Tourism potential of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe within the framework of the European Union

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to assess the tourism potential and its use by the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), their involvement in European integration. The transformation of tourism in the CEE countries after joining the EU is considered. With the help of a set of indicators, the rating of countries according to the level of development of tourist potential is calculated. The following indicators were used: the number of UNESCO sites, the quality of beaches, the price competitiveness index, infrastructure development indicators (number of the accommodation, aviation passenger turnover, density of the road and railway network), human development index, international safety rating, environmental management efficiency rating, the number of reviews on the Internet, travel competitiveness rating. There are 4 groups of countries. The first two groups with high and relatively high levels do not include any CEE countries. The third and fourth groups (with medium and low levels) consist almost entirely of CEE countries, with the exception of some countries in Western, Northern and Southern Europe. The classification shows that the CEE countries lag behind other EU countries not only in terms of basic tourism indicators. But it is also insufficiently adapted to the recreation of the natural, cultural, historical and socio-economic base. The typology of countries according to the attractiveness of tourist destinations is carried out and ratings on absolute and relative indicators of development are calculated. On the basis of the three ratings, a bubble chart is constructed reflecting the effectiveness of the use of the tourist potential by the EU countries. Its analysis shows that Croatia occupies a special place against the background of lagging behind the rest of Europe in the use of the tourist potential of the CEE countries, which, despite the average values of the potential, is ahead of most of the leading European countries in terms of the effectiveness of its use. With the availability of good natural and cultural and historical resources, the rise of the CEE tourism industry is possible in the long term.