Measuring non-commercial tourism traffic in Croatia: Challenges of using administrative data

National statistical authorities are under pressure to provide reliable and readily accessible data with minimum costs and respondent burden. To this end, a use of administrative data, defined as those not primarily collected for statistical purposes, is increasingly encouraged to supplement sample and census surveys. In this paper, a possibility to produce new statistics by combining several sources where at least one is the administrative data is tested. This exercise was applied to measure a volume of tourists (residents and non-residents) staying in non-commercial accommodation facilities in Croatia. Four data sources were analysed: (i) administrative data from eVisitor system, a unique online central information system for tourists registration in Croatia that provides insights into tourist traffic and accommodation capacities (commercial and non-commercial), (ii) Croatian Bureau of Statistics Survey on Tourist Activity of the Croatian population, that provides information on number of domestic trips and nights in commercial and non-commercial accommodation establishments, (iii) Croatian National Bank Survey on foreign visitors in Croatia, that estimates number of foreign tourist nights in Croatia in, both, commercial and non-commercial type of accommodation, and (iv) administrative data from Tax Register on paid taxes on second homes – holiday houses and apartments. The results clearly demonstrated that two survey-based data sources and the administrative one regarding the second homes taxes had not provided a quality foundation to improve the current estimations of tourist traffic in non-commercial accommodation provided by the eVisitor system

Opažanje i unapređivanje školske nastave

Kolegijalno opažanje nastave je suradničko-razvojni pristup u kojemu učitelji međusobno prate nastavu, potiču (samo)refleksiju o nastavnom procesu, analiziraju, raspravljaju i razmjenjuju dobra nastavna iskustva. Pristup se temelji na jednakosti i uzajamnosti, kolegijalnoj podršci i konstruktivnoj razmjeni mišljenja. U priručniku je opisan pristup, kao i mogućnosti njegova korištenja za profesionalni razvoj učitelja. Predloženi postupci i obrasci za opažanje i samoanalizu učitelja usmjereni su na bitne komponente kvalitetne nastave i olakšavaju korištenje pristupa za unapređivanje nastavničkih kompetencija. Osim za kolegijalno opažanje nastave i profesionalni razvoj učitelja, obrasci se mogu koristiti i za potrebe supervizije te kao vrijedan izvor informacija za opće samovrednovanje škola

Razvoj kratke ljestvice učeničkih iskustava s učenjem i nastavom

U radu je prikazana kratka Ljestvica učeničkih iskustava s učenjem i nastavom. Cilj konstrukcije Ljestvice je omogućavanje valjanog, pouzdanog i praktičnog praćenja važnijih obilježja učenja i nastave iz perspektive učenika. Konceptualno se polazi od učeniku usmjerenog pristupa, po kojemu se iskustva učenika smatraju najvažnijim pokazateljem kvalitete podrške koju učenici dobivaju u školi. Prikazana je validacija Ljestvice u jednoj gradskoj gimnaziji s općim gimnazijskim programom na uzorku od 631 učenika. Učenici su procjenjivali svoja iskustva s učenjem hrvatskog jezika, matematike i engleskog jezika. Korištena je inačica ljestvice koju su učenici popunjavali putem interneta, vođeno, u svojim informatičkim učionicama. Ljestvica se sastoji od 12 tvrdnji kojima se ispituju važni aspekti učenja i nastave. Rezultati upućuju na jednofaktorsku strukturu ljestvice s visokim koeficijentima interne konzistencije. Koeficijent Cronbach alfa za hrvatski jezik iznosi α=, 86, za matematiku α=, 91, a za engleski jezik α=, 89. Pokazuje se da ljestvica ima dobru diskriminativnu valjanost. Rezultati na ljestvici dobro razlikuju procjene različitih predmeta, iste predmete u različitim razrednim odjelima, a također odražavaju i teoretski jasne spolne razlike u procjenama. Validacija Ljestvice potvrđuje valjanost i smislenost korištenja učeničkih iskustava za ispitivanje važnih obilježja učenja i nastave u razrednom okruženju. Ljestvica može imati uporabnu vrijednost za dijagnostiku, samovrednovanje i planiranje unapređivanja nastave pojedinih predmeta. (IN ENGLISH: This paper presents the short Scale of Student Experiences with Teaching and Learning. The aim of the scale is to provide a valid, reliable and useful tool for monitoring the important aspects of teaching and learning from the students’ perspective. The conceptual framework for the development of this scale is the learner-centred approach where student experiences are considered as a valid indicator of the quality of support provided to students in school. Results of the validation study carried out on 631 pupils of one grammar school in an urban area are presented. Students assessed their experiences with the learning and teaching of the Croatian language, Mathematics and English language. A computerised version of the scale was administered to students via the Internet in their computer lab. The scale consists of 12 items related to the most relevant aspects of teaching and learning in the classroom. The results reveal the homogeneous unifactorial structure of the scale with high internal consistency. Cronbach α coefficients were .86 for Croatian, .91 for Mathematics and .89 for English. The scale demonstrated adequate discriminant validity, providing good differentiation of assessments for three different subjects as well as for the same subject by different classes of students. Gender differences in the assessment of three subjects are in line with theoretical expectations. The validation of this scale supported the validity and usefulness of student experiences in assessing the important aspects of teaching and learning in a school environment. This scale is therefore a potentially useful tool in diagnostics, teacher self-evaluation and in planning interventions aimed at improving the teaching of various subjects in school.

Opportunities for tourism recovery and development during and after COVID-19: Views of tourism scholars versus tourism practitioners

For many years, tourism scholars have been investigating tourism development issues and disseminating their research results through papers published in academic journals. Although there is evidence that their viewpoints are in discrepancy with the viewpoints of tourism practitioners, these inconsistencies were rarely investigated and juxtaposed. As the global health pandemic caused by COVID-19 stopped travel and tourism all over the world, it created time for both groups of tourism experts to reflect on the various opportunities and challenges that the tourism sector will face in the future. Using the qualitative research design, the authors had the chance to collect, analyse and discuss the views of tourism experts on the recovery phase and possible changes to tourism in Croatia. Data was obtained through semi structured interviews of tourism practitioners from public and private sectors, and through literary review of published opinion papers by international scholars. The aim of the research was focused on the comparison of their views on the short-term recovery of tourism, as well as the long-term possibilities to transform the sector towards a more sustainable and more inclusive sector that is able to utilize the regional competitive advantages in the best possible way. The research results revealed more similarities regarding the attitudes on the recovery during short-term period, as opposed to more dissimilarity on the long-term future of tourism in Croatia. According to the research results, the future of tourism would benefit from the experience and knowledge of both groups combined – practitioners and scholars

The hotel industry’s import-dependence: The case of Croatia

Tourism contributes significantly to the Croatian economy. But, given Croatia’s high import dependence, one of the questions that arises is how much the tourism industry contributes to the total imports of Croatia. The aim of the research was to estimate the size of the direct import component in products used in the hotel and restaurant sector in 2004. Furthermore, the research aimed at detecting products that are the most important in total imports to the sector, as well as to analyze the major reasons for imports. The official data available from the National Tourism Administration and Croatian Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Croatia, including an existing input-output table, did not provide an adequate basis for the analysis due to both the level of aggregation and the unavailability of data. Therefore, three surveys have been conducted: (1) survey of hotels; (2) survey of bars and restaurants; and (3) survey of households engaged in private accommodation services. The surveys were based on the representative samples of 35, 186 and 109 firms/households respectively. Each survey collected data on monetary value for more than one hundred products used within the entity and the value of imports for each product and/or product group. The research revealed that the import dependence of the hotel industry, in regard to specific products and product groups, is lower than average and the major reason for the import is the unavailability of specific products produced domestically. The structure of imports by product has shown open market niches for domestic producers but also certain obstacles to such production and commercial orientation

Towards informed and responsible environmental management: A case study of economic valuation of natural resources in Croatia

Public goods, specifically the environmental amenities and natural resources, are often a primary factor in attracting tourism demand. As tourism activity is gaining its importance in transition economies of Western Balkan countries, estimating the value of natural resources could increase the need for their protection and sustainable management. While there is a plenty of application of valuation techniques in Western European countries, the application of such methods is scarce in Western Balkan countries. The coastal area of Croatia is particularly affected by intense tourism pressure, raising concerns for the population of vulnerable marine species. A Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was applied to estimate the value of environmental amenities associated with the preservation of a bottlenose dolphin population that lives in the Cres-Lošinj archipelago. The nautical tourists having berth/moored in two marinas in the archipelago were surveyed in 2016. An environmental tax per mooring/berth day was used as a payment vehicle for eliciting the willingness to pay (WTP). A Tobit regression model was estimated to identify the main predictors of WTP. The nautical tourists were on average willing to pay 1.8 Euro per day in order to better preserve the dolphin population. Loyal nautical guests, i.e. those with more previous visits to the Cres-Lošinj archipelago, those who would like to learn about dolphins, those with a mooring/berth at the island of Lošinj, as well as female guests were willing to pay significantly higher day tax for the dolphin preservation. Nautical tourists staying longer in the area as well as domestic ones were willing to pay less. Our findings suggest that developing differential payment scheme for the marine environment, and increasing environmental awareness of nautical tourists through better communication, education and integration with the local culture and an authentic local experience would contribute to sustainable marine management in the area

TOTAL CONTRIBUTION OF TOURISM TO CROATIAN ECONOMY: INPUT-OUTPUT MODEL AND TOURISM SATELLITE ACCOUNT

Promatrajući turizam kao skup svih djelatnosti gospodarstva kojeg određuje (turistička) potražnja, ovaj članak ima za svrhu procijeniti ukupan, izravan i neizravan, doprinos turizma gospodarstvu Hrvatske. Osnovu za procjenu veličine turizma i njegovog izravnog doprinosa gospodarstvu u okviru statistike turizma, pruža satelitski račun turizma. Procjena neizravnog i ukupnog doprinosa pretpostavlja korištenje različitih stohastičkih ili determinističkih modela. U ovom je radu procjena ukupnog doprinosa turizma zasnovana na input-output modelu kojeg sa satelitskim računom turizma povezuje izbor djelatnosti (matrica ukupnih međufaznih tokova dimenzije 13x13) i podaci o turističkoj potrošnji. Postupkom prikazanim u radu dobivena je statička procjena utjecaja turističke potražnje na hrvatski BDP u bazičnim cijenama za 2005. godinu. U svrhu unapređenja metoda procjena nužno je u budućnosti nastaviti daljnju intenzivniju suradnju turističkih stručnjaka i „nacionalnih računovođa“ Hrvatske, koja bi omogućila uspješnu primjenu dinamičkih simulacijskih modela podržanih modernim informacijskim tehnologijama.Considering tourism as a set of demand driven economic activities which are de-termined by (tourism) demand, the purpose of this paper is to assess the total, direct and indirect, contribution of tourism to the Croatian economy. Within the system of tourism statistics framework, the basis for estimating the size of tourism and its direct contribution to the economy is provided by Tourism Satellite Account. Assessment of indirect and total contribution assumes the use of different stochastic or deterministic models. This paper uses input-output model for estimation of total tourism contribution. Input-output model is linked to Tourism Satellite Account through the selection of activities (dimension of matrix of total intermediate fl ows is 13x13) as well as through data on tourism expendi-tures. Procedures presented in this paper result in static assessment of the contribution of tourism demand to Croatian GDP at basic prices for 2005. In order to improve the method of these estimates it is necessary to further intensify cooperation of tourism experts and Croatian national accountants in the future. That would enable successful application of dynamic simulation models supported by modern information technologies

DEVELOPMENT OF THE SHORT SCALE OF STUDENT EXPERIENCES WITH LEARNING AND TEACHING

U radu je prikazana kratka Ljestvica učeničkih iskustava s učenjem i nastavom. Cilj konstrukcije Ljestvice je omogućavanje valjanog, pouzdanog i praktičnog praćenja važnijih obilježja učenja i nastave iz perspektive učenika. Konceptualno se polazi od učeniku usmjerenog pristupa, po kojemu se iskustva učenika smatraju najvažnijim pokazateljem kvalitete podrške koju učenici dobivaju u školi. mPrikazana je validacija Ljestvice u jednoj gradskoj gimnaziji s općim gimnazijskim programom na uzorku od 631 učenika. Učenici su procjenjivali svoja iskustva s učenjem hrvatskog jezika, matematike i engleskog jezika. Korištena je inačica ljestvice koju su učenici popunjavali putem interneta, vođeno, u svojim informatičkim učionicama. Ljestvica se sastoji od 12 tvrdnji kojima se ispituju važni aspekti učenja i nastave. Rezultati upućuju na jednofaktorsku strukturu ljestvice s visokim koeficijentima interne konzistencije. Koeficijent Cronbach alfa za hrvatski jezik iznosi α=,86, za matematiku α=,91, a za engleski jezik α=,89. Pokazuje se da ljestvica ima dobru diskriminativnu valjanost. Rezultati na ljestvici dobro razlikuju procjene različitih predmeta, iste predmete u različitim razrednim odjelima, a također odražavaju i teoretski jasne spolne razlike u procjenama. Validacija Ljestvice potvrđuje valjanost i smislenost korištenja učeničkih iskustava za ispitivanje važnih obilježja učenja i nastave u razrednom okruženju. Ljestvica može imati uporabnu vrijednost za dijagnostiku, samovrednovanje i planiranje unapređivanja nastave pojedinih predmeta.This paper presents the short Scale of Student Experiences with Teaching and Learning. The aim of the scale is to provide a valid, reliable and useful tool for monitoring the important aspects of teaching and learning from the students’ perspective. The conceptual framework for the development of this scale is the learner-centred approach where student experiences are considered as a valid indicator of the quality of support provided to students in school. Results of the validation study carried out on 631 pupils of one grammar school in an urban area are presented. Students assessed their experiences with the learning and teaching of the Croatian language, Mathematics and English language. A computerised version of the scale was administered to students via the Internet in their computer lab. The scale consists of 12 items related to the most relevant aspects of teaching and learning in the classroom. The results reveal the homogeneous unifactorial structure of the scale with high internal consistency. Cronbach α coefficients were .86 for Croatian, .91 for Mathematics and .89 for English. The scale demonstrated adequate discriminant validity, providing good differentiation of assessments for three different subjects as well as for the same subject by different classes of students. Gender differences in the assessment of three subjects are in line with theoretical expectations. The validation of this scale supported the validity and usefulness of student experiences in assessing the important aspects of teaching and learning in a school environment. This scale is therefore a potentially useful tool in diagnostics, teacher self-evaluation and in planning interventions aimed at improving the teaching of various subjects in school

STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

Od ranih 1980-ih nositelji planiranja razvoja turizma zalagali su se za uključivanje interesnih skupina u planiranje iz najmanje tri razloga: prvo, interesne skupine koje podržavaju turistički razvoj sklonije su podržati investicije javnog sektora i projekte privatnog sektora; drugo, sklonije su tolerirati neke negativne učinke i, treće, više su gostoljubive prema turistima. Posljednji aspekt je važan s obzirom na to da istraživanja pokazuju da gostoljubivost i prijateljsko ponašanje lokalnog stanovništva pridonosi ukupnom zadovoljstvu turista. Tako stručnjaci koji se bave planiranjem turizma ističu potrebu praćenja stavova lokalnih interesnih skupina s ciljem ranog identificiranja mogućih problema i poduzimanja strategija kojima će seminimizirati eventualne konfl iktne situacije koje, ukoliko ostaju neotkrivene, potkopavaju potporu za razvoj destinacije i destinacijsku privlačnost za posjetitelje. Stoga je u okviru ovog istraživanja osmišljeno i provedeno kvalitativno i kvantitativno istraživanje kako bi se utvrdili stavovi zajednice o turizmu i njegovom budućem razvoju. Istraživanjem su obuhvaćene interesne skupine iz javnog sektora i turističkog sektora te stanovnici. Rezultati istraživanja otklonili su neke od ‘iluzija’ povezanih s ne(željenim) turističkim razvojem. Jednako važno, rad je unaprijedio istraživanja i metode u turističkom planiranju budući da postoji mali broj radova koji uzimaju u obzir stavove različitih interesnih skupina temeljene na reprezentativnim uzorcima.Since early 1980s tourism planners have strongly advocated involvement of local stakeholders in tourism planning for, at least, three reasons: fi rstly, stakeholders are more likely to support public sector investment and private sectors projects if they support tourism development; secondly, stakeholders supporting tourism development are more willing to tolerate some of the negative impacts of tourism and, thirdly, they are more hospitable to tourists. The last aspect is important given that studies have shown that hospitable and friendly attitudes of locals contribute signifi cantly to overall tourist satisfaction. Thus, the tourism planning experts highlighted the need to monitor attitudes of local stakeholders in order to identify possible problems early and devise strategies that will minimize eventual confl icting situations that would, if left undetected, undermine support for destination development and destination appeal for visitors. Thus, a research agenda based on, both, qualitative and quantitative surveys was devised and implemented, with an aim to ascertain community attitudes towards tourism and its future development. The research included attitudes of public sector stakeholders and tourism sector leaders and residents. The results of these surveys have dispelled some of the ‘illusions’ related to (un)desirable tourism development. Equally important, they advance the tourism planning research and methods as studies taking into account attitudes of variety of stakeholders based on representative samples of stakeholders’ population are rare