Event In The Function Of Better Positioning Of Tourist Destinations - The Case Study Of Dubrovnik

Nowadays, there is a wide range of events that are classified as event tourism. Event tourism is a generally accepted concept that includes all planned events in an integrated approach to development and destination marketing. Cultural events, sports competitions, music and / or film festivals, public celebrations and other events can generate new demands thus increasing the competitiveness and strengthening a positive destination image. This is why numerous tourist destinations try to launch new festivals and other events that might draw tourists and extend the tourist season. Dubrovnik is one of the most popular and most attractive tourist destinations in the Mediterranean. Although events are important attractions of the city of Dubrovnik, not enough attention has been paid to their organization and promotion. The article examines whether the traditional and new attractive festivals, cultural and similar events might be used as important tourist attraction and destination image makers. Data were collected using the online method on a sample of experts in tourism. The survey results show that the events are not a strong tourism generating factor, they rather represent the added value, and Dubrovnik with its historic, cultural and natural resources has a huge potential for the development of those destination events that are intended to attract tourists. The findings help to strengthen the influence of events on the image of Dubrovnik, the need for creating and marketing events as tourist attraction, the importance of developing public-private partnership and co-branding strategies in the off-peak season.