NON - TRADITIONAL FORMS of TOURISM in SLOVAKIA AS A CONCEPT of COMPETITIVENESS

Abstract

Tourism is an industry that is developing dynamically worldwide, and Slovakia, which has significant potential in the area, is no exception. In order for a country to become competitive in tourism, it must follow the prevailing trends and continually carry out innovative activities, under which we also consider non-traditional forms of tourism. The aim of this article is to analyze the importance and address the future development of non-traditional forms of tourism in Slovakia (food tourism, health tourism, adventure tourism, dark tourism, etc.), to further examine the impact on the country's economy, sustainability and competitiveness. The article focuses on the demand for these forms of tourism from the perspective of visitors. Using hypotheses we found the statistical dependence (of the p value comparison) between the respondents (men and women of different age groups) and their preference for specific unusual forms of tourism. For the analysis of specific objectives we used data collected using a questionnaire on unusual forms of tourism and their development in Slovakia. The subsequent processing and presented results also show how complex the segmentation of the tourism market is, how differentiated and variable the needs and motivation factors of tourism participants are, and how new interests and needs in tourism are emerging dynamically. The results of our survey show the need for more research to explore the ever-changing needs and conditions in tourism industry in order to fully understand the nontraditional tourism with its potential, benefits, message and value of present and future generations.