Although the competitiveness of a tourism destination is an important research subject explored by a large number of authors, the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) on the destination competitiveness has not been given special attention. This research article investigates the impact of ICT on destination competitiveness using a cross section with 11 transition countries in European Union (EU). Results reveal that ICT has statistically significant impact on destination competitiveness in transition countries in EU. In the future, it is essential that the transition countries apply appropriate measures that will enable significant development of ICT, as well as its application in tourism, in order to increase their competitiveness as tourism destinations.

This paper tries to contribute to the literature that covers the issues of the decision-making process when choosing a tourism destination by conducting a survey among the inhabitants of the Bačka region (province of Vojvodina in the Republic of Serbia). Following the information-processing theory, the decision-making process is defined with the five phases: need awareness, information search, estimation of alternatives, purchase, and purchase evaluation. 252 respondents took part in the research. Multivariate analysis (MANOVA) and discriminative analysis were used in the statistical procedure of data analysis. The results show that the level of income does not affect the first phase of need awareness, but strongly affects all the other phases of the decision-making process. The researchers also managed to address the most sensitive and vulnerable indicators of the decision-making process. Finally, comprehensive management implications for practitioners are discussed.

The principal aim of this paper was to explore destination competitiveness factors of Jablanica District (Serbia), by examining the attitudes of tourists. For research purposes, 32 attributes of destination competitiveness were rated with two parallel five-point Likert type scales -one by which tourists rated the importance of the attribute and the other by which they expressed their satisfaction with the same. A total of 378 validly completed questionnaires were collected and served as a basis for data analysis. By using a factor analysis, the most important destination competitiveness factors were extracted. Based on this factor solution, Importance-Performance Analysis (I.P.A.) was performed. Using I.P.A., this article examines the efficiency of the resources allocation based on isolated factors, and the possibility of creating management strategies to improve the competitiveness of this destination. The results of this study indicate that the factors of food and environment are of primary importance for tourists when choosing this tourism destination. Research results will be of great importance for tourism managers in the destination, as well as for authorities of local governments in the district, to better understand strengths and weaknesses of identified competitiveness factors and utilise them as a starting point for tourism development.

The research into the behaviour of potential tourists regarding the choice of a tourist destination conducted in Backa was done by a survey composed of the analysis of basic indicators, as well as factor analysis. The target segment on the tourist market was the total number of the inhabitants in Backa region, and the sample that represents the target segment was the people of Backa who use the services of chosen travel agents in Novi Sad, Subotica, Sombor, Backa Topola, and Vrbas. The questionnaires reflect the attitude of potential tourists to the decision-making process regarding the choice of a tourist destination. The selection of the sample was done randomly and was limited to the number of people who visited those travel agents' and their willingness to do the questionnaire.

Regarding the previous literature on the decision-making process when choosing a destination, this article tries to contribute to current literature by surveying inhabitants from the Bačka region (Vojvodina/Serbia) with respect to the aspect of place of residence on the purchase decision-making process which involves five different phases: need awareness, search for information, estimation of alternatives, decision about purchasing a tourist product or service, feedback after purchasing and discrimination coefficient. The results show that place of residence strongly affects all phases of the decision-making process. The researchers also managed to address the most sensible and vulnerable indicator of the decision-making process when choosing a destination.

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The main aim of the paper is to investigate the influence of formal education level on decision-making process when choosing a tourist destination based on multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The survey was conducted on the sample of 252 respondents from Bačka region (Vojvodina/Serbia). Also, this study strives to examine the influence of education level on decision-making process including all five phases of decision-making process: need awareness, information search, alternatives estimation, purchase and purchase evaluation, applied to the process of choosing coastal regions as tourist destinations. The study shows that education level is related to four out of five phases of decision-making process (only in case of need awarness there is no statisticaly significant difference). This is especially important for creation of a marketing platform with promotional acitivities adjasted to different market segments diferentiated by education level. Moreover, the study discusses differences in behaviour of diffrent educational groups while choosing travel destinations.

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