Original scientific paper
Knowledge Tourism – Educational Foundations for Transformation of Rural Destinations
Tihana Sudarić
; Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
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* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The development of rural tourism requires an integrated approach that encompasses educational, professional and research aspects in order to ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of destinations. In this process, various forms of education play a key role, enabling the acquisition of skills and competencies necessary for the successful management of rural tourist destinations. Formal education, through higher education institutions and vocational schools, provides the basic theoretical foundations, while non-formal education offers more flexible and practical opportunities for training. This research focuses on the analysis of the qualitative characteristics of rural tourism operators in Slavonia and Baranja, with the aim of presenting their educational structure, experience in performing tourism activities and motivation for acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills. The research process includes the analysis of primary and secondary data sources, and the compilation of research results concluded that new knowledge is needed in rural tourism in order to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of rural destinations. Descriptive statistics were used in the data analysis to describe the sample (proportion structure, frequencies, arithmetic mean, standard deviation), and the Kruskal-Wallis rank test was used as a non-parametric test related to the analysis of data related to education, work status and employment in the tourism sector. According to the specifics of rural-tourist areas, it is necessary to develop skills in micro-tourism management, promotion of local products and digital tools. The recommendation is to develop innovative approaches that include maintaining the authenticity of local culture and tradition, which significantly contributes to the increase in tourist offers and visitor satisfaction.
Keywords
Slavonia and Baranja; rural tourism; education, employment
Hrčak ID:
346873
URI
Publication date:
21.12.2025.
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