STATISTICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SLOVENIAN SPORTS-ACTIVE TOURISTS AND SLOVENIAN TOURISTS WITH OTHER MOTIVES OF TRAVELLING

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je istražiti navike sportskih turista iz Slovenije, gdje se sportski turizam smatra novom prilikom za razvoj slovenskog turizma. Nadalje, analizirane su razlike između sportskih turista i ostalih turista na temelju službenih podataka Statističkog ureda Republike Slovenije za razdoblje od 2000. do 2004. godine; podaci su analizirani metodom hi-kvadrata. Rezultati usporedbe sportskih turista i turista koji putuju zbog drugih razloga otkrili su sociodemografske razlike i neke razlike u ponašanju na putovanju. Utvrđeno je da sportski turisti biraju različite vrste prijevoznih sredstava i troše više novca na sportske aktivnosti a manje na smještaj te da postoji veće zanimanje za zimske sportove. Ovi rezultati imaju važne implikacije kako za istraživače, tako i za turizam i marketing.The purpose of the present study was to examine habits of sports-active tourists from Slovenia where the sports tourism is seen as a new window of opportunity for the development of Slovenian tourism. Furthermore, the differences between sports-active tourists and other types of tourists were analysed on the basis of official data acquired from a Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia from 2000 to 2004; the data were analysed using a chi-square method. The results revealed socio-demographic differences and some differences in travel behaviour between sports-active tourists and tourists with other travelling motives. It was found that sports-active tourists choose different types of transportation, they spend more money on sports activities and less on accommodation and there is greater interest in winter sports. These findings have important implications for both academics and even more for those involved in the tourism industry and marketing