In Central and Eastern Europe, as in other transforming economies, tourism is a vital industry. The number of tourists visiting Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia since the democratic revolutions in those countries has been remarkable. In approximate figures, Hungary receives 3.3 million visitors, Poland attracts 57 million, and Czechoslovakia (as a federation) experiences an influx of 64 million tourists annually. Tourist expenditures contribute significantly to the GNP of each of these countries, where the total percentage derived from tourism rises above the global average by 1 to 4 percent. In addition, tourism development has attracted substantial foreign investment from the European Investment Bank and other entities. Expansion of the tourism industry contributes to development of the infrastructure transportation, communication and services, in ways which carry over into overall development of the economy and accessibility of regions and businesses throughout each country.
However, the management issues associated with the tourism industry are numerous. First, in attracting investment, the issue of control is paramount. While the benefits of tourism are many, social disruptions can occur through mismanagement. Familial changes, gender effects resulting from uneven employment of men and women, rising crime and other social problems, social dislocation, and cultural and class effects are all problems often associated with tourism (Belk and Costa 1992, Crick 1989; Turner and Ash 1975). For these reasons, it is important to have local control of development funds and processes, helping to ensure the formulation of development plans which are sensitive to social and cultural conditions.
Tourists vary in the amount and type of contact they have with local residents, in the length of their stays in foreign countries, in the amount of money they spend, and in the benefits they seek (Cohen 1979; Machlis and Burch 1983). Another important management issue, therefore, is based on attracting those tourists who are likely to spend more money in contributing to the local economy. In order to do this, it is necessary for governments and businesses to develop services which meet the standards of international tourists, to provide goods and services at convenient and desirable locations, and to develop a range of goods and services to meet the needs of varying types of tourists. Currently, many countries in Central and Eastern Europe suffer from a limited number and price and quality range of hotels, restaurants and retail outlets for various types of goods.
The marketizing economies of Central and Eastern Europe are experiencing the rapid and numerically prominent influx of tourists who are seeking the exotic and authentic (MacCannell 1976; Rossel 1988) eager to glimpse life and culture in countries which have been removed from the tourist gaze through communist control for the last several decades (Costa 1993). Tourists seek products and experiences which represent the local culture, history and people of the country they visit. It is imperative that local tourism developers assess the distinctive qualities and products of a region which identify that region to the outside world and the potential tourist. In other words, tourism marketers must recognize the need to "sell culture" and analyze and plan accordingly. Otherwise, the tourists who are coming to Central and Eastern Europe to observe that which has been "behind the Iron Curtain" for so long will lose interest, the number of tourists will drop, and economic benefits will diminish at this critical time.
Another issue of special concern to countries in this region is the recognition of a consumer ideology on the part of most tourists which differs from that which has developed under the communist regimes. Many tourists originate in countries which are in the "marketing concept era," in which the "customer is king." This means that consumers believe they should receive service, they should have an adequate choice of products, and their preferences should have an impact on the product lines and mixes available. The deemphasis on capitalism and consumption desires under communist regimes led to a lackadaisical, even hostile, attitude toward customers; this attitude must be overcome definitively and swiftly if developers in Central and Eastern Europe wish to continue to attract tourists.
I conclude this brief assessment of tourism in Central and Eastern Europe with some further recommendations. First, tourism developers must undertake market and consumer research in order to determine the expectations and needs of tourists visiting their region. Customer profiles are essential for assessment of the adequacy of local facilities and services and for the purposes of strategic planning. The latter is critical in attracting and satisfying consumers who will contribute to the local economy without precipitating adverse conditions in the social and cultural milieu. Second, as discussed briefly, tourism marketers must assess their distinctive competencies in terms of what they market and how they market the culture and facilities of their region. Third, a variety and range of goods and services must be developed to help ensure even economic development and the continued attraction of tourists to the area. Fourth, given all of the above, there should be attempts to retain control of tourism development in the hands of the local community, where needs, strengths, problems and abilities can be considered and assessed best. Fifth, the central government of each country should be pushed to assess the overall advantages of tourism as an industry and to contribute accordingly through development of the infrastructure. Finally, communities and countries must learn to market themselves. The desire to visit Central and Eastern Europe because they are former communist countries must be changed; tourists must be enticed to visit the regions for other cultural, historical and experiential reasons. This means developing marketing strategies which adequately inform potential and actual tourists of the experiences and products they will encounter in visiting these regions. It also means making the avenues of transportation and communication more accessible, so that the tourist experience can be undertaken easily.
Cohen, Erik (1979), "A Phenomenology of Tourist Experiences," Sociology, 13 (May), 179-201.
Costa, Janeen Arnold (1993), "Tourism as Consumption Precipitate: An Exploration and Example," Proceedings of the Association for Consumer Research European Summer Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1992, Gary J. Bamossy and W. Fred van Raaij, eds. (forthcoming).
Crick, Malcolm (1989), "Representations of International Tourism in the Social Sciences: Sun, Sex, Sights, Savings, and Servility," Annual Review of Anthropology, 18, Palo Alto: Annual Reviews, 307-344.
de Kadt, Emanuel, ed. (1979), Tourism: Passport to Development? Perspectives on the Social and Cultural Effects of Tourism in Developing Countries, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
MacCannell, Dean (1976), The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class, New York: Schocken Books.
Machlis, Gary E. and William R. Burch, Jr. (1983), "Relations Between Strangers: Cycles of Structure and Meaning in Tourist Systems," Sociological Review, 31 (November), 666-692.
Rossel, Pierre (1988), "Tourism and Cultural Minorities: Double Marginalization and Survival Strategies," Tourism: Manufacturing the Exotic, Pierre Rossel, ed., Copenhagen, Denmark: International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, Document 61, 1-20.
Turner, Louis and John Ash (1975), The Golden Hordes: International Tourism and the Pleasure Periphery, London: Constable.
Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates (1991), "Travel and Tourism in the World Economy," The American Express Annual Report, 16.
______________
*Janeen Arnild Costa is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.