PERSPECTIVES OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN OPATIJA

U ovom završnom radu opisuje se Grad Opatija kao turistička destinacija, te su istaknute perspektive razvoja grada. Napravljene su analize dolazaka i noćenja turista u gradu Opatiji, smještajni kapaciteti po kategorijama, kao i analiza okruženja Grada Opatije, te resursa kojima raspolaže. Grad Opatija smješten je u Kvarnerskom zaljevu, u podnožju planine Učka, a pripada Primorsko-Goranskoj županiji. Grad ima dobru geoprometnu povezanost, ta najbliži izlaz na more koji je udaljen na petsto metara od važnijih emitivnih središta kao što su Beč, Milano i Munchen. S obzirom na blagu i povoljnu klimu Opatija je odlična cjelogodišnja destinacija. Zbog svoje ugodne i povoljne klime grad je zamišljen kao idealna destinacija zdravstvenog i wellness turizma. Također, idealna je destinacija za razvoj kongresnog turizma. Grad Opatiju karakteriziraju nepovoljni demografski trendovi, odnosno starenje stanovništva, što u konačnici rezultira smanjivanjem radne snage. U gradu Opatiji od smještajnih objekata najviše su rasprostranjeni hoteli, ali sve su popularniji i privatni oblici smještaja kao što su privatni apartmani, te ekskluzivne kuće za odmor. S obzirom da je Opatija grad u kojem turizam djeluje već 170 godina, te je upravo tu izgrađen prvi hotel na hrvatskom djelu Jadrana, hotel Kvarner, može se reći da je turizam najvažniji segment gospodarstva grada. Što se tiče same destinacije, najviše turista odsjeda upravo u hotelima, te je ulaganje u njih od izričitog značaja.This B.A. thesis will be describing the town of Opatija as a tourist destination as well as the perspectives of the development of the town which have been accentuated. Analyses of the arrivals and overnight stays in the town of Opatija have been made, the accommodation capacities have been sorted by the categories along with the analysis of the environment of the town of Opatija and resources it has at its disposal. The town of Opatija is placed in the Kvarner bay, underneath the Uĉka mountain and it belong to Primorsko-goranska county. The town has good transportation connections and the closest sea access is only five hundred meters away from the most important outbound cities such as Vienna, Milano and Munich. Due to its mild and favorable climate, the town makes for an ideal destination for health and wellness tourism. It is also the ideal destination for the development of the congress tourism. The town of Opatija is characterized by adverse demographic trends, that is, the aging of the population, which results in the diminishment of the town’s work force. When it comes to accommodation objects in Opatija, the most widespread are hotels, but private means of accommodation are becoming more popular such as private apartments and exclusive vacation homes. Since Opatija is a town in which tourism has been prevalent for 170 years, this is also where the first hotel in the Croatian part of the Adriatic coast was built, the hotel Kvarner. It can therefore be concluded that tourism is the most important segment of the town’s economy. As for the destination itself, the greatest number of tourist stays is in those very same hotels which is why it is of great importance to invest in them