Entry Strategies and the Potential of International Travel Market: Perceptions and Practices of Macedonian Travel Agencies

Abstract Having in mind that the tourism industry has been seen as highly complex and competitive, which is driven also by the rapid change in technology, the paper examines the perceptions and practices of Macedonian travel agencies that have intentions to boost their international exposure and find new strategies to perform. Data were collected from 96 employees’ responses to identify external macro and competitive environment factors as well as to further investigate of the patterns and perceptions regarding their international strategy practices. Two considerations are taken into the discussion. What travel agencies might do in view of changes in the global environment and in view of its abilities and what entry mode is most suitable. Hence, the findings from the paper support the notion for greater internationalization and for encouraging travel agencies to establish new strategic alliances. Also, it can provide relevant and useful information for the policy makers which can be used for improving the overall tourism country internationalization efforts.