Sustainable Rural Tourism on Saaremaa. Developing a Marketing Plan

By Lydia Zobel

Master's Thesis from the year 2011 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 64%, University of Birmingham (University of Birmingham), language: English, abstract: This dissertation aimed to develop a marketing plan for sustainable rural tourism on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. In order to achieve this, the current product of Saaremaa, its market position and the present and future customers were analysed. As all the required information on this topic could be found in the already existing literature, there was no need to do primary research. Secondary research was thus the chosen method to gather information. As the concept of sustainable rural tourism consists in avoiding negative impacts on the natural environment of the destination, on the host community and its culture, the literature often mentions the carrying capacity, which should not be exceeded. Islands especially have to consider their natural carrying capacity when offering tourism because these destinations are spatially limited. Obviously, there is a contradiction between sustainable tourism and abiding by the carrying capacity on the one hand and attracting more tourists on the other. The challenge for this dissertation was therefore to find out if marketing for sustainable rural tourism on Saaremaa should be done and if yes, how it could be realised. The main body of this work reveals the rich history of Saaremaa, its intact nature and great biodiversity, its natural and man-made attractions as well as the local culture, the traditions and the customs of the islanders. The product analysis thus showed that Saaremaa has a great potential for sustainable rural tourism. The Tourism Management Plan of the island, which was developed in 2007, also supports the further development of tourism in a sustainable manner. Additionally, different stakeholders, such as politicians, business owners and locals working in the Tourist Board, are in favour of promotin

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3668910065
• ISBN13: 9783668910065
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Grin Verlag
• Length: 110 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.8" x 8.3"