SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Master in Business Administration (MBA) Dissertation “The Development of Alternative Tourism in West Macedonia. Case study for Sustainable Regional Tourism Development” “Thaleia Rizou” Supervisor: “Ioannis Pollalis” Patras, Greece, “March” “2018” © Hellenic Open University, 2018 The content of this thesis/dissertation along with its results is owned by the Hellenic Open University and his/her author, where each of them has the sole and exclusive right to use, reproduce, and publish it (totally or partially) for educational or research purposes, with the obligation to make reference to the thesis’s title, the author’s name and to the Hellenic Open University where the thesis / dissertation was written. “The Development of Alternative Tourism in West Macedonia. Case study for Sustainable Regional Tourism Development” “Thaleia Rizou” Supervising Committee Supervisor: Co-Supervisor: “Ioannis Pollalis” “Ioannis Spanos” “1st Supervisor” “2nd Supervisor” Patras, Greece, “March” “2018” “The Development of Alternative Tourism in West Macedonia. Case study for Sustainable Regional Tourism Development” “Acknowledgments” I would like to express my appreciation to my supervisor Dr I. Pollalis (Professor of Strategic Management) for his assistance and support during the writing of this dissertation. Last, but not least, I wish to express my truly thanks to my family for their patience throughout this unique learning experience. Thaleia Rizou iv “The Development of Alternative Tourism in West Macedonia. Case study for Sustainable Regional Tourism Development” Abstract The paper elaborates on the development of Alternative tourism in a Sustainable way in the region of Western Macedonia which is described as an area of Economic isolation but of richness in natural and cultural resources. A difficult task since the tourist product in Greece is synonymous with “Sea and Sun”. It highlights the Structure of contemporary Tourism, the tourism product in Greece and the Sector’s trends along with the meaning of Sustainable and Alternative tourism. The Tourism Presentation of the area points out the prevailing conditions in Tourism Supply and Demand – Where the region is today. Proceeding with a SWOT analysis through the identification of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats which determines the region’s competitive advantages, the Vision and the Strategies to be followed – Where is the Region going. Emphasis is given to the differentiation of the region via both the perspective of Creative tourism and “Destination Marketing” by developing a Tourist Product sustainable to the Environment, Society and Economy focused mainly on the ECO –Nature and Cultural Attractions which influences consumer’s choice. Keywords Sustainable, Alternative, Creative tourism, Destination Marketing, Product. Thaleia Rizou v “The Development of Alternative Tourism in West Macedonia. Case study for Sustainable Regional Tourism Development” Περίληψη Η παρούσα έρευνα επεξεργάζεται τη βιώσιμη τουριστική ανάπτυξη της περιφέρειας της Δυτικής Μακεδονίας. Περιφέρεια οικονομικά απομονωμένη αλλά πλούσια σε φυσικούς και πολιτιστικούς πόρους. Επισημαίνεται η σύγχρονη δομή του τουρισμού, το τουριστικό προϊόν της Ελλάδας, που χαρακτηρίζεται από το δίπτυχο «Θάλασσα – Ήλιος», οι διεθνείς τάσεις του τουριστικού τομέα καθώς και οι έννοιες του βιώσιμου και εναλλακτικού τουρισμού. Αναλύεται η τρέχουσα πραγματικότητα της Περιφέρειας μέσα από την παρουσίαση της επικρατούσας προσφοράς και ζήτησης στην περιοχή ενώ η παράθεση των Ευκαιριών και Δυνατοτήτων (SWOT analysis) διαγράφει τα ανταγωνιστικά της πλεονεκτήματα. Ακολουθούν η ανάπτυξη του οράματος της περιφέρειας και η στρατηγική επίτευξής του. Έμφαση δίνεται στην ανάγκη διαφοροποίησης του προορισμού μέσω του «Δημιουργικού τουρισμού» και του μάρκετινγκ «Προορισμού». Προς την κατεύθυνση αυτή οδηγεί η ανάπτυξη βιώσιμου τουριστικού προϊόντος για το περιβάλλον, την κοινωνία και την οικονομία και εστιάζει στους πόλους έλξης της περιοχής: το οικοσύστημα και την πολιτιστική κληρονομιά που επηρεάζουν άλλωστε την επιλογή του καταναλωτή. Λέξεις – Κλειδιά Βιώσιμος, Εναλλακτικός, Δημιουργικός τουρισμός, Μάρκετινγκ Προορισμού, Προϊόν. Thaleia Rizou vi “The Development of Alternative Tourism in West Macedonia. Case study for Sustainable Regional Tourism Development” Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................. v Περίληψη.............................................................................................................................. vi Table of Contents ................................................................................................................vii List of Figures ...................................................................................................................... ix List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... x List of Abbreviations & Acronyms .....................................................................................xii 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Limitations ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1.2 Sources and Data ............................................................................................. 2 2 The Theoretical Framework of Tourism ....................................................................... 3 2.1 Tourism ................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.1 Tourism Industry ............................................................................................. 3 2.1.2 Tourism Characteristics .................................................................................. 5 2.1.3 Tourism Product .............................................................................................. 5 2.1.4 Tourism Market ............................................................................................... 9 2.1.5 Types of tourism ............................................................................................. 9 2.2 Consequences of Tourism .................................................................................... 12 2.3 Tourism Development in Greece .......................................................................... 15 2.4 Sector Trends Today ............................................................................................. 18 2.4.1 Global Tourism Forecast Summary .............................................................. 20 3 Sustainable Development and Tourism ...................................................................... 23 3.1 Principals of Sustainable Development ................................................................ 23 3.2 Resilient Cities ...................................................................................................... 24 4 Alternative Forms of Tourism ..................................................................................... 26 4.1 Definition .............................................................................................................. 26 4.2 From Mass to Sustainable tourism ....................................................................... 26 4.2.1 Characteristics ............................................................................................... 27 4.3 Different Forms .................................................................................................... 28 5 Tourism Presentation of West Macedonia .................................................................. 33 5.1 Map and a brief description of the Area ............................................................... 33 Thaleia Rizou vii “The Development of Alternative Tourism in West Macedonia. Case study for Sustainable Regional Tourism Development” 5.2 Tourism Supply .................................................................................................... 36 5.2.1 Attractions ..................................................................................................... 36 5.2.2 Accommodation Capacity ............................................................................. 48 5.2.3 Accessibility .................................................................................................. 50 5.2.4 Health Infrastructure ..................................................................................... 50 5.2.5 Products ......................................................................................................... 50 5.3 Tourism Demand .................................................................................................. 52 5.3.1 Arrivals in Accommodation, Receipts and Overnights ................................. 52 5.3.2 Purpose of Travel .......................................................................................... 55 5.4 Competitive Analysis ........................................................................................... 56 6 Swot Analysis .............................................................................................................. 64 6.1 Swot Analysis of the Area .................................................................................... 64 7 The Future of West Macedonia