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Innovation of the Tourism Product of the Chopok-South Micro-Region

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Innovation of the Tourism Product of the Chopok-South Micro-Region Masaryk University Faculty of Economics and Administration MASTER’S DIPLOMA THESIS 2020 Viktória STARČOKOVÁ FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND ADMINISTRATION Innovation of the Tourism Product of the Chopok-South Micro-Region Master’s Diploma Thesis STARČOKOVÁ VIKTÓRIA Supervisor: Ing. Martin Šauer PhD. Programme: Regional Development Brno 2020 Autor’s name and surname: Viktória Starčoková Name of the diploma thesis: Innovation of the tourism product in the Chopok-South micro-region Department Regional Economics and Administration Supervisor: Ing. Martin Šauer, Ph.D. Defence year: 2020 Annotation The goal of the Master’s Diploma thesis “Innovation of the tourism product in the Chopok- South micro-region” is to analyse current state of tourism product and innovations in this area and suggest possibilities for development in the future. The first part of the thesis concentrates on the theoretical background related to the topic of the thesis. The second part analyses current state of tourism product and innovations in the micro-region. All fidings are sumarized in the SWOT analysis. Last part which is based on the SWOT analysis contains suggestion for improvement. Keywords Innovation, Tourism Product, Tourism Innovation, Chopok-South I declare that I have worked on this diploma thesis on the subject of Innovation of the tourism product in the Chopok-South micro-region independently under the supervision of Ing. Martin Šauer, Ph.D. and listed in all used bibliography and other professional sources in accordance with legal regulations, internal regulations of Masaryk University and internal acts of management of Masaryk University and the Faculty of Economics and Administration of Masaryk University. author’s handwritten signature Acknowledgement First of all, I would like to thank Ing. Martin Šauer, Ph.D., for his support, guidance and kind attitude during my work on this thesis. I would also like to thank Mgr. Kristína Šajgalíková, destination manager in the Horehronie destination organization, for useful information and help. Last but not least, I thank Mgr. Kristýna Pavlásková for her help with English. Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 14 1 Tourism Product ................................................................................................................ 15 1.1 General Characteristic of Tourism Product ............................................................... 15 1.2 Special Features of the Tourism Product ................................................................... 18 1.3 Individual Components of the Tourism Product ....................................................... 21 1.4 Quality and Value of the Tourism Product ................................................................ 24 1.5 Cooperation of Tourism Entities ............................................................................... 24 1.6 The Tourism Area Life Cycle .................................................................................... 25 2 Tourism Innovation ............................................................................................................... 27 2.1 Drivers of Tourism Innovation ....................................................................................... 28 2.2. Barriers of Innovations in Tourism ............................................................................... 31 2.3 Classification of Innovations .......................................................................................... 33 2.4 Learning Region ............................................................................................................. 35 2.5.1. Strategic Product Development Process ................................................................. 35 3 Tourism Product in the Chopok-South Micro-Region .......................................................... 37 3.1 Basic Definition of the Chopok-South Micro-Region .................................................... 37 3.2 The Chopok-South Micro-Region as a Part of the Slovak Tourist Regions .................. 38 3.3 The Chopok-South Micro-Region Environment ............................................................ 39 3.3.1 Natural Enviroment .................................................................................................. 39 3.3.2 Political / Legal Enviroment .................................................................................... 40 3.3.3 Technological Enviroment ....................................................................................... 41 3.3.4 Economic Factors ..................................................................................................... 41 3.3.5 Cultural Enviroment ................................................................................................. 42 3.3.6 Social Factors ........................................................................................................... 42 3.4 Primary Offer of the Chopok-South Micro-Region ....................................................... 43 3.4.1 Natural Conditions ................................................................................................... 43 3.4.2 Cultural and Historical Conditions .......................................................................... 48 3.4.3 Organized Events ..................................................................................................... 50 3.5 Secondary Offer .............................................................................................................. 52 3.5.1 Tourism Suprastructure – Accommodation Facilities ............................................. 52 3.5.2 Tourism Suprastructure – Catering Facilities .......................................................... 53 3.5.2 Tourism Suprastructure – Tourism Centres in the Chopok-South Micro-Region ... 54 3.6 Tourism Infrastructure .................................................................................................... 56 3.7 General Infrastructure ..................................................................................................... 58 3.8 Product Quality and Value of the Chopok-South Micro-Region ................................... 61 3.9 Cooperation of Entities in the Chopok-South Micro-Region ......................................... 61 4 Tourism Innovation in the Chopok-South Micro-Region ..................................................... 64 4.1 Drivers of Tourism Innovation in the Chopok-South Micro-Region ............................. 64 4.2 Types of Innovation of Tourism Product in the Chopok-South Micro-Region ............. 68 4.3 Barriers of Innovation in Tourism in the Chopok-South Micro-Region ........................ 69 5 Innovation and Tourism Destination Development .............................................................. 71 5.1. SWOT Analysis ............................................................................................................. 71 5.2 Tourism Destination Development – Proposals ............................................................. 72 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 82 References ................................................................................................................................ 84 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 90 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... 90 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................ 91 List of Appendices ................................................................................................................... 92 Introduction The Chopok-South micro-region is a place where I have lived the longest part of my life so far and which I care about. It is also a place with beautiful nature and great potential in terms of tourism. The region is especially popular in the winter season, when it is sought after by lovers of winter sports. As for the off-season, the area is mainly visited by tourists who enjoy hiking. However, the evolving society in today’s globalized world constantly requires something new. People are more travelled, more educated and their expectations for tourism and the services provided are rising. This fact puts pressure on entrepreneurs in the sector, who not only face increasing client demands but also tough competition. Travelling has become cheaper recently, so the offer for customers to choose from has significantly expanded. At the same time, the younger generation is fluent in foreign languages and has no problem communicating abroad, which increases competition even more drastically. Another fact that has a significant impact on tourism in general is the long-acknowledged climate change, which brings challenges that can significantly affect the Chopok-South micro- region. Predictions of less snow cover in the lower-placed resorts, as well as rising temperatures, which do not allow even artificial snow, shorten the peak season for most resorts in the region. On the other hand, the only higher-placed sports centre is not able to handle all customers on its own. Its possible expansion goes hand in hand
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