| Abstract: | Tourism is recognised as an important economic activity in the Municipality of Ljutomer; however, a lack of cooperation among tourism stakeholders and their limited involvement in decision-making and planning processes has been identified. In the theoretical part, literature on tourist destinations, destination management, tourism stakeholders, and models of cooperation was reviewed. The empirical part is based on interviews conducted with ten key representatives from the public, private, and civil sectors, as well as from education, culture, hospitality, and media, through which their views on the current state of tourism in the municipality were obtained. The analysis revealed that the main challenges were identified in unstructured communication, self-sufficiency, and a lack of understanding of cooperation and stakeholders’ needs. Based on the findings, solutions for more effective tourism management in the Municipality of Ljutomer were proposed, including the establishment of qualified leadership in destination management, intersectoral cooperation, improved presence on social media, consideration of guests’ needs and, on this basis, the development of tourism products, monitoring global conditions and tourism trends, and the implementation of good practices from other destinations. The purpose of this thesis was defined as providing foundations for sustainable, strategic, and competitive tourism development in the Municipality of Ljutomer, while also serving as a professional basis for future research, municipal strategies, and tourism development policies. |
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