Destination Planning & Development Assignment 2022

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Module: Destination Planning &
Development
New Tourism/Leisure product Toolkit
Chosen Destination: CROATIA
1 Understanding the millennial market
Provide an overview of the key traits of the millennial travel
market (as this should inform your proposed new product) (100
words)
Suggested sources of information:
Travelport – Global Digital Traveller 2019
https://marketing.cloud.travelport.com/Global-Digital-Traveler-Research-2019
Skift Report – how travel advisors love millennials
https://skift.com/2019/12/10/who-loves-travel-advisors-the-most-its-millennials-
not-boomers/
Skift report on how Africa is trying to attract millennials – use this as a basis for
reviewing your own chosen destination https://skift.com/2018/02/07/travel-
megatrends-2018-africa-needs-to-woo-millennials-at-home-and-abroad/
According to Ordun(2015), millennial, typically recognized as generation Y, are
demographic cohort believed to be born between 1980 and 1999. During their visiting
period, tourist destination markets in Croatia tend to adjust and adapt various mechanisms
to compete favourably during this period of the year. Some of the changes that can be
witnessed during this period within the market include; improvement in the transportation
sector, renovation on accommodation facilities to bring out unforgettable experiences,
advancement on technology section such as the provision of WIFI hotspots, provision of
social media services on 24/7 basis, modification on the gaming industry sector such as
point scoring that creates competition, expansion on accommodation and hotel facilities to
cater for the increasing demand and introduction of personalized packages and perks to

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each individual(Badurina-Đurkin, Perić and Šebrek-Kljaić 2018).
2 Overview of tourism within your destination.
Provide an overview of the success of tourism to date in your
destination – focus on visitor numbers/flows, tourism revenue,
key markets and whether it is a seasonal destination. (200
words)
Suggested sources of information:
UNWTO (2017-19) Tourism Highlights
Review the weather and holiday packages of the destination – is it a seasonal
destination?
The success of tourist attraction in Croatia has been witnessed by positive improvements,
especially in May and June or September and October, when the weather is sunny and
pleasant (Antonaras 2018). During these months, sunbathing and swimming are usually
ideal for tourists, especially in the Adriatic Sea. More so, due to the country’s rich cultural
and historical heritage and scenic beauty, they can register an increasingly better
percentage of tourists entering the nation.
According to IOANNIDIS(2019), the Ministry of Tourism reported, 234,100 tourists,
specifically from China, were able to visit the country and occupied 344,000 bed nights.
This was a significant increase of relatively 46% as compared to the previous year.
2019 was a successful tourist year for the country, having recorded 19.4 million visitors.

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This was a record-breaking displaying an increment of 6.5% more as compared to
2017(Gómez-Encinas 2019). On the other hand, overnights stay often recognized as a
critical measure for tourism were also high by 4%.
In the same year (2019), it was the first time over in history for the country to record
tourism revenue of over 10 billion euros. This brings a total count of the tourism sector in
Croatia to about 17% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), being among top
European republics by a portion of tourism in GDP(Veiga et al., 2017).
Also, this year is a year of culture and tourism between Croatia and China; numerous
activities will be carried out to promote the growth and development of the two nations at
large.

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3 Destination Audit – an analysis of the existing
tourism environment within your destination
Conduct a destination audit of the 3 key A’s within your
destination - Attractions, Access & Amenities (this audit is
based on Buhalis’ 6As framework). Your audit should show the
strengths and weaknesses of each of the 3 A’s with reference
to the millennial market. (500 words)
Suggested sources of information:
- World Economic Forum, Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Reports
(provides ‘scores’ for natural and cultural attractions, air transport and
ground infrastructure)
- Travel Guide Books on the destination
- TripAdvisor reviews of attractions, accommodation etc
Destination A’s List the key
As within the
destination
STRENGTHS
(Cite references
to justify your
claims)
WEAKNESSES
(Cite references to
justify your claims)
ATTRACTIONS
(are the
attractions
suitable for the
millennial
market?)
Due to the
diverse nature
of tourist
attraction in
Croatia, some
include
congress,
diving, cultural,
ecological,
Source of
government
revenues. In
reference to the
report presented
by the ministry,
tourism accounts
for 17% of the
GDP(Čavlek,
With the influx of
millennial tourist
into the country, the
nation tends to
experience several
challenges. In that,
there has been poor
disposal of waste
products which in

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adventure,
fishing,
historical,
excursion,
religious,
nautical and
health tourism
(Bodogai 2017)
Ladkin and
Willis 2017).
Offers
employment
opportunities to
the surrounding
communities.
With the
increasing
number of
millennial
tourists,
individuals
across the
country get the
opportunity of
being engaged
with the sector to
offer services.
turns affects the
ecosystem life
(Aynalem, Birhanu
and Tesefay 2016).
Loss of culture tends
to be witnessed in
several regions due
to the adoption of the
millennial way of
living. This happen
happens to the
growing generation
expected to maintain
and preserve the
nation’s culture for
future purposes.
ACCESS (A)
(access to the
destination -
Extent of direct
flights, ferry ports
etc)
Several
attractions sites
are situated in
seas having
direct access by
means of ferry
Time consuming
will be
minimized which
may result due to
traffic
congestion.
It is an expensive
mode of
transportation as
compared to other
available means of
transportation.

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ports with the
best example
being Adriatic
coastal regions
that offer
unique and
beauty scenery
(Egberts and
Hundstad
2019). Also,
Dubrovnik
recognized as
tourist attraction
site has direct
access to flights
thus easing
more travel
expenses. The
access to
destination is
therefore much
affordable and
reliable within
this country.
It is the most
reliable means of
transportation
which require
minimal repair
on runways. I.e.
there is no
maintenance
required on water
and airways
(Bodogai 2017).
It is convenient
means of
transportation as
compared to land
transport since, it
entails
transporting large
number of
individuals in
line with cargo if
need arises to
meet the market
demand of the
increasing
In case of an
accident, huge loss
of lives tends to be
incurred thus halting
several routine
activities for a
certain period of
time (Dadic 2019).
They can only travel
through air and
water, which
becomes a challenge
in case of changes in
weather conditions
within the country.