainable development.Destination management, which unfortunately does not function, should make greater effortsin addressing these and similar issues. Management that is unable to recognise theimportance of protecting the environment the productivity of resource usage as a major pathto gaining competitive advantages, does not possess a long-term vision for the survival ofenterprises on the market. (Golja 2009, 8)

2 MethodologyA survey was conducted among tourists staying in the coastal and rural parts of Istria during2008 to study the importance of the natural environment and the level of preservation of ruralIstria as a major factor in marketing and sustainable tourism development. The research toolwas a questionnaire designed by the paper’s authors and the co-workers of the researchproject. A total of 1,300 tourists were surveyed in 30 different accommodation facilities in thecoastal and rural parts of Istria. The interviewers of the Institute of Agriculture and Tourismconducted the survey in three rounds, in the pre-season, the high season, and the lateseason.The interviewers distributed the questionnaires to guests staying in the facilities selected forthe survey. A total of 1,300 fully completed questionnaires were returned. Such a largenumber of returned questionnaires can be considered satisfactory for making certainmarketing, business and development decisions concerning the Istria destination, as well asfor confirming the hypothesis regarding the growing importance of a destination’s level ofenvironmental preservation as a travel motivation and source of guest satisfaction.This paper presents only partial results of the survey, in particular, the results pertaining tomotivations and preferences for travelling to rural areas, the importance and influence of the

level of preservation on the selection of a destination, satisfaction with the level ofpreservation, preferences for ecologically produced food, and marketing activities.

3 Results and researchThe questionnaire used to survey tourists staying in coastal and rural Istria in the 2008 touristseason contains 18 questions. A third of the questions are conventional, pertaining to themanner in which tourists learned about Istria, how they arrived, how long they are staying,etc. Most of the other questions were about travel motivations to Istria, whether touristswould be willing to spend their holidays in rural Istria, which part of the rural offering they are

most interested in, and how they rate the offering of organic food in restaurants and shops,and would they be willing to pay more for this type of food.Regarding the travel motivations of tourists, whether tourists will select a particulardestination will depend upon its quality and the services and facilities it provides. Travelmotivations change continuously. One of the survey’s questions of importance to thedevelopment of rural tourism in Istria sought to determine the basic travel motivations oftourists to Istria. The results are presented in the following Graph.







Graph 1: Basic travel motivations of tourists surveyed in Istria

Other; 4%

Favourableprices; 10%

Sportsactivities; 10%Culture and

entertainment;6%

Vicinity ofCroatia ; 10%

Landscapeand scenery ;

23%

Seasideholidays ; 37%

Source: Institute of agriculture and tourism, Department of tourism, Questionnaire 2008,processed by author

As illustrated in Graph 1, seaside holidays continue to hold first place among travelmotivations (37%), although not to the same extent as in previous years (60-70%). Thisconfirms our assumption/hypothesis that the “sea and sun” concept of tourism is increasinglychanging and needs to be enriched and supplemented with other services and facilities. Herewe see an opportunity for developing cultural and other selective forms of tourism based onsustainable development. Landscape and scenery together with preserved nature is thesecond most important travel motivation of tourists to Istria, and it is showing an upwardtrend. Favourable prices, sports activities, and the vicinity of Croatia are also important travelmotivations for tourists coming to Istria.The next Graphs illustrate how the tourists surveyed learned about Istria and how wellinformed they are regarding Istria’s offering. As expected, tourists are increasingly gatheringinformation over the Internet at the expense of travel agencies. However, the fact that over20% of the tourists surveyed were poorly informed about the tourism offering of Istria (seeGraph 3) indicates that, in marketing activities, greater attention needs to be attached to thepromotion of the destination’s offering.







Graph 2: Ways in which tourists have learned about Istria’s tourism offering

Recommendat

ion of travelagencies; 33%

Brochures, catalogues, info r

mationalmaterial ; 14%

Newspap ers, radio, TV; 4%

Internet; 21%

Recommendation of

f riends, f amily-run; 20%

On thespot; 6%

Other; 2%


Graph 3: How well informed are tourists about Istria’s tourism offering

Not enough;21%

Enough; 62%

Completely;17%

Source: Institute of agriculture and tourism, Department of tourism, Questionnaire 2008,

processed by authorData regarding the number of repeat visits by tourists to the destination are interesting Graph4 shows that the majority of tourists surveyed have made more than five repeat visits (44%),while 40% have made three repeat visits. These repeat visits confirm that their travelmotivations have been fulfilled and that they are satisfied with the range and quality of theoffering.







Graph 4: Repeat visits of tourists surveyed in Istria

3 times; 40%

up to 5 times;16%

over 5 times;44%


processed by author

Graph 5: Tourist preferences regarding the possibility of vacationing in the countryside

Yes, I adoresuch

holidays;11%

Maybe; 40%

No; 49%


processed by author

The data in Graph 5 confirm the trend of growing interest in rural forms of tourism, especiallyas the tourists surveyed were those vacationing in the urban part of coastal Istria. In additionto comfortable accommodation, and peace and quiet, rural areas also offer guests a varietyof outdoor and sports activities, organic food, wine roads, gastronomic specialties, etc., all ofwhich are important motivations for visiting the countryside. This means that rural Istria isinteresting as a tourist destination because of its vicinity to outbound tourist markets, theproximity of the sea, and its natural, cultural, historical and other resources, and that it shouldcontinue with the rapid development of various forms of rural and sustainable tourism. In thisway, it will be possible to restructure Istria’s existing mass tourism offering and valorise theeconomic resources of its countryside.







Graph 6: Rating of the organic food offering in restaurants and shops

Insufficientof fering of

organic andeco-labelledfo od; 24%

Yes, I aminterested in

this type offo od; 49%

As aconsumer, I

am notfo cused on

organic food ;27%


Among other things, the survey aimed to confirm the hypothesis of the steadily growingdemand for organic food by foreign and domestic tourists, considering that similar researchhas not been conducted and that the existing data are estimations. As the Graph indicates,the respondents are not satisfied with the organic food offering (24%), while almost 50% ofrespondents are interested in this type of food. These results should serve as an incentive tohelp foster organic farming on a larger scale in rural areas, and they should be useful tohoteliers, travel agencies, wholesalers and retailers, and distributors. Based on these results,hoteliers and other hospitality and tourism providers in Istria should begin to think about

transforming one hotel in each destination into an eco-hotel, and setting up a number oforganic-food restaurants and shops.Many organic farmers claim that organic farming is considerably more expensive thanconventional farming because yields are low, buying up is poorly organised, etc. For thisreason, we wished to learn, through the survey, whether tourists would be willing to pay morefor organic food and how much more.As illustrated in the following Graphs (9 – 13), 77% of the respondents have stated that theywould be willing to pay up to 15 – 20% more from organic food than for conventionallyproduced food. A far smaller percentage stated they would be willing to pay 20 – 30% morefor organic food relative to ordinary food. Also presented are data regarding the nationalstructure of surveyed tourists and their willingness to pay (or not to pay) 20 – 30% more fororganic food.







Graph 7: Evaluation of the acceptability of higher prices of organic food

Yes, Iwould, 15-20%; 77%

Yes, Iwould, 20-30% ; 9%

No, I wouldnot; 14%


processed by author

Graph 8: National structure of tourists who would be willing to pay higher pricesfor organic food

Germans;35%

Italians; 41%

English-speaking

areas; 22%

Croats; 2%


processed by author







Graph 9: Evaluation of the acceptability of higher prices of organic food by nationalstructure of respondents

Germans;32%

Italians; 26%

English-speaking

areas; 33%

Croats; 9%


processed by author

Graph 10: Monthly income of surveyed tourists and their interest in organic food

500 €; 0%500-1000 €;

13%

1000-1500 €;36%

1500-2000 €;23%

2000 € andmore ; 28%


processed by author

The data in Graph 10 indicate that the tourists surveyed, whose monthly net disposableincome ranges from 1,000 to 1,500 EUR, display the greatest interest in organic food. This israther surprising as it is expected that such tourists would belong to higher income brackets(more than 2,000 EUR).







4 Dimensions of ecological marketing indestination management

The dimensions of ecological marketing management can be derived from theoreticalknowledge and practical experience. Ecological marketing management should become theguidepost for new and future tourism workers, as well as for those who seek to stand upagainst the auto-destructive trends of tourism. In daily decision processes, management isfaced with continuous conflicts of the economic premises and interests of the owners ofcapital on the one hand, and environmental considerations on the other. This makes itessential to carry out a number of activities across a number of levels. First, at the normativelevel, it is necessary to (Bošković and Vukčević 2006, 238):

• Define environmental goals and the policies of enterprises and destinations,• Devise an environmental strategy of conduct and define action to be taken at all

management levels in enterprises and destination.Such environmental strategies involve:• Providing information and enabling consultations at many levels,• Creating and setting up essential and close collaboration with environmental experts

and advisers,• Setting up so-called eco-databases in enterprises and destinations,• Introducing an environmental balance sheet and environmental accounting in all

businesses.

At the organisational level in enterprises, many activities are also required which themanagement of transition countries much carry out. These involve:

• Creating a special environmental team at the highest management level, that is,appointing special officers for environmental ecology,• Establishing a environmental management system in enterprises and destinations,• Establishing the environmental responsibility of the management of enterprises and

destinations,• Putting in place the continuous auditing of the environment, water, energy and all

resources used in the production and service process of enterprises,• Encouraging the use of alternative energy sources in the production of products and

services,• Taking into consideration environmental criteria, in addition to the required formal

criteria when recruiting personnel – managers, in particular,•

Taking into consideration behaviour towards nature in assessing workers,• Developing a program of compulsory and permanent environmental education acrossall levels and for all employees – managers, in particular.

• Raising the environmental awareness of employees.• In the area of designing products and services, managers are required to:• Change over to products and service that use the environment sparingly,• Desist from environmentally harmful products and services,• Become engaged in creating waste bases and in recycling waste.• The marketing managers of enterprises and destinations are required to engage in

and take action to protect the environment by (Bošković and Vukčević , 2009:237):• Checking and analysing the entire product range of enterprises and destinations to

ensure products and services are environmentally correct,• Encouraging environmental innovations in enterprises,







• Providing the market with environment-oriented and differentiated prices for organicfood, bio-hotels and so on,

• Continuously publishing the positive environmental aspects of a given product on themarket – rural offering, eco-tourism, and eco-food,

•

Providing the market with real, true and honest information regarding theenvironmental situation of companies and destinations,• Making guests sensitive to environmental aspects,• Insisting that, in investment and development programmes, all programmes,

materials, equipment and contractors are checked to ensure they are environmentallyharmless,

• Securing a reduction in bank interest for environmentally friendly investments in thedevelopment programmes of enterprises and destinations,

• Standing up in favour of the implementation of mandatory environmental auditing andenvironmental revision.

For many years, tour operators such as TUI, Kuoni, Hotelplan and others have been anexample of how eco-management systems can be applied in tourism practice. In this, TUIhas gone the farthest in the world by developing such an environmental network that, at theplaces where they take their guests, they want to (TUI, 2002:21) :

• Give their contribution to protecting animals, plants, nature and cultural heritage,• Ensure that land, water, air, energy sources and other resources are used sparingly,

and that pollution is avoided,• Reinforce partner in private enterprises and create sustainable structures.

Which are the main attributes of environment-oriented management? Recently, in addition tomanaging product and service quality and ensuring worker safety, managers are increasingly

required to become engaged in protecting the environment from the adverse effects ofproducts and services. More and more focus is placed on developing partnership relationsbetween enterprises and their environment with regard to environmental protection. Ethicalinvestments to protect the environment or investment in environmental funds are a sign ofthe management’s environmental education and business interest reflected in the fact that “inthe long run, it pays to investment in environmental protection for personal and publicinterests”. (Črnjar 2002, 210) Transition countries and countries who plan and wish to join theEU cannot achieve this unless ecological management is there at the very beginning ofinvestment and development to take care of environmental protection. In other words, froman ecological perspective, it is vital that so-called change management exists, emerging fromthe discovery of new materials, technologies and technological processes (Bošković andVukčević 2009), from change in the tourist market and ecological change in the environment.

(Bošković 2007, 254)For some time now, the tourist trade and environmental organisations have been seekingforms of environmentally responsible tourism. (Hansruedi 2004, 181) Tourism workers – inparticular, marketers – consider there is considerable opportunity for marketing using eco-signs and labels for quality.

5 ConclusionModern society is focused on the green paradigm. In a way, this is a response to the growingcontradictories that globalisation is bringing in its wake. Such an orientation is proof that the

concept of sustainable development is becoming the focus of managers in the modern







tourism sector. Rural environments are particularly sensitive to ecological issues, and it is inthe interest of the entire tourism destination of Istria to safeguard and preserve nature. Thestrategic positioning of Istria as a destination cannot be done in a short time, especially fromthe perspective of environmental conservation as a vital factor of marketing and

competitiveness on the tourism market. However, preserved nature, which has alreadybecome the destination’s brand, can easily be destroyed. The choice is in the hands ofdestination managers and their correct assessments of products and services and the stepsthey take in valorising these products and services on the market. To maintain and enhancecompetitiveness based on the level of environmental conservation as a key factor ofmarketing, rural and coastal Istria need to keep abreast of world trends and remain capableof providing well-designed, appealing and environmentally harmless year-roundprogrammes. Research conducted shows that there is a growing interest in rural tourism,that most of the tourists surveyed are interested in organic food, and that this will continue tobe the case in the future as long as the level of environmental conservation remainssatisfactory.

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Conference on Organizational Science Development CREATIVE ORGANIZATION. P. 254. ČRNJAR, M. 2002. Ekonomika ipolitika zaštite okoliša. Rijeka: Ekonomski fakultet u Rijeci.DULČIĆ , A. 2000. Upravljanje razvojem turizma. Zagreb: Mate d.o.o.GOLJA, T. Percepcija menadžera o važnosti implementacije načela održivog razvoja uposlovne strategije poduzeća-slučaj velikih hotelskih poduzeća u Istri. V: Journal“Ekonomska misao i praksa”, Dubrovnik, Year XVIII, No. 1. P. 8.GORE, A. 2006. An Inconvergent truth: the crisis of global warming. New York: Rodale Inc.HANSRUEDI, M. 2004. Turizam i ekologija. Zagreb: Masmedia. P. 181.MAGAŠ, D. Destinacijski menadžment, modeli i tehnike. Opatija: University of Rijeka, Facultyof Tourism and Hospitality Management.VUK, D. 2000. Uvod v ekološkimenadžment. Kranj: Fakulteta za organizacijske vede,Založba moderna organizacija.

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