Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.20867/thm.9.2.8
THE INNOVATIVE TOURIST PRODUCT IN THE FUNCTION OF THE HOTEL INDUSTRY
Slobodan Ivanović
; Faculty of tourism and hospitality management, University of Rijeka, Opatija, Croatia
Sažetak
Very often, there are more imitators than innovators in the hotel industry. There are very few hotel enterprises engaged in continually innovating their services. Creative imitators help to diffuse innovations and to meet the needs of certain segments o f the tourist market. They realise the improvement possibilities of the tourism product or service, which requires innovation. Changes to certain features o f the product or service can help to increase their value for both domestic and
foreign tourists. Hence, it is maintained that creative imitation is sooner to take hold on the tourist market than on the tourism product or service.
The globalisation process of the world economy, as well as the hotel industries, has imposed a certain way of thinking referred to in journalism as "change as a constant necessity" or putting it harshly "innovate or disappear from the business scene”. Anything that is different represents change.
Innovation means accepting ideas for services which are new to hotel enterprise. Because innovations disturb the status quo of the hotel enterprise, they are met with resistance by some members of the organisation.
Strategic thinking is what every hotel enterprise needs to prevent it being caught off guard by the affects of changes in its micro and macro environment. Namely, troubles begin for the hotel enterprise when it fails to adapt in an adequate and acceptable way to the changes occuring within the hotel industry. Adverse changes in the environment and the inability of the hotel enterprise to respond to these changes are the cause of incongruity between the hotel’s potential (accommodation and other facilities) and the demands of the hotel industry i.e. the tourist markets on which it is present.
Ključne riječi
innovator; innovating tourist products and service; innovative hotel enterprise; innovative strategy
Hrčak ID:
181471
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.12.2003.
Posjeta: 2.057 *