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THE GROWTH OF THE CRUISE TOURISM AS A CHANCE FOR
REPOSITIONING OF SERBIA ON TOURISM MARKET
Olga Hadzic, PhD, Professor at the Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad
Zeljko Bjeljac,PhD, Scientific researcher, Geographical Institute ,,Jovan Cvijic,,
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade,
Abstract
In the paper we pointed out that the growth of the cruise tourism in the Danube region has to be
recognized as a chance for repositioning of Serbia on tourism market as a destination with many natural
and cultural attractions, including ethnic festivals. Vojvodina is a unique region in Europe with respect to
cultural diversity, because more then 25 nations live in our Province, and that fact is one of the unique
competitive advantage of the region, which has to be used in making a better image of Serbia on
international tourism market.
Key words: Serbia, cruise tourism, Podunavlje, tourist values, tourist destination, cultural tourism,
festivals
1. INTRODUCTION
The World Tourism Organization conducted the Tourism Vision Study in 1998 and predicted
that five most popular tourism products emerge over the next two decades would be cultural
tourism, adventure tourism, ecotourism, cruise tourism and thematic tourism. Cruise business is
one of the major growth areas of international tourism (Cruise Lines International Association
1995; Hobson, 1993; Peisley 1995, Kester, 2003). In 2000 cruise lines carried almost 10 million
passengers. Since 1980 the cruise industry has had an average annual growth of 8.4 %. A study in
1999, by Business Research and Economic Advisors, indicated that the cruise industry has an
estimated economic impact on the USA of approximately $15,5 billion annually.
By capitalizing on what is unique about a place and a community, the heritage, artistic and
cultural life and natural resources of an area can be used to promote places along the river. The
cruise tourism brings many benefit for the region along the river. Visitors make direct
expenditure on excursion, attractions and shopping while on the cruise and government charges
for navigation services and port charges may include a profit/tax element. Cruise tourism is
significant for a number of cultural attractive ports, because cruise tourist are older and higher
educated, spending on average much higher amount per day to visit cultural heritage and events
then other categories of tourists. The new consumer want to be involved-to learn about a
destination and to interact with the community at more then superficial level.
By ICOMOS domestic and international tourism continuous to be among the foremost
vehicles for cultural exchange, providing a personal experience, not only of that which has
survived from the past, but of the contemporary life and society of others. Cultural tourism can
embrace the full range of experiences that make a destination unique-its lifestyle, natural and
cultural heritage and people, and providing and interpreting that culture to visitors a destination
can achieve a better positioning on tourism market.
It is important for all which work in tourism sector in our country to accept the fact that
Serbian arts and culture can help in positioning of Serbia in the tourism market, based on
unique points of differences. The multicultural creativity of the people who live in the Serbian
part of Danube basin, combined with its landscape and natural resources, are unique competitive
advantages of this region, and that fact has to be used in all printed and Internet promotional
materials.
Hence, one of the main objective of tourism sector of Serbia has to be to strengthen the
perception of Serbia as a culturally reach destination, and especially to cross-promote cultural
events of national and international standard.
G. Keillor, on Travel and Tourism White House Conference, said:
»We need to think about cultural tourism, because there is no other kind of tourism. It is what
tourism is.. People don't come to America for our airports, people don't come to America for
our hotels, or the recreational facilities... They come for our culture: high culture, low culture,
middle culture, right culture, real or imagine... They come here to see America«.
2. CRUISE TOURISM IN SERBIAN PART OF DANUBE REGION
Podunavlje in Serbia (Serbian part of Danube region) includes the area around the river
Danube, with very interesting natural and cultural values, and can become one of the most
important destination in the tourist offer of Serbia.
Regular ship transport on the river Danube dates back to 1696 (between Passau and
Vienna). The Erste Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft (DDSG) was established in 1829. In 1830
the first voyage from Vienna to Budapest was organized. The journey downstream lasted 14
hours and the return trip not less than two days. The first package holidays on the Danube,
downstream to Bulgaria and the Black Sea, were offered in 1920. Today, the Danube offers to the
guests every imaginable vacation options. The region is easy to reach, whether by car, bus, train
or plane. Major gateways in Serbia are Novi Sad, Belgrade and the Iron Gate.
Podunavlje is a geographical macro-region in East Europe, which also stretches through
the territory of Serbia. The river Danube flows through Serbia, 588 kilometers in length, from the
state boundary near Bezdan to Kladovo. Almost every meter of the Danube’s route bears the
profound imprint of European culture and history: ancient cities, monasteries, prehistoric
settlements, castles and palaces, fortresses, battlefields, landscapes of breathtaking beauty and
natural wonders such as the “Iron Gate”. At the same time, the river gives possibilities for
developing various sorts of tourism like nautical, sports on water (Стратегија, 1999), and in
coastal regions recreation, excursion, eco, cultural, country, event and spa tourism. Indeed no
other river presents such a variety of scenery and impressions as does the Danube on its long and
eventful journey from the Black Forest to the Black Sea.
From very early times, when tourism as we know it today did not even exist, this great
river played a significant role in the economic life. Times have changed, but the Danube remains
a vital artery of transportation as part of the European Union’s TEN - Trans-Europe
Transportation Network (Corridor seven). The river is also a major source of hydroelectric power,
and both the river itself and the surrounding regions are in the center of increasing interest of
business in general, and the tourist industry in particular.
The Danube has been visited by a great number of tourists who chose a cruising holiday
on the river. In the year 2000, from the total number of tourists who participated on a cruising
holiday all around the world, 33% were on the Danube, 31% on the Nile and 10% on the Rein.
The interest for cruising on the Danube, as one of the major European tourist destinations, is
constantly increasing.
In 1994 there were 83000 visitors and in 2000 the number of them reached 190000. At
the same time, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade and the Djerdap gorge are the most visited sites on the
Danube. In 2002 about 10000 passengers where on such cruises, whilst a total of 119000 guests
were recorded on cruise lines between. In 2003 the number rose to 45000 passengers on Delta
cruises, and to 130000 cruise passengers between Passau and Budapest.
By Oct 2004, 43 000 passengers visited Belgrade, 22000 Novi Sad, and approximately
60000 the Romanian Danube delta. In 2004 the estimates rise to 150000 cruise passengers on
board of over 90 cruise vessels, and in 2005 Vienna expects 97 cruise vessels. In 2004 over 90
cruise liners carrying more than 150000 passengers plied the Danube. For the 2005 season 100
cruise ships are expected to sail the river. (www.Danube-river.org). At the same time, Vienna,
Budapest, Belgrade and the Djerdap gorge are the most visited sites on the Danube. The average
length of a cruising tour on the Danube is 7,3 days, for passengers which use European tour
operators and ships company. Mostly are from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria and
Hungary.
The biggest users of cruises lines on Danube are passengers from Germany and USA. For
the USA passengers in 2005 two cruise trips across Danube are organized. One is a deluxe Grand
Circle river ship, including roundtrip airfare from Boston, Newark, or New York Itinerary Grand
European river cruise (2005) with destinations:
Hungary-Croatia-Serbia-Bulgaria-Romania-Netherland-Germany-Austria including 16 special
sightseeing tours: Bucharest, Constanta, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Osijek, Melk Abbey, Passau,
Regensburg, Nurnberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Wertheim, Mainz, Koblenz, Cologne, and
Amsterdam.
The second cruise line is itinerary Eastern Europe to the Black Sea, with destinations
Hungary-Croatia-Serbia-Bulgaria-Romania (map)
with 6 exclusive, guided sightseeing tours: Budapest, Novi Sad, Constanta, Osijek, Belgrade,
Bucharest
3. NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC TOURIST VALUES OF DANUBE
BASIN IN SERBIA
The river Danube is the main factor which influenced the forming of specific
geomorphologic and hydrological objects in its coastal regions. Some of these objects are
meanders, backwaters, islands, flooded areas and gorges which represent unique natural entities.
The Gornje Podunavlje represents a group of meanders and backwaters. This region
spreads on the territory of the municipals Sombor, Apatin and Odzaci, along the left bank of the
river Danube, from the state boundary with Hungary on the north to the village Bogojevo on the
south. The paleo meanders, such as the Baracka, Stari Dunavac, Monostorski Dunavac,
Kupusinski Dunavac, Pesterski, Srebrenicki, Staklarski Dunavac are filled with water during the
whole year. The Plazovic steam, Bajski channel, Veliki Backi channel and Bezdan-Prigrevica
channel contribute to the hydrological complexity of the region.
Therefore, the region keeps its natural-tourist values during the whole year. The
previously mentioned paleo meanders and channels, except the Danube River, are the base for
the developing of nautical tourism. The lowland forests are an ideal environment for swampy
flora and fauna and a few riverside restaurants along the Danube River and water surfaces
provide pleasant conditions for recreation and swimming during the summer.
The Banat sandy terrain is a specific geomorphologic formation made by intensive
effects of aeolian accumulation and erosion. The sandy terrain is located in the southeast part of
Banat. The surface of the terrain is polymorphous, covered with dunes, barchans and blown-out
depressions oriented southeast-northwest. There are also 10 m high dunes, made by Holocene
sands, which contribute to the complexity of the relief in this region.
This picturesque relief of aeolian forms, especially in the central parts, offers unique and
attractive terrain. Today, on the European continent this sort of environment is very rare and
because of that Deliblato is known as the “European Sahara”. Deliblato represents a valuable
tourist region as part of the Podunavlje in Serbia. Specific relief, complex ambient entity and
wealth of diverse flora and fauna provide good base for excursions and educational and hunting
tourism.
Djerdap gorge is located in northeast Serbia. Also known as the “Iron Gate”, here the
Danube River forces its path between the mighty Carpathian and Balkan ranges. Through the
gorge runs an important international road which connects Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. Based
on this, Djerdap gorge has a good location between Serbia and southwest Romania,
After the construction of the artificial dam for production of electric power, the
Djerdapska Lake was formed. It is 264 km long, during the high level of the Danube and 132 km
long during low level. At the same time, the Djerdap gorge has a great wealth of flora with 1100
species and vast forests of oaks and beeches. These elements provide beautiful scenery to the
visitors
The Danube River has, as a tourist destination, in its coastal region many anthropogenic
tourist values. Along the boundaries of the natural reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” there are two city
centres (Apatin and Sombor) and the next city to the south is Apatin. Its main tourist attractions
are the spa “Banja Junaković” and the traditional gastronomical festival “Apatinske riblje večeri”.
The small town Bač, in the same region, is known for the old fortress dating from the XI century.
The city of Novi Sad, the main tourist centre of Vojvodina, rich in cultural and historical values,
lies further down stream on the Danube. Within the city area, on the right bank of the river, the
Petrovaradin fortress, built during the Austria-Hungarian Monarchy in the XVIII century, had an
important strategic role in the wars against the Otoman Empire. This fortress is the host of many
international festivals. Along the right bank of the Danube stretches the Fruška Gora mountain.
Its central part was turned into a national park in 1960 due to preserved natural resources and
forests. The mountain`s most valuable anthropogenic resources are monasteries, which represents
outstanding historical and cultural heritage. On the northern slopes of Fruska Gora lies Sremski
Karlovci, the cultural and spiritual centre of the Serbs in the XIX century.
Beograd is the most important tourist destination in Serbia, with 25% of domestic tourists
and 15% of nights of the total number in Serbia and around 50-60% of foreign tourists. The most
significant elements of the tourist offer of the city are the Kalemegdan fortress from the X century
and the Zemun fortress from the XV century, different cultural and artistic festivals such as
BITEF, FEST and BEMUS, and a large number of national and international sport happenings.
Smederevo is located 54 km south-east from Belgrade. It is important for the fortification from
the XV century and for the “Smederevska jesen” festival, which is dedicated to medieval heritage
of the town. Further east, near Veliko Gradište, there is an artificial lake, Srebrno jezero, with a
hotel, a restaurant and a recreational area, which enables the development of sport, recreational
and fishing tourism. Near the entrance of the Đerđap gorge and the national park of the same
name, on the right riverbank lies the remnants of a medieval town of Golubac (dating from the
XV century). The village of Donji Milanovac is famous for the fishing festival “Zlatna bućka”
and nearby lies the well-known archeological site Lepenski vir, dating from the sixth millennium
BC. Monumental stone sculptures, tools made of stones and bones and different jewelry were
found among the remnants of a well-organized settlement. There are seven horizontal layers
dating from different pre-historical periods (Томић и сар., 2000).
Down stream from Donji Milanovac is the beginning of the Kazan gorge, important
because of the remnants of the Roman road and the Board of Trajan, which are an evidence of the
fact that the most difficult stage of this road was finished during the reign of this Emperor.
Kladovo is situated down stream from the Đerdap gorge. The remnants of the Trajan Bridge can
be found east from Kladovo. It had an important role in the traffic between province Mesia and
the newly occupied Dacia. The last river port on the Danube River n Serbia is Prahovo. Near this
port is the town of Negotin, which was the birth place of Stevan Mokranjac, a famous Serbian
composer, and there is a memorial museum dedicated to him.
Manifestations are of special imterest for cruise tourists. Festivals attract culture
tourists, hence cruise tourist as well, to local community, enriching exchanges between tourists
and residents, which is of great importance in making image of Serbia. The role of events is
multidimensional, since they help also in overcoming of seasonality and in contributing to the
development of local communities and business. By Getz (Getz, 1997), one of the leading expert
for festival toursim, »events consitute one of the most exciting and fastest growing forms of
leisure business, and tourism-related phenomena«.
Table The number of the manifestations held in 2004 in cities of Podunavlje in Serbia
City A B C D E F G H
Belgrade 67 16 2 23 19 3 1 3 -
Novi Sad 37 13 - 15 5 - 1 1 2
Sombor 13 5 - 1 2 - 4 - 1
Sremski Karlovci 8 7 - 1 - - - - -
Kladovo 9 - - - 3 - - 6 -
Pančevo 7 4 - 2 1 - - - -
Smederevo 7 - - 1 - - 3 3 -
Požarevac 5 2 - - 1 - - 2 -
Bela Crkva 5 - - - 2 - 1 2 -
Golubac 4 2 2
Indjija 4 2 2
Veliko Gradište 4 1 3
Beočin 4 1 2 1
Apatin 3 1 1 1
Negotin 3 1 1 1
Odžaci 2 1 1
Bačka Palanka 2 1 1
Majdanpek 2 1 1
Bač 2 1 1
Donji Milanovac 2 1 1
Totally 197 56 2 45 38 3 14 31 3
Legend: A-arts, B-scientific, C-trade, D-sports, E-political, F-ethno, G-entertainment, H-
promotional
Tourists on a Danube cruising holiday in Serbia usually visits the above mentioned
tourist values of Podunavlje, but unfortunately they spend only few hours on the shores which
results in low inflow of foreign currency. Beyond the undoubted beauty of the Danube and its
coastal region, the tourism industry of Podunavlje can be built on a number of strengths. The
river’s natural surroundings are largely intact over long stretches and are concentrated in
relatively small areas, for example in Bezdan, Backa Palanka, Fruska Gora or Djerdap. An
attractive range of city-tourism products is available, which is particular interesting for the
international market
Good ideas, enriched offer and enthusiasm of people, during the 2004, who work at the
Tourist-information center of Novi Sad and Tourist Organizations of Belgrade and Serbia, prove
that the Danube River and the whole area of Podunavlje is becoming an important tourist
destination in Serbia.
4. SOME PROBLEMS WHICH HAVE TO BE SOLVED IN ORDER TO
ACHIVE A BETTER IMAGE OF SERBIA ON THE TOURISM MARKET
In order to capitalize what is unique in Serbian part of Danube basin, some problems
have to be solved:
1. The cultural sector has enormous potential to enhance visitors experiences in
ports through the provision of quality interpretation of natural and cultural
heritage given by members of the host community. Hence, a better education of
residents about the heritage of the region is one of the tasks, which has to be
solved by educational institutions.
2. In many cases the look of a port is inadequate, which has as a consequence that
the first impression of cruise tourists about a port is bad, and this is a
disadvantage in making a better image of Serbia on the tourism market.
3. It is evident that there is a lack of places, near ports, where cruise passengers
can buy quality souvenirs.
4. It is obvious that there is a lack of the better cooperation between cities along the
river in the joint promotional activities, including a joint Web portal with all
necessary details about natural and cultural heritage.
5. A better coordination between the organizers of the manifestations in timing of
the manifestations will help to avoid the concentration of events in a short
period during the main season.
6. The tourist industry has to address weaknesses in its own sphere. Efforts made
toward the creation of a network of ship operators and destinations, in the form
of destination packages, remain rudimentary. Similarly, the combination of ship
travel products with each other, as well as with other means of transportation, to
promote an integrated transfer solution, is inadequate.
7. The festival organizers have to utilize new information-communication
technologies in order to advertise their events to wider audience and to include,
in cooperation with an international tour operator, the visit to the events in the
cultural routes, as a part of itineraries of cruise tourists.
8. There is a lack of the quality ports due the standards of European Union.
5. CONCLUSION
Cruise tourists have many possibilities to participate in cultural activities in Serbian part
of Danube basin, and that fact has to be used in making better image of Serbia as a tourist
destination. Some problems (given above) have to be solved, first of all by destination
management organizations of cities along the river on the local level, but also on the regional
and national levels, and by public authorities, educational institutions and private sector.
The expenditure of a cruise tourist in a port is relatively low, but for our country after a
long period of the isolation, the main benefit of cruise tourism can be achieved by a better
positioning of Serbia on the tourism market. Cruise tourists can promote Serbia by word of
mouth, which is one of the most powerful forces in the market place. Word of mouth is more
credible, it reaches more people, faster then advertising, direct mail and even the Internet.
At the end of the paper we cite the words of Donald Thais, given in his presentation at
the Kingston Cultural Initiative Symposium, held in Kingston, Ontario, 2002:
“ If we build a community where restaurants make it a point to feature local produce, and
where farmers and gardeners have low-cost and attractive venues to display and sell their
products, if we build a community that celebrates freshness and vitality, a warm and secure place
that allows all its citizens to learn about the arts, and feel the joys of creative expression, if we
built a community like that, they will come”.
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