Abstract:

In the market economy, it is very important that businesses, regardless of the sector in which they operate, be oriented towards the consumer to guarantee their sustainability in the market. Being customer-oriented means evaluating the changing needs and wants of customers and meeting them better than competitors. The aim of this paper is to evaluate a tourist destination from the point of view of local and foreign tourists, with the aim of designing strategies that enable the sustainable development of the destination. Tourist evaluations are a crucial source of information for the development of a tourist destination that the management's responsible authorities must take into account when developing strategies and policies. The methodology used in this study has been desk research and empirical research. The QUALITEST tool was used to evaluate the tourists' levels of satisfaction with the services in the Vlore Region destination based on quality indicators. The data was collected during the period May-August 2022, and the tool used for data collection was an online questionnaire distributed through email, phone, and social media. Database with the contacts of tourists is provided by tourism businesses. SPSS software was used for data processing. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the level of satisfaction of tourists for each indicator of the quality of the tourist destination, the assessment of the importance of the quality indicators that tourists consider when choosing a tourist destination, as well as the assessment of the reasons for not visiting a destination referred to the quality of the tourist product offered. The findings of this study are essential to be taken into consideration by the responsible authorities for a better management of the tourist destination in the Vlora region. This study provides a missing model of tourist destination evaluation by tourists for the region of Vlora, which is very necessary to evaluate the current strategy being implemented and adapt it according to the needs of tourists. Also, this paper will serve as an output of the authorities responsible for the management of tourist destinations, emphasizing the importance of market research to assess the situation and then draw up strategies that best meet the needs and wants of tourists.

Keywords:

evaluation of quality indicators, responsible authorities, sustainable development, tourist destination management, tourist satisfaction.

How to Cite:

Xhiliola Agaraj (Shehu) and Enida Pulaj (Brakaj). Evaluation of the Quality of Tourist Destination for a Sustainable Development: Case Study Vlora Region, Albania. [ref]: vol.22.2024. available at: https://refpress.org/ref-vol22-a31/