Opportunities for the development of the tourist offer in the Karst part of the Municipality of Miren - Kostanjevica

Diplomsko delo proučuje možnosti za razvoj turistične ponudbe v kraškem delu občine Miren - Kostanjevica, opozarja na številne potencialne turistične privlačnosti in analizira obstoječo turistično ponudbo. Zastavljeni sta dve raziskovalni vprašanji: katere ciljne skupine turistov bi lahko bolj pritegnil kraški del občine Miren - Kostanjevica in katere so ovire za intenzivnejši razvoj tega območja. Uporabljena je bila literatura s področja proučevanja turizma in obravnave geografskih značilnosti proučevanega območja. Veliko podatkov je bilo najdenih na različnih spletnih portalih. Narejen je bil tudi intervju z direktorico Javnega zavoda Miren Kras ter izveden terenski ogled obstoječe in potencialne turistične ponudbe. Miren Kras je skupno ime destinacije, ki obsega del Krasa in del Vipavske doline. Nahaja se v zahodnem delu države. Njena prepoznavnost se iz leta v leto veča, a je po obiskanosti še vedno v ozadju. Ponuja raznovrstno turistično ponudbo, v kateri lahko turisti izbirajo med športnimi, kulturnimi ali kulinaričnimi dejavnostmi. V diplomskem delu je izpostavljenih nekaj neizkoriščenih potencialov, ki bi lahko bili bolj predstavljeni javnosti, in podanih nekaj predlogov za izboljšavo obstoječe turistične ponudbe. Butični turisti, gurmani in družine so ciljne skupine, ki jih destinacija nagovarja. Pojavljajo se tudi ovire za nadaljnji razvoj, in sicer premajhna prepoznavnost, sezonskost, neenakomerna razporeditev nastanitev ter promocija, ki zahteva veliko dela in časa.This thesis explores the options for the development of the tourist offer in the Karts section of the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica, addresses numerous untapped potentials and analyses the existing tourist offer. It aims to answer two research questions: which target groups of tourists may be interested in the Karst section of the Municipality of Miren Kostanjevica and which are the obstacles that challenge the further development of the region. Literature on tourism studies and the geographical features of the studied area was used. Much information was retrieved from different portals. An interview with the director of the Miren Karst Public Institution was conducted, as well as field research on the existing and potential tourist offer. Miren Karst is the name of the destination that consists of a part of the Karst region and a part of Vipava Valley. It is located in the western part of the country. It is gaining recognition, but the number of tourists remains low. The destination offers a diverse tourist offer, as tourists may enjoy in different sport, cultural and culinary activities. This thesis addresses some untapped potentials that could be better publicised and presents suggestions for the improvement of the existing tourist offer. Alternative tourists, people with refined taste and families are the destination’s target groups. However, some obstacles challenge further development, such as insufficient recognition, the non-seasonal nature of the destination, the disproportionate distribution of accommodation options and promotion that requires a lot of work and time