Aleksandra S. Dragin, Vojislav Dragin, Jovan Plavša, Andjelija Ivkov, Branislav S. Djurdjev

Cruise Ship Tourism on the Danube in Vojvodina Province as a Segment of Global Tourism

Aleksandra S. Dragin1, Vojislav ular rivers are: the Danube, the Rhine, the Dragin2, Jovan Plavša1, Andjelija Introduction Neva, the Volga, the Elba, the Seine, the Ivkov1, Branislav S. Djurdjev1 Modern cruising, which originated around Rhone and the Po (HCEF, 2005). 1970, is the fastest growing, most dynamic Such tendencies at the tourist market segment of the travel and tourism industry occur due to the increase in living stand- Abstract (Cruise Lines International Association ards of the population in certain countries, Tourist packages based on cruises on the (CLIA) 1992). Also, cruise business is one higher competition of vessels offering low- Danube river through Central and Eastern of the major growth areas of internation- er prices of services (especially ships from Europe represent a joint tourist offer of the al tourism (CLIA 1995; Hobson, 1993; Peis- Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, etc.), as well as countries in the area. The aim of the paper is ley, 1995; Kester, 2003). The World Tourism segmentation of tourist demand and of- to explore the potential benefits for the re- Organization conducted the Tourism Vi- fer intended for revealing new tourist at- ceptive countries and regions, particularly sion Study in 1998 and predicted that five tractions. Tourist recreation has become Vojvodina (Province of Serbia) by launching most popular tourism products emerge achievable to the wider population and this tourist product to the world market. over the next two decades would be cultur- found its position in their philosophy of The results of the analysis have shown that al tourism, adventure tourism, ecotourism, life. Within the global tourism develop- the Danube cruises have positive impact cruise tourism and thematic tourism. ment, the Danube occupies a leading posi- on Vojvodina Province, primarily the ripari- The annual turnover of cruises was 14.3 tion within both demand and offer, which an area of the Danube. Although the ben- million tourists in 2004, with the estimat- is confirmed by the data (HCEF, 2005) for efits exclude food and accommodation ex- ed increase to 15 million tourists in 2006 2003 when about 392,766 tourists partici- penditure, they are noticeable within the and 20 million in 2012 (Cruise Informa- pated in the Danube river cruises (then following segments: tourism promotion tion Service, 2005). Cruise offerings today follow the Nile with 266,978 and Yangtze (broadening the scopes of Vojvodina Prov- include short trips to nearby places, as well with 151,459 tourists). ince as a receptive area for the foreign mar- as longer journeys within large regional Therefore, the designers of the tourist ket through its cultural heritage and nat- areas (Marty, 2004). products, based on the Danube river, tend ural values); increase in foreign tourist Besides the main motif of the cruise, to provide dynamic and stable balance of turnover, other expenditures; new job op- nautical product comprises utilization of offer and demand, by fine tuning of mar- portunities (adequate infrastructure and nautical infrastructure and its comple- keting mix basic instruments (product, superstructure – rendering services to mentary products and services in tour- price, sales forms and promotion) to mar- ships, crew and passengers) – harbors, car- ism (marines, harbours, docks, accommo- ket demands; what is more, to direct the riers, souvenir shops, etc. dation and food, entertainment, culture, demand towards the offer through tourist The results of the research may initiate fur- etc.) The phenomenon breathing, life into communication by means of homological ther studies on the cause and effect con- the cruise market is segmentation – divid- and analogical codes. nections between this type of traveling ing each cruise into many shorter voyag- The Danube river cruises highlight the and resources of receptive countries, upon es, which can be booked separately, with attractiveness of the river basin and nu- which the travels are based, both aiming an array of optional land tours (McDow- merous complementary tourist values of at adequate design and launching of the ell, 1995). natural and anthropogenic content. The tourist offer, i.e. the optimal development World nautical market on still waters tourist offer design emerges as one of the of receptive countries through sustaina- (rivers, canals and lakes) is mainly focused most important activities of tourist prod- ble tourism. to three centres: Europe, Africa (the Nile), uct designers (leading American and Euro- Key words: Global tourism, Cruise, the and Far East (the Yangtze). River cruises pean tour operators). The proper design of Danube, Southeastern Europe, Vojvodina turnover was about 1.3 million tourists in a tourist package requires a detailed study Province, Serbia, transition, positive impact 2003, which was about 11% increase of the of the market (target groups research, “in- on local economies. turnover compared to 2002 in the world. novative” destinations, redesigning of the River cruises are based on several day voy- “old” tourist offer, etc.) ages (7-21 days) through several countries Tour operators charter the vessels; 1 Department of Geography, Tourism (Danube Tourist Commission, February whereas tourist agencies render services to and Hotel Management, Faculty of 2004, taken from Horwath Consulting Za- the cruise tourists on land and charter the Sciences,University of Novi Sad, Trg greb and Faculty of Economics Belgrade vessels’ capacities to be included in their Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, (HCEF) 2005). programmes. Serbia According to estimations, there are over Tour packages offers of the Danube river 2 JKP “Gradsko zelenilo”, Novi Sad, Nikole 15,000 navigable kilometres in Europe, in- cruises comprise various activities, among

Tesle 1a, 21000, Serbia cluding the canal network. The most pop- which stand the airline transport, railroad 11/2007 Pannonica Geographica 59 Cruise Ship Tourism on the Danube in Vojvodina Province as a Segment of Global Tourism

Slovakia, Moldavia, and Ukraine. It is also important to establish the cause-effect re- lationship of the cruises on the Danube re- gion. Study Background Tourist cruises were stopped on the Low- er Danube during the war activities on the territory of the former Yugoslavia (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia). In 1999, the river traffic on the Danube in the area of Novi Sad (the capital of the Auton- omous Province of Vojvodina) was made difficult and even blocked for the vessels due to the destruction of all three bridg- es in NATO bombing. Positive political changes in Serbia and the full clearance of Novi Sad section of the Danube finally brought to its reopening for cruises, mak- ing the river navigable again between Novi Sad and Constanta (1,255 river kilometres) in 2002. The Danube River cruises through Danube Central and South-eastern Europe were in

Danube expansion concentrating on their main emissive areas, the USA and Germany. Danube Since 2002, the tour operators of the Dan- ube River cruises have been renting doz- ens of vessels of Swiss, German, Austri- an, Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Ukrainian shipping companies (Dragin et al., 2004). The aim of the paper is to explore the benefits of the launching of tourist prod- Tisa uct to the world market for receptive coun- Danube tries and regions, in this case for Vojvodi- na Province. Regional benefits can be quite substantial, especially where additional expenditure from cruises leads to a posi- tive impact, for example, on employment in the region (Dwyer and Forsyth, 1998). Danube Sampling Map 1 Position of Vojvodina Province in Europe Our focus of interest was the area of Vo- routes between the cities in the itinerary, The ships M/S“ River Aria” and “M/S Riv- jvodina Province, i.e. western part of Ser- accommodation facilities on vessels and er Adagio” were launched in 2001 and 2003 bia (Map 1). in hotels, exclusive trips (sightseeing of the respectively. Other ships from the private The area of research comprises the sec- towns, vine tours, visits to castles and art fleet of the tour operator (“M/S River Con- tion of the Danube, between Bezdan (Ser- colonies, etc.), cultural, educational and certo”, “M/S River Harmony”, “M/S River bia – Vojvodina Province, on the bor- artistic programmes, dinner with the ship Rhapsody”, “M/S River Melody”, “M/S River der with Croatia) and Banatska Palanka captain, additional services (e.g. informa- Symphony”) are also registered in Switzer- (on the border with Romania). The length tion desk on the ship, sports and recrea- land. Conceptually, they appear identical, of the section is 350 river kilometres. The tional activities, optional visits), etc. but with smaller accommodation capac- choice of the research area was influenced The basic accommodation facilities are ity (140 passengers) and shorter in length by the contemporary tendencies of river the vessels themselves and the hotels in 110m (Grand Circle Travel, 2004). cruises, which show that this section of the towns. For example, the ships “M/S Riv- The ship structure comprises the fol- Danube has been a frequent internation- er Adagio” and “M/S River Aria” belong lowing structural elements: reception area, al tourist waterway in the last five years. to the Danube river cruises private fleet cabins as basic accommodation units, res- Those cruises have positioned Vojvodi- of Grand Circle Travel (tour operator from taurants and bars, library, shopping mall, na Province among the significant tourist the USA, Boston with its seat for South- sports, recreation and relaxation complex destinations. eastern Europe in Basel, Switzerland), (gym, swimming pool, Jacuzzi), kitchen, With the aim of presenting the turn- whose main emissive area is the Ameri- storage facilities, staff premises, elevator, over of the Danube river cruises through can market. The ships fall within the de- staircase, terraces, etc. Vojvodina (i.e. Central and South-east- luxe category, with the length of 125m and The origin countries of the tourist pack- ern Europe), statistical data, obtained width of 11.5 m and four decks each. The ages to be analyzed in the paper (with Vo- from the Border Police Station in Novi Sad accommodation capacity is 164 beds (82 jvodina Province within the itineraries) (Port of Novi Sad) and JKP “Gradsko ze- cabins – all outside). The ship’s crew is in- are Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, lenilo” (Port “Novi Sad II”) for the period ternational, 38 persons of different profes- and Bulgaria. Most of the itineraries also 2002-2005, have been processed. Their pri-

Geographica Pannonica 11/2007 Pannonica Geographica sions: nautics, medical staff, caterers, etc. include the border regions of Germany, mary role includes harbouring the ships 60 Aleksandra S. Dragin, Vojislav Dragin, Jovan Plavša, Andjelija Ivkov, Branislav S. Djurdjev

and providing services for ships, crew and 1,695 – 5,000 USD depending on the peri- maia, Russe, Veliko Trnovo and Arba- tourists. od, ship category and deck, and the airline nasi, Belgrade, Osijek, Budapest, village The most widely represented cruis- ticket (Grand Circle Travel, 2005; Vantage, Holoko); transfers to and from airport and ers are: “River Aria” (Crand Circle Travel 2005). luggage; exclusive programme “Cultur- Cruise Line, Worldwide RC Ruises), “Hein- The prices for 2006 were established ac- al ties” – lunch from domestic cuisine in rich Heine” (Viking River Cruise), “Ms Jo- cording to the 13 days package “Eastern Eu- Osijek and Holoko, lessons on history and hann Strauβ” (Austrian River Cruises), rope to the Black Sea” ranging from 1,695 culture of the area; Hungarian, Romanian “Maxima” (Phoenix Reisen Gmbh Bonn), to 3,695 USD. Tourist arrangements com- and Croatian folklore nights on the ship, “Ms Victor Hugo” (L’Europe en Croisières), prised the following elements/services: re- Bulgarian children’s dance, lunch with the “River Adagio” (Crand Circle Travel Cruise turn plane ticket on international flights students in Arbanasi, icon paintings dem- Line, Worldwide RC Ruises), “Beethoven” from the USA (Boston, Miami, New York) onstration in Romania, half a day excur- (L’Europe en Croisières), “River Naviga- to Hungary (Budapest) arrival, and depar- sion to a Hungarian authentic farm (rid- tor” (Deluxe World Travel Vantage), “Odys- ture from Romania (Bucharest) to the USA ing skills presentation and carriage rides sey” (Deluxe World Travel Vantage), “Eras- (Boston, Miami, New York); two transfers on authentic farm), half a day excursion mus” (B.V. Scheepvaart MIJ.), “Ms Artistry” airport- hotel; 7 nights on the ship Grand to Slovak art centre in Kovacica including (Avalon Waterways), “Amadeus” (Lüftner Circle Travel deluxe; 3 nights in Budapest visits to art galleries and houses of paint- Reisin Austria), etc. in a five star hotel and 1 night in Bucharest ers (Vojvodina Province); 5% discount for The ships harboured at the Port of Novi in a five star hotel; 27 meals (11 breakfasts, 7 the next voyage with this company (Van- Sad, the capital of Vojvodina Province were lunches, and 9 dinners); 6 exclusive tours – tage, 2005). included in various tourist packages of nu- guided sightseeing of the towns (Budapest, In order to analyse the specific features merous tour operators. Tourist package Osijek, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Constanta, Bu- of the tourist packages and the values of “Eastern Europe to the Black Sea” includes charest); railway transport (Constanta- the tourist offer of the Danube cruises the middle and the upper Danube basin Bucharest); exclusive events – lunch from through Central and South-eastern Eu- area – Budapest, Vukovar, Novi Sad, Bel- domestic cuisine in Croatia, lessons on re- rope, i.e. Vojvodina, various cruise pric- grade, Constanta, Bucharest (Grand Circle cent past of the former Yugoslavia; oral es (only the lowest prices included) of tour Travel 2004). Similar itinerary is observed presentation of the ports in the itinerary; operator Vantage are listed in the paper. with packages “Cruising the Danube to the land transports – coaches; information The point that tour operators Grand Black Sea” and “Eastern Europe & the Black maps, postcards and tickets for individual Circle Travel and Vantage are directed to- Sea” (Vantage, 2005), i.e. “Eastern Europe- sightseeing; 5% discount for the next voy- wards the USA as their emissive tourist an Odyssey (Viking River Cruise, 2006). age with Grand Circle Travel (minimum of market is supported by the fact that tour- Most of the countries included in itiner- 84 USD per person); one luggage bag per ist packages include airline transport from aries are former socialist countries, under- person (Grand Circle Travel, 2005). the USA only (Boston, New York, Philadel- going the process of transition in the last Tour operator Vantage offers a simi- phia, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, Bal- fifteen years (Dragin, 2005), making enor- lar programme of the same length, un- timore, Miami, Orlando, Los Angles, San mous efforts in promoting and developing der the name “Eastern Europe & the Black Francisco, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Hus- tourism with the aim of establishing it as a Sea”. The prices in 2006 ranged from 2,799 ton), as well as the prices expressed in US future leader of economic prosperity. to 4,999 USD. The following services were dollars only (Grand Circle Travel, 2005; included: return overseas plane ticket (in- Vantage, 2005). Analysis and methods ternational flights by schedule from Bos- The 9 days tourist package “Du Dan- The research was conducted on the crews ton, New York and Philadelphia); 10 nights ube vers la Tisza, la Hongrie profonde” of of tourist vessels, tour operators and tour- on the deluxe ship; 1 night in Bucharest in the tour operator Croisi Europe offers the ist agents of receptive tourist agencies; the a five star hotel; 31 meals (11 breakfasts, 10 Danube and Tisa cruise with the following applied method was the interview. lunches, and 10 dinners); 6 exclusive guid- itinerary: Budapest – Mohacs – Bezdan Statistical and comparative methods ed tours – Bucharest, Constanta and Ma- – Novi Sad – Titel – Kanjiža (Vojvodina are the most frequently applied tools in the analysis of annual and monthly tourist Table 1 European River and Canal Cruise Travels turnover (the number of vessels and tour- Tourist package River Length Price ists) for the period 2002-2005, on the ba- (countries included in itinerary) (days) (US$) sis of which quantitative features of tourist turnover are identified and demand trends “GRAND EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISE” (Holland, Germany, Rhine, Main, 27 4.999 are established; concerning the facts about Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania)* Danube this form of tourism, whether it undergoes “ENCHANTMENT ALONG THE RHINE & MOSELLE” Rhine, Main, 16 3.699 expansion, stagnates or lacks in high at- (Germany, France, Switzerland) Moselle tractiveness of the offer. “Holland to Hungary River Cruise” Rhine, Main, 16 2.699 (Holland, Germany, Austria, Hungary) Danube Results With the aim of more thorough observa- “CRUISING THE DANUBE TO THE BLACK SEA” (Austria, Danube 17 3.199 Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania)* tions of quantitative and qualitative fea- tures of the Danube River cruises turnover “EASTERN EUROPE & THE BLACK SEA” Danube 13 2.799 and its influence on tourism in Vojvodina (Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania)* Province, the specific features of the offer “IMPERIAL RUSSIAN WATERWAYS & ST. PETERSBURG” Volga, Svir 16 2.399 are presented and analyzed in the paper. (Russia)

Tourist product and price of tourist “HOLLAND & BELGIUM IN BLOOM” Rhine and 12 1.999 arrangements – specific features of the offer (Holland, Belgium) canals The prices of the Danube river cruise pack- *Tourist packages with Vojvodina Province included in itineraries

age (Budapest – Constanta) range between Source: Vantage, 2005 11/2007 Pannonica Geographica 61 Cruise Ship Tourism on the Danube in Vojvodina Province as a Segment of Global Tourism

Table 2 Annual turnover of tourist ships and tourist in Novi Sad June, seven in July and August, six in Sep- (The Danube River cruises through Vojvodina Province) tember and October, and two in November Annual turnover 2002 2003 2004 2005 (Grand Circle Travel 2005). The peak sea- son (eighth eh highest demand) is in the The number of harboured ships 29 64 121 285 period from April to August, which is ob- Total number of passengers 1,563 4,687 15,504 34,077 servable in the number of offered cruises. Source: Documentation of Public Utility Company “City Parks” and Port of Novi Sad (2002-2005) The prices in that period are higher due to favourable climate conditions. The 13 days package “Eastern Europe and the Black Sea” of Vantage company is offered two or three times a month on av- erage (Vantage 2005). This programme is far less frequently offered to the foreign marker in comparison to the former pack- age of Grand Circle Travel company (which is also evident in the total number of of- fered cruises during the season). The company Viking River Cruise of- fers a tourist package with the 15 to 18 days itinerary Budapest – Black Sea – Vien- na (Budapest – Pecuj – Belgrade – Bucha- rest – Constanta – Russe –Vidin – Orsova Graph 1 Annual turnover of tourist ships and tourists and the turnover increase in % – Novi Sad – Vukovar – Kalocsa – Vienna) compared to the previous season (year) in Novi Sad (the Danube river cruises through with two cruises a month on average (Vi- Vojvodina Province) king River Cruise 2006). Province) – Szeged – Csanytelek – Szol- enced the realisation of cruises in spring, For the presentation of tourist turno- nok – Tiszafüred – Tokaj. The price in May summer and autumn months, i.e. in the ver of the river cruises the statistical data and June is 863€, including the following period from March to November. of the Border Police Station in Novi Sad services: full board in air-conditioned cab- The length of tourist packages mainly and Public Utility Company “City Parks” in with double bed, welcome cocktail, gala ranges from 6 to 24 days (5-23 nights), with were processed for the period 2002-2005 dinner, staff services, port taxes and an ex- the highest demand for 13 days itineraries (Table 2). cursion (Opusztaszer). The price does not including visits to Vienna (Austria), Buda- The actual turnover in the 4 year pe- include the insurance policy, optional ex- pest (Hungary), Osijek (Croatia), Novi Sad riod (following the clearance of the Dan- cursions, airport taxes, etc. (Croisi Europe, and Belgrade (Serbia), Russe (Bulgaria), ube section after the bombing of the bridg- 2006). Bucharest and Constanta (Romania). The es in Novi Sad) highlights the permanent The second tourist package (11 days) example is the 13 days tourist package of increase in the demand, which was met by with the same tour operator is “Du Dan- Grand Circle Travel Company (“Through the increase in the number of river cruises ube Bleu vers la Mer Noire” with the fol- Eastern Europe to the Black Sea”). Two in the each following year (Graph 1). lowing itinerary Strasbourg – Linz – Melk cruises are offered to foreign market in The list of the vessels of the most fre- – Vienna – Bratislava – Budapest – Mohacs March, seven in April, eight in May and quent cruisers (companies) in this area: – Bezdan – Novi Sad (Vojvodina Province) Table 3 Monthly turnover of tourists (March – November) in Novi Sad (the Danube river – Belgrade – Donji Milanovac – Russe – cruises through Vojvodina Province) Giurgiu – Oltenita – Tulcea. The price for № of the cruises in June, July and August is MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV Annual 1,480€. The price includes the following tourists services: full board in air-conditioned cab- 2002 - 43 229 - 27 500 483 281 - 1,563 in with double bed, welcome cocktail, gala 2003 - - 399 969 1,520 730 367 702 - 4,687 dinner, staff services, transfers from and to the airport, the plane ticket Constan- 2004 - 768 1,039 3,285 4,816 3,286 1,320 990 - 15,504 ta - Strasbourg, port taxes, folklore danc- 2005 477 1,938 4,371 6,508 6,112 4,781 5,180 4,424 286 34,077 es (Rousse, Tulcea), road transport Passau Source: Documentation of Public Utility Company “City Parks” and Port of Novi Sad (2002-2005) –Strasbourg and transfer to the airport on departure. The price does not cover the in- surance policy, optional excursions, air- port taxes, etc. (Croisi Europe, 2006). Qualitative and quantitative indicator of the recognisable features in the Dan- ube rive cruises through Central an South- eastern Europe ( and Vojvodina Province) and the significant role of promotion and sale activities of tour operators and tourist agencies is the tourist turnover – its scope and dynamics.

Tourist turnover Graph 2 Monthly turnover of tourists (March – November) and its increase/decrease (in It was the continental climate of Central %) in comparison to the previous month in Novi Sad for the year 2005 (the Danube river

Geographica Pannonica 11/2007 Pannonica Geographica and South-eastern Europe which influ- cruises through Vojvodina Province) 62 Aleksandra S. Dragin, Vojislav Dragin, Jovan Plavša, Andjelija Ivkov, Branislav S. Djurdjev

“River Aria” (Grand Circle Travel Cruise stream from Budapest to Belgrade, and near the centre of Novi Sad in August Line, Worldwide RC Cruises), “Heinrich more convenient disembarking of tourists 2006. Another example of the direct in- Heine” (Viking River Cruise), “Ms Johann according to the itinerary, without any de- fluence of Cruise Ship Tourism on new Strauβ” (Austrian River Cruises), “Maxi- lays considering the opening schedule of job opportunities is the opening of the ma” (Phoenix Reisen Gmbh Bonn), “Ms the pontoon bridge. souvenir market near the port for tour- Victor Hugo” (L’Europe en Croisières), In October 2005 the third bridge in ist ships in Novi Sad in 2006. “River Adagio” (Grand Circle Travel Cruise Novi Sad was reconstructed – the Sloboda • Business of the Port of Novi Sad and Line, Worldwide RC Cruises), “Beethoven” (Freedom) Bridge and the pontoon bridge Port of Novi Sad 2. (L’Europe en Croisières), “River Navigator” was finally removed. That meant that nav- • Increase of the total expenditure (Deluxe World Travel Vantage), “Odyssey” igation on the Danube had been fully re- through foreign tourist payments of (Deluxe World Travel Vantage), “Eras- stored. various services: mus” (B.V. Scheepvaart MIJ.), “Ms Artist- The benefits of river cruises on the mid- - Ship services – harbouring and tax; ry” (Avalon Waterways), “Amadeus” (Lüft- dle and lower Danube, concerning Vojvo- - Issuing passenger permits for stays ner Reisen Austria) dina Province are numerous: in border region; Tourist turnover dynamics specifies • Increase in the total tourist turnover in - Shipping transport agencies; that the main tourist season occurs in the Vojvodina Province. The share of the - Fresh drinking water services from period April – October, i.e. that the Dan- participants in this form of tourist ac- the local water supplies in Novi Sad ube is an actual and significant tourist des- tivities compared to the total foreign (Public Utility Company “Water tination in the 7 month period which also tourist turnover in Vojvodina in 2002 Works and Sewerage”) and sanita- positions Vojvodina Province, the Danube was additional 6.79%, in 2003 19.21%, in tion services for ships (Public Util- receptive area, within the list of significant 2004 62.84%, and in 2005 their share ity Company “City Sanitation”). For tourist destinations (Table 3 and Graph 2). reached additional 117.51% (Statistical example daily fresh water demands Concerning the target groups as the Office of the Republic of Serbia 2003, of a river cruise are approximately market segment, most of them are found 2004, 2006). In comparison to the total 70-100 m3 and daily waste disposal in Germany and the USA. In addition, it foreign tourist turnover in Vojvodina reaches several m3. has been established that 78% participants they participated with additional 3.15% - Tourist sojourn tax (the city of Novi in such voyages belong to the category 55+. in 2002, in 2003 with 9.50%, in 2004 Sad); Therefore the services on board ships are with 27.34%, and in 2005 with 48.68% - Foreign currency exchange in ex- tuned to meet the needs of the aforemen- (Statistical Office of the Republic of Ser- change offices and banks; tioned age group (light meals, elevator, bia, 2003, 2004, 2006). - Coach transport services (mainly of- wheelchair access, excluded sport capaci- • Discovery of Vojvodina as a tourist des- fered by transport companies: “Vo- ties on board ship, etc.) Aiming at younger tination for potential emissive areas at jvodina”, “Putnik” and “Lasta”); age groups, tour operators prepare the in- the international tourist market - crea- - Sightseeing tours of the city, the troduction of additional facilities intended tion of the image of Vojvodina as an at- Petrovaradin Fortress, Sremski Kar- for the younger population in 2007 (volley- tractive receptive tourist area through lovci, monasteries of Fruška gora, ball court and open air discotheque on the the promotion and sale of tourist pack- etc. (receptive travel agencies, i.e. top deck), and announce new concept of ages: “Putnik”) and guiding services; the programmes in their promotional ac- - The area abundant in significant - Evening concerts of folk dance asso- tivities (Documentation of Port “Novi Sad natural tourist resources (protected ciations during the cruise stay in the II” 2006). natural values in the Danube ripari- harbour; an area, national parks, etc.), attrac- - Entrance tickets for various insti- Cruise Ship Tourism Impact on Local Economy tive hydrography (canals and smaller tutions and tourist localities during After the bridges on the Danube in Novi rivers); Geo-heritage, etc.); the sightseeing tour of Novi Sad and Sad were bombed in 1999, the clearance - Multiethnic and multicultural fea- its surroundings (the Museum of of the Danube basin in that area was com- tures (over 24 nations); Vojvodina, the Museum of the town menced by the support of the Europe- - Significant cultural heritage (ar- of Novi Sad, etc.) – the growth of the an Union, the Danube Commission and chaeological sites, medieval fortifi- income of tourist localities; Corridor VII-Management/TINA Vien- cations, authentic urban and rural - Individual expenditures of tourists na. Two new bridges were built and one units, etc.). during the sightseeing tours of Novi pontoon bridge was constructed, with the • The development of tourist infrastruc- Sad and its surroundings (purchase opening schedule of three times a week to ture and superstructure (the recon- of souvenirs, postcards, fruit, drinks make passage for ships. Thus, the Danube struction of the quay in Novi Sad is in and food in restaurants and cafes, was at least, even with some restrictions, process, including the parking facilities etc.) made navigable again as far as to its delta for tourist buses, and more convenient in Romania. On the iniciative of the Dan- access for tourists). Discussion ube Tourist Commission, passenger ships • Opening of new job posts – employ- The results of the analysis show that cruis- did not have to pay any toll. ment possibilities (new harbour, souve- ing voyages on the Danube influence many By the year 2004, there was only one nirs production, production of food and aspects of the development of the Vojvodi- harbour in Novi Sad – the Port of Novi drinks of geographical origin, etc.). Due na region: the growth of tourism turnover Sad (on the left bank of the Danube, down- to permanent increase in tourist ships (increased tourism expenditures, increased stream the pontoon bridge). Following the frequency on the Danube, and subse- income of tourism localities, etc.); broad- initiative of the Traffic Office in Novi Sad, quently the increase in the number of ened positive marketing of Vojvodina at the new harbour was opened for tourist harboured ships in Novi Sad, the func- the foreign tourist markets; new invest- vessels – Port of Novi Sad 2 (on the right tion of the Port of Novi Sad 2 did not ments and new employment opportunities bank of the Danube, upstream the pon- stop with the removal of the pontoon (adequate infrastructure and superstruc- toon bridge). This resulted in direct access bridge. The Port was relocated down- ture - various services for ships, crew and

of tourist vessels that were cruising down- stream, on the left bank of the Danube, passengers) - ports, souvenir shops, etc. 11/2007 Pannonica Geographica 63 Cruise Ship Tourism on the Danube in Vojvodina Province as a Segment of Global Tourism

Furthermore, certain resources in Vo- poor infrastructure and superstructure, Dwyer, L. and Forsyth P. 1998. Economic jvodina Province are directly related with there is also underutilization of the section Signification of Cruise Tourism.Annals the successful realisation of tourist pack- by the domestic nautical teams, but there uti- of Tourism Research 25, 2, 393-415. ages concerning various services in case lization initiative through cruise ship tour- Grand Circle Travel. 2004. The Great Riv- of emergency, medical services, petrol ism by foreign tourists. ers of Europe. Kansas City. stations for coaches, foreign currency ex- Grand Circle Travel. 2005. Small Ship Trav- change, etc. Acknowledgements el 2006. Grand Circle Travel, Boston. In order to improve the tourist offer and The paper is part of the Project (Contract Hobson, J.S.P. 1993. Analysis of the US increase the stays of cruise vessels in Vojvo- of the project: EVB: 146017 “Demographic Cruise Line Industry. Tourism Manage- dina Province, the main concern should be transition in Serbia”, financed by the Min- ment 13, 453-462. to build the accompanying elements in the istry of Science) and also a part of the doc- Horwath Consulting Zagreb i Ekonomski vicinity of the port, such as coach parking toral studies research of MSc Aleksandra fakultet Beograd (HCEF). 2005. Strate- (the construction in progress), exchange Dragin. gija turizma Republike Srbije (Prvi offices, petrol stations for ships, emergency The authors would like to thank Jovan fazni izveštaj). Ministarstvo trgovine, units for minor repairs on vessels, etc. Stanisavljević, Branimir Lazić and Zlatko turizma i usluga Republike Srbije, Be- The problem concerning the disloca- Grabež (Public Utility Company “City ograd. tion of distributive points of the Tourist Parks”, Novi Sad) for his assistance in ob- Kester, J.G.C. 2003. Cruise tourism. Tour- Organization of Serbia, Tourist Organiza- taining and interpreting data from archives ism Economics 9, 3, 337-350. tion of Vojvodina and Tourist Information of Port “Novi Sad II” and Port “Novi Sad”. Marti, B. E. 2004. Trends in world and Centre of Novi Sad, which are remote from extended-length cruising (1985-2002). the port for cruise ships and tourist locali- References Marine Policy 28, 199-211. ties, needs to be solved by introducing im- Cruise Lines International Association McDowell, E. 1995. After the storms, ships proved tourist sign posts and tourist infor- (CLIA). 1992. The Cruise Industry: An sail on. The New York Times, October mation points. Overview. New York: Cruise Line Inter- 8, 11-31. It is necessary to highlight that such form national Association. Peisley, T. 1995. The Cruise Ship Industry of tourism stands for the only mass form of Cruise Lines International Association to the 21st Century. Economist Intelli- international nautical tourism in the area of (CLIA). 1995. The Cruise Industry: An gence Unit. Travel and Tourism Analyst Vojvodina Province and the whole country Overview. Marketing Edition. New 2, 4-25. as well. According to the strict worldly crite- York: Cruise Line International Asso- Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. rion, the Danube section in Vojvodina Prov- ciation. 2003 Municipalities of Serbia in 2002. ince stands for a high quality base for nauti- Croisi Europe. 2006. L’Europe en Cr- Belgrade: Republic Printing Office. cal tourism. It is also important to mention oisières, Strasbourg. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. its attractive and miscellaneous hydrolo- Cruise Information Service. 2005. Annual 2004. Municipalities of Serbia in 2003. gy, with several large tributaries, the con- Cruise Review 2004 (UK and Europe). Belgrade: Republic Printing Office. nection with the canal network hydro-sys- December 2006. www.discover-cruise. Statistical Office of the Republic of- Ser tem “Danube-Tisa-Danube” and hundreds co.uk bia. 2006. Statistical Yearbook of Serbia. of backwaters, marshes and reeds, exclusive Dragin, V. 2005. Tour Operator’s Role in Belgrade: Republic Printing Office. natural values (national park “Fruška gora”, Advertising and Sale of Circular Dan- Deluxe World Travel Vantage. 2006. Eu- special nature reserves: “Gornje podunavlje”, ube tours. Turizam 9, 106-107. ropean River Cruises Preview, Vantage, “Karađorđevo”, “Koviljsko-Petrovaradinski Dragin, V., Ivkov, A., Maletin (Dragin), A. Boston. rit” and “Deliblatska peščara”), and anthro- 2004. Cruising Voyages Along the Dan- Viking River Cruise. 2006. European & pogenic values (settlements, fortresses, ar- ube as a Form of Contemporary Ten- Russian 2007. River Cruise Journeys. chaeological sites, etc.). However, the afore- dencies of Global Touristic Movements. California: Woodland Hills. mentioned section of the Danube renders Turizam 8, 19-21. Geographica Pannonica 11/2007 Pannonica Geographica 64