“The Expression of Sustainable Tourism Sector Development in the Regions from a Consumer Perspective Increasing the Competitiveness of the Regions”, Nr.S-PD-22-56

Project No. S-PD-22-56             
Project title: „The Expression of Sustainable Tourism Sector Development in the Regions from a Consumer Perspective Increasing the Competitiveness of the Regions”
Project duration: from 2022-11-03 to 2024-10-31
Postdoctoral supervisor: prof. dr. Brigita Žuromskaitė

Postdoctoral trainee: Ramunė Narkūnienė

Summary: The project plans to research the expression of sustainable development of the tourism sector (hereinafter – SDTS) in the regions from the point of view of consumers. The purpose of the study is to reveal the consumers’ attitude towards SDTS in the regions, after analyzing the theoretical assumptions of the definition of SDTS and the consumer’s attitude and conducti ng an empirical study, in order to increase the competitiveness of the regions.

In the scientific literature, researchers pay attention to various issues of SDTS. However, only a few researches have been carried out on the attitudes of tourism service users towards a SDTS in the regions, so the idea is new and relevant.

SDTS is a dynamic process that is constantly facing new challenges, so research on this topic is very relevant. The role of research in the tourism sector (the third largest economic sector in the world) is crucial for the sector to remain viable and sustainable in the regions, even in times of crisis (the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.). The importance of SDTSs and sustainable regional development is also reflected in strategic documents at different levels: global and European Union, national and sectoral. The following documents should be mentioned: 2021 March 25 the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy, the National Progress Plan 2021-2030 and others.

Qualitative and quantitative research will be conducted during the research. The calendar plan of the project’s activities includes two internships in scientific and study institutions of foreign countries, as well as preparation of at least three publications in scientific publications included in the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science databases and presenting them at international scientific conferences. The practical significance of this project is that the research carried out in the project would help to answer questions about consumers’ attitudes towards a SDTS in the regions in order to increase the competitiveness of the tourism sector in the regions.