Competitiveness of Frontier Regions and Tourism Destination Management

The competitiveness of border regions is often lower than the competitiveability of a country’s interior regions. Mostly being areas thatmark the end of one entity and the beginning of another, border regionsdemonstrate weaker economic performance. Tourism, as a method ofdevelopment, provides opportunities to develop tourism destinationsin places where tourism attractions and resources, and comparative andcompetitive advantages exist. This paper dealswithmodels for assessingcompetitiveness in the field of tourism and destination managementas a vital element in achieving a higher level of competitiveness for atourism destination. Our research focuses on tourism supply providersin the border regions of Slovenia and Croatia. We assess their attitudeson tourism, regional competitiveness, and potential tourism destinationsas the outcome of cooperation between the two countries. Resultsindicate the possibility of enhancing competitiveness through a strategicapproach in planning and managing cross-border tourism destinations.