The “Sustainable Destination Structure” for Sustainable Tourist Demand - Selective Marketing for Sustainable Tourism Demand for Unpolluted Areas

Abstract

Observing the recent developments of the demand for tourist products, we notice some very important changes in the tourists’ preferences of consumption toward a different sense of quality, asking for new quality models based on virginity, pure nature, highly maintained clean spaces, authenticity, cultural heritage and high responsibility and consciousness on sustainability. The natural environment represents the main resource to this demand on many tourism destinations. This is related to the fact that tourists increasingly are interested in spending their holidays in unspoiled natural territories. To this end, destination managers recently are under increased pressure to improve their eco-quality, maximize the hygiene, as well as to implement ecologically sustainable practices and systems. Based and stimulated by this evidence, a process of selective targeting/segmentation of tourist market could be an approach to sustainable destination management, both generally in the international market, but very promising to the Albanian case of the tourist sector future development, focusing at the region of Elbasan. Considering and analyzing the ecological footprint of Albania, and particularly that of Elbasan region, this paper will try to test these possibilities. To observe the feasibility of this approach, the study will be focused on tourists, between Albanians and foreign visitors, regarding their main reasons of returning in the same destinations. The questions to be treated will be mainly focused on the quality of the tourist services, the environmentally friendly behavior, as well as psychographic, behavioral, and socio-demographic personal characteristics of the tourists. Focusing and deepening in sustainable tourism destinations’ management could foster the increase in the number of day-vacations for one year, strongly also influencing the normal development of the supporting industries. This asks for techniques which focus on eco-tourism and sustainability at the destinations, even why the tourist himself generally may not necessarily be interested in protecting and caring to the local environment. In conclusion, the study confirms the increasing trend of the orientation of the tourist demand toward unpolluted destinations and attractions, as well as the tendency to safeguard the environment and to use sustainable tourist resources