Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.55.1.5
Branding the Green Tourism in Macedonia
Biljana Petrevska
orcid.org/0000-0002-1238-4158
; Goce Delčev University, Faculty of Tourism and Business Logistics, Štip, Macedonia
Vlatko Cingoski
orcid.org/0000-0001-6097-485X
; Goce Delčev University, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Štip, Macedonia
Abstract
Tourism is a fast growing business and therefore developing a national
brand can be part of an effective strategy for managing the national growth of tourism.
A positive national image is an essential ingredient in the promotion of tourism which
raises the issue of investing into the national branding as part of the image-building
strategy. The article draws on primary and secondary data to provide insights into the
processes and conflicts of branding Macedonia as an eco-friendly destination. The
authors examine the hotel management perception of environmental protection and
renewable energy sources. The study used (1) quantitative methods by calculating
medians in terms of exploring the standard indicators for measuring eco policy and
environmental protection practices and (2) qualitative methods, by consulting the secondary
data sources. More precisely, an assessment is made on how hospitality industry
stakeholders manage the environmental issues as it can directly increase the destination
competitiveness. The main objective is to determine the level of environmental
quality in Macedonia as a basis for creating a national green tourism brand. The study
shows that a large number of hotel industry stakeholders lack measures to reduce the
conventional energy use and replace it with renewable energy sources. Although fully
aware of the importance of the energy efficiency concept, it is not managerial priority
of Macedonian hotels. These findings may help when further steps are taken towards
creating marketing strategies to enhance the country’s distinctiveness. This article initiates
the making of a framework for the introduction of competitive environmental
strategies in hotel establishments in order to contribute to Macedonia’s green identity.
Keywords
promotion; branding; environment; green tourism
Hrčak ID:
182251
URI
Publication date:
30.5.2017.
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