AMAN SVETI STEFAN RESORT: A CHALLENGE FOR DESTINATION MANAGEMENT

Cooperation between all parties involved in tourism product, both for their own benefit and the benefit of the destination, represents the basis of tourism destination cometitiveness in the global market. Branded hotels play an important role, as they link multiple stakeholders with their cohesive power and contribute with their image to the overall destination competitiveness.
The main aim of this paper is to highlight the necessity of establishing an integrated management structure by destination management organisations at the micro locality of a unique destination – the island of Sveti Stefan in Montenegro. The arrival of investors to the Sveti Stefan hotel has brought about numerous changes. Apart from the need to provide economic benefit to investors, the benefits also need to be secured for the local population, as well as the overall prosperity of the destination. The paper presents the views of respondents from among the local population regarding the role of this hotel in building the destination’s image, as a basis for achieving greater competitiveness. The negative attitudes of this group indicate that the hotel has not been fully integrated at the destination, and that the hosts have not yet embraced the newcomers. These findings suggest that the destination competitiveness can only be achieved through a clearly defined managerial structure by destination management organisations.
Besides bibliographic research, relevant data was obtained by surveying the local population, in addition to the personal knowledge of the author, who has been involved in the tourism industry in this region for many years.