INDICATORS OF USER SATISFACTION OF SPA SERVICES IN SOUTHERN SERBIA

• Published in: Oditor Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 32 - 84
• Main Authors: Pavlović, Marko, Stojanović, Radomir, Perić, Marija, Tešić, Biljana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 07.09.2024
• ISSN: 2217-401X; 2683-3476
• DOI: 10.59864/Oditor22402MP

Spas have a particularly important place in the tourism of the Republic of Serbia, especially when it comes to domestic tourists. In the last representative year for tourism before COVID˗19 (2019), they participated with 18% of the total number of tourist arrivals, i.e. with 28% of the total number of overnight stays. The key criterion for the selection of spas in this research is their territorial affiliation - the area of ​​the southern part of Serbia, distributed in two municipalities (Kuršumlija and Medveđa), two cities (Niš and Vranje), i.e. in four districts (Nišava, Toplički, Jablanički and Pčinjski). The mentioned spas differ significantly from each other in terms of tourist traffic, structure and quality of services. Apart from that, some of them certainly do not belong to the most visited and famous domestic spas. On the other hand, we are talking about very promising destinations that are constantly improving their offer, especially when it comes to Lukovska Banja. One of the key assumptions for improving the competitive position of each of the six selected spas is to harmonize their offer with the wishes and expectations of modern tourists, that is, the level of tourist satisfaction, which is also the subject of research. Banje imaju posebno važno mesto u turizmu Republike Srbije, naročito kada je reč o  domaćim turistima. U poslednjoj reprezentativnoj godini za turizam pre COVID˗19 (2019), učestvovali su sa 18% od ukupnog broja dolazaka turista, odnosno sa 28% od ukupnog broja noćenja. Ključni kriterijum za izbor banja u ovom istraživanju je njihova teritorijalna pripadnost-područje južnog dela Srbije, raspoređenih u dve opštine (Kuršumlija i Medveđa), dva grada (Niš i Vranje), odnosno u četiri okruga (nišavski, toplički, jablanički i pčinjski). Pomenute banje se međusobno značajno razlikuju po ostvarenom turističkom prometu, strukturi i kvalitetu usluga. Sem toga, neke od njih sigurno ne spadaju u najposećenije i najpoznatije domaće banje. Sa druge strane, reč je o veoma perspektivnim destinacijama koje stalno unapređuju svoju ponudu, pogotovo kada je reč o Lukovskoj banji. Jedna od ključnih pretpostavki za unapređenje konkurentske pozicije svake od šest izabranih banja jeste da svoju ponudu usklade sa željama i očekivanjima savremenih turista, odnosno stepen zadovoljstva turista, što je i predmet istraživanja.