Özet:

Using a sociological approach, the authors make a contribution to the discussion concerning the social consequences of mass tourism which, as the manifest form of what is on offer to tourists, is all-pervasive in Croatian tourism, especially in the investigated destination of Biograd. Although it has positive effects, this type of tourism has various negative social consequences such as the uniformity of what is on offer to tourists, the decline in quality, the loss of a recognizable identity, the degradation and the pollution of the environment, infrastructural problems, a negative attitude of the local population towards tourists and a number of others. It is because of these reasons that a critique is advanced of the developmental spontaneous conception of tourism, as stemming from the natural amenities of "the sun and the sea" which as such places a limit on the number of tourists and concentrates it exclusively to the few summer months of the tourist season, while other things that could be offered to tourists are inadequately presented on the European or the broader tourist market. The text presents a portion of the results obtained by an empirical sociological research project which was carried out in the summer of 2002 on a random sample of 90 tourists who stayed in Biograd na moru.We are dealing here with a so-called pilot project of the diagnostic type whose results are compared with existing official statistical (state and municipality) data. The authors conclude that a market repositioning and a more original conception of what is offered to tourists in Biograd is necessary. A uniform kind of tourism organized around the beach is prevalent in Croatia. Considering its real dispositions, Biograd n/m has great possibilities of developing an alternative tourism. Its tourist resources are multifarious because, in addition to the sea, it has a very indented and accessible shoreline, a great number of islands, national parks in its vicinity, conditions for sport fishing, the cultivation of healthy food and much else. At the same time, the organization of future research and the analysis of tourism as a social phenomenon will influence the dimensions and the quality of the tourist strategy of Croatia.

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