SOUVENIRS - FACTOR INFLUENCING THE TOURISM ACTIVITY. CASE STUDY: OPINIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE ON SOUVENIRS

The capacity, or more precisely the “task” of concentrating, both from a functional and aesthetic perspective, the essence of a tourism destination into a single object, represents the main explanation why the marketing specialist of the respective destination attaches an enhanced importance to souvenirs. Therefore, due to synthesizing the important, or so considered elements, souvenirs significantly influence the image the potential consumers may form, as well their reiteration by the existing consumers. In order to find out the consumers’ opinions on the representativeness of the souvenirs sold in shops, deemed as the most important by the authors of this article, a quantitative, exploratory research was performed, whose purpose is identifying young peoples’ position on the image conveyed by means of souvenirs. The need for this research is incontestable in order to create a connection among the desired image, the conveyed image, the perceived image and the expected image

Assessment modalities of the Master Plan for the Romanian tourism development 2007-2026

The complexity of a tourism destination such as Romania constitutes a prerequisite for organizing the marketing activity at the macro and meso level, in the context of the tourism development planning process at national level. An important document for the Romanian tourism development is the Master Plan, developed for the period 2007-2026, whose periodic evaluation is required. For this purpose, a quantitative marketing research has been conducted, on a sample of 107 young people, with ongoing economic higher education studies, which aimed at the knowledge of the opinions on the Master Plan for the Romanian tourism development, elaborated for 2007-2026, using as evaluation criteria, the knowledge gained from the Masters program. Thus, the opinions on the way of its organization, as well as its managerial implications have been analyzed, and finally, solutions have been proposed in order to improve it. Also, for a more complex view, a qualitative marketing research has been conducted, on a panel of experts, representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, in order to capture, from an internal perspective as well, important aspects of the organization and coordination processes on which the Master Plan was fundamented

Young people’s considerations regarding the fidelity of tourism products consumption

In order to satisfy, maintain and fidelize the consumers, considering the multitude of users on the tourism market, it is necessary to implement a relational marketing paradigm, thus offering products that permanently meet the needs and dynamic wishes of tourists, and so, sustaining a certain chain of supply – delivery based on values, and respecting the interests and objectives of the partners. In order to identify the elements/components of the tourism products, towards who the respondents are faithful, and in order to learn the constant aspects in making the decisions of buying and consuming, a quantitative marketing research has been conducted on a sample of 165 people, aged between 18 and 24 years old

Online marketing. A ground to exploit and grow the accessing of European funds

Accessing European funds is very controversial at this moment because of its enormous benefits for the country development. A very important aspect regarding the image of a country is represented by the tourism, and European funds offer an opportunity for raising the potential of a country by coordinating the tourism activities. Tourism planning also has a big impact its advantages being very resourceful due to a responsible funds allocation. In this paper, we have been analyzing a few European funded project – POSDRU 2007-2013 for the development regions. The future direction in developing projects in the field of tourism is to follow very carefully the objectives of the implemented projects and to plan all the activities in a balanced manner. The paper also shows how online communication can contribute to facilitate the access of the European funds and a better implementation and develop of the projects

European Funds in Tourism Sustainability—A Case Study of Beneficiaries’ Satisfaction Regarding the Process of Accessing

The scope of this research was to identify the degree of satisfaction experienced by beneficiaries as a result of accessing and implementing a project using European funds in tourism. The whole research identified more than 1000 projects that were financed from European funds in tourism in the period 2007–2013 through the operational programs. The survey was conducted on a sample of 312 respondents, and the method used was a quantitative, research-based survey. This research aims to collect the necessary data for understanding how the process of accessing European funds in tourism is perceived. A few important objectives, such as the effect of the benefits perceived by beneficiaries as a result of accessing projects using European funds in tourism on the degree of satisfaction experienced by them as a result of their development and the effect of risks perceived by beneficiaries as a result of accessing European funded projects in tourism on the degree of satisfaction experienced by them as a result of their development, were highlighted in this research. The most important objective proposed in this research is strategic planning, which is the main way in which the beneficiaries can be fulfilled in regards to the process of accessing European Funds

Oltenia’s identity – A systemic approach of a tourism destination’s universe

The multitude of tourism products, “constructed” with a basis containing the resources of a tourism destination, on the one hand, and from the anticipation of the tourists’ needs and desires, on the other hand, is “hosted” in a complex space, which transcends the spatial and temporal coordinates. Therefore, it is necessary that the marketing specialists know and subsequenty use the components of the “destination’s universe” in the laborious process of constructing tourism products with specific, authentic elements, constituting points of contact between the targeted consumer segments and the nature and culture of the destination itself. The purpose of this paper is to identify, within a quantitative research, those specific elements of the region which can “collaborate” on developing every structured tourism product, comprising both tangible and intangible elements, functional and symbolic, which can be offered to as many market segments as possible, through planned activities of destination marketing, yet entirely complying with its identity

Aspects on the perception of young people regarding balneotherapy tourism in Romania

The delimitation of perceptions regarding balneotherapy destinations is a defining process for shaping their positioning in consumers’ minds. Therefore, creating how balneotherapy tourism products specific activities are perceived by consumers and the relationship that they have reported to the sensations that assemble the touristic experience is essential in creating a tourism image. In this sense, a quantitative marketing research was conducted on a sample of 573 young people undergoing university studies in order to know their perception regarding balneotherapy resorts in Romania, analyzing the importance and particularities of each sensation in relation to balneotherapy resorts felt by respondents that differentiate the balneotherapy experience from other touristic experiences

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Reputation Management of High-Tech Dentistry in Romania

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the activities carried out in several fields, including dentistry, to a high extent. The purpose of this paper is to determine the respondents’ perception of the image of dental practices in Romania following the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to fulfil the purpose of the research, a quantitative study was carried out, including data collection with the help of a questionnaire to 306 respondents. A multiple linear regression model was used in order to determine the type and intensity of existing links between the variables. The results illustrated that 50.8% of the variation in the dependent variable (respondents’ perception of the image of dental practices) is explained by the independent variables. The results obtained in this research are very important, both for the dentists who work in private clinics and for the managers who work inside them. They will therefore be aware of the main factors that must be emphasized if they want to improve the image of the medical practice or to increase the number of patients they have

Sensory experience – between the tourist and the marketer

In order to influence the decision making process in tourism, and to keep account with the “tough” competition environment in the current economy, destinations find themselves “fighting” more and more for the attainment of an image as favourable as possible in the mind of the tourist. It is for this reason that the marketer projects the image identity and develops contact points, so that, through the application of suitable stimuli, the tourist will have a memorable sensory experience through the stages of pre-consumption, actual consumption and post-consumption of the travel product. The purpose of the present article is to evaluate the sensory experience of the tourist – a possible instrument for reducing the gap between projection and perception, as well as for imagining the travel product