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Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 66 No. 4, 2018.

Original scientific paper

No one asks the children, right?

Marko Koščak orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-2332-5639 ; Faculty of Tourism Brežice, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Lea-Marija Colarič-Jakše ; Faculty of Organisation Studies, Novo mesto, Slovenia
Daša Fabjan orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-7417-114X ; Turistica, University of Primorska, Slovenia
Staša Kukulj ; Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Saša Založnik ; Faculty for Tourism Brežice, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Mladen Knežević ; Faculty for International Relations and Diplomacy, International University Libertas, Zagreb, Croatia
Tony O'Rourke orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-5986-9179 ; Stirling, Scotland
Boris Prevolšek ; Faculty of Tourism Brežice, University of Maribor, Slovenia

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Abstract

Modern tourism planning and development of a destination should include input from all levels of society, including
different age groups and varying interest groups within a local community. However, it is very rare that, in the process of participatory planning, youths and school groups are invited to express their views on development plans or have the opportunity to take an active part in decision-making. In this study, a nonverbal semantic differential was used in order to learn about how children in Slovenian primary schools view tourists and tourism. A sample of students from three primary schools located in developed, semi developed and poorly developed tourist destinations completed an "activity book" containing questions and a methodology for drawing a picture of "tourists", "hosts", and "children's parents' perception of tourists". This study showed that children from regions where tourism is highly developed have significantly different attitudes toward tourists than children living in regions where tourism is not as developed. However, the study also takes a perspective of the importance of sustainability in the tourism offer and how this may affect the views of children & youth in general and in different regions in particular.

Keywords

children and visitors; perception of visitors and hosts; sustainability; destinations; participatory planning

Hrčak ID:

214037

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/214037

Publication date:

27.12.2018.

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