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Business & Economics

ASSESSING CATERERS' SATISFACTION WITH CRUISE TOURISTS' BEHAVIOUR
Andriela Vitic Cetkovic, Sanja Bauk, Jasna Potocnik Topler

ABSTRACT. Cruise tourism has a big potential to contribute to the Adriatic region's socio-economic progress and enhance regional integration. On the other hand, the influence of cruise tourism on the coastal environment and the heritage of coastal cities raises the question of its sustainability. Montenegrin Kotor, a UNESCO protected town, is increasing its image as a rising cruise destination, while the concentrated area of the Old Town represents the most visited one. Most of the cruise tourists spend less than 6 hours in the Kotor area, and one of the economic impacts on the local community is visiting restaurants, bars and gastronomic objects. Thus, for maximising the socio-economic benefits of cruise tourism in Montenegro while minimizing its environmental impacts, it is important to explore the caterers' satisfaction with cruise tourists' behaviour. The aim of the article is to obtain a deeper understanding of the needs and preferences of the caterers in Kotor in accordance with cruise tourists' behaviour within the port destination. Research of caterers' satisfaction with tourists' behaviour was conducted using a quantitative approach, i.e. the Kano model. The findings revealed that understanding the level and aspects of caterers' satisfaction with the behaviour of cruise tourists may play a significant role in managing the destination and the local economy.

KEYWORDS:  cruise tourism, consumer behaviour, caterers' satisfaction, heritage destination management, quantitative methods.

JEL classification:  C38, L66, Z32.