The Importance of Space for Tourism in Croatia

Tourism is primarily a social phenomenon in which different cultures connect. Great economic importance can be added to the phenomenon of tourism, especially for the development of the tourist economy, its dynamic development, growth, and complexity. With its development, tourism has become a necessity, a way of life, and a sign of class and interest. The subject of the paper is the place and the role of space in the tourism in Croatia. Examples are given for the city of Trogir and Dubrovnik according to the opinion of visitors to the “Trogir cultural summer” manifestation in Trogir and “Dubrovnik summer games” manifestation in Dubrovnik. The main goal is to point out the importance of space as a precondition for the development of tourism and its significance balance between tourism development and the need for long-term conservation space. The purpose of the paper is to provide a theoretical relationship between tourism and space, and then to investigate what this relationship is like on the example of the city of Trogir and Dubrovnik, using grades from the visitors’ opinion about the place and the role of the space. In order to examine the satisfaction of visitors with the event “Trogir cultural summer” in Trogir and “Dubrovnik summer games” in Dubrovnik, which would help define the importance of cultural and historical attractions and other elements of manifestations significant for overall tourist valorisation of the Trogir and Dubrovnik destination, based on a survey questionnaire primary data were collected. The results of the research, on average and cumulatively, indicate a high and average satisfaction of visitors with “Trogir cultural summer” as well as “Dubrovnik summer games” with aesthetic, ecological and cultural values. Reasons for the lower rating of the ecological value of the old core of Trogir is the proximity of the airport Resnik, which has negative implications for the environment in Trogir and for Dubrovnik is the fact that city itself is crowded with the tourists and cruisers. Croatia is a country in which tourism plays one of the most important roles and it has become very important source of income for its inhabit-ants, especially on the coast. The space and the environment are the inherent notions of tourism and, conversely, the concept of tourism is inconceivable without the components of space and environment. Tourism helps to bring people closer together and to raise awareness of the value of the natural and cultural heritage, while promoting respect for different cultures. Physical planning has a specific role to play here, particularly regarding tourism planning in a long-term perspective.