Narkūnienė, Ramutė

The processes of economic, social and political globalisation have made tourism one of the leading sectors of the economy and a major economic activity and source of income in many countries. Tourism development encourages regions to compete with each other to attract more tourists, and regional competitiveness is inextricably linked to and has a direct impact on tourism growth. The aim of the study was to compare the views of tourism experts and consumers and to find common ground in assessing the competitiveness of tourism regions in terms of sustainability. Two quantitative surveys were conducted: tourism consumers and tourism experts. The results of the surveys are compared. The conclusions are reached: when comparing the opinions of consumers and tourism experts on the most important factors of sustainable development of the tourism sector, the opinions of consumers and tourism experts agree on such factors of the tourism sector as the accessibility of tourism, the creation of tourist routes accessible to all (people with disabilities). Comparing the opinions of consumers and tourism experts on the most important problems of sustainable development of the tourism sector and the most important activities for sustainable development of the tourism sector, the opinions of both consumers and tourism experts agree on the most important problems of the tourism sector: it would be the lack of knowledge about the nature and principles of sustainable tourism in local politics, underdeveloped infrastructure and economic problems: insufficient investments in sustainable tourism development.

The author analyses the peculiarities of the behaviour of consumers of tourism services in terms of sustainability in Lithuanian regions. The aim of the study is to analyse the peculiarities of the behaviour of consumers of tourism services in terms of sustainability in Lithuanian regions. The objectives of the study are to carry out a theoretical analysis of the peculiarities of the behaviour of consumers of tourism services in terms of sustainability and to carry out a study of the peculiarities of the behaviour of consumers of tourism services in terms of sustainability in Lithuanian regions. The paper analyses theoretical aspects of the behaviour of consumers of tourism services in terms of sustainability and presents the results of the research. It concludes that the behaviour of respondents in Lithuanian regions in terms of sustainability while travelling is still in the process of formation. Most respondents try to consume responsibly when travelling, do not litter or collect their own waste, but only sometimes choose environmentally friendly/certified accommodation and environmentally friendly ways of travelling. Most respondents take recommendations from friends/colleagues/acquaintances, consume responsibly when travelling and care about the environment. The most important experiences for travellers during their trip are related to nature, culture, gastronomy, etc.

In the article, the author analyzes the attitude of consumers towards the sustainable development of the tourism sector in the Lithuania regions. The purpose of the research is to analyze the attitude of consumers towards the sustainable development of the tourism sector in the Lithuania regions. During the research, a quantitative survey (questionnaire survey) was conducted. Data collection methods - analysis of scientific literature and sources, document analysis, questionnaire survey. The article analyzes the consumers' attitude towards the sustainable development of the tourism sector from a theoretical point of view and presents the results of the conducted research. It is concluded that the respondents consider the following factors of sustainable development of the tourism sector to be the most important: development of ecological tourism; accessibility of tourism; creation of tourist routes accessible to all; certification of tourism services; development of the common national route and developmentof bicycle tourism infrastructure, etc. According to the respondents, the following problems of sustainable development of the tourism sector are usually encountered: economic problem: insufficient investments in the development of sustainable tourism; lack of knowledge about the essence and principles of sustainable tourism in local politics; underdeveloped tourism sector infrastructure, etc.

This study analyses the role of tourism in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the need to integrate sustainability into tourism policies, which contribute to the development and accessibility of technologies and the quality of society.

The article discusses the attractiveness factors of the Eastern Aukštaitija region for local tourism under COVID - 19 conditions and presents the results of the research (analysis of scientific literature, questionnaire surveys and analysis of strategic documents). The aim of the research is to perform an analysis of the attractiveness of the Eastern Aukštaitija region for local tourism under COVID-19 conditions. Objectives of the research: to describe the factors of tourism region's attractiveness for local tourism; to perform an analysis of the attractiveness of the Eastern Aukštaitija region for local tourism under COVID-19 conditions. An analysis of the scientific literature showed that destination attractions define the framework within which visitors enjoy their vacations. They include all forms of natural and created (manmade) resources, culture, heritage, history, customs, architectural features, traditional artwork, cuisine, music and handicrafts that attract travellers. According to the results of the research, the choice of travels in the Eastern Aukštaitija region is mostly influenced by such factors of attractiveness of the region as natural resources, cultural resources and interesting places of interest, as well as attractiveness of the tourism destination/ region.

Straipsnyje analizuojami Rytų Aukštaitijos regiono patrauklumo veiksniai vietiniams turizmui COVID – 19 sąlygomis. Tyrimo objektas - Rytų Aukštaitijos regiono patrauklumas vietiniam turizmui COVID-19 sąlygomis. Tyrimo tikslas – atlikti Rytų Aukštaitijos regiono patrauklumo vietiniam turizmui COVID-19 sąlygomis analizę. Tyrimo uždaviniai: aptarti turistinio regiono patrauklumo turizmui veiksnius; ištirti Rytų Aukštaitijos regiono patrauklumą vietiniam turizmui COVID-19 sąlygomis. Straipsnyje aptariami Rytų Aukštaitijos regiono patrauklumo veiksniai vietiniam turizmui COVID – 19 sąlygomis ir pristatomi tyrimo rezultatai Tyrimo metodika - atlikta mokslinės literatūros šaltinių analizė bei strateginių dokumentų analizė, kiekybinis tyrimas – anketinės apklausos metodas bei duomenų apibendrinimas.

Due to the influence of economic, social and political globalization processes, tourism has become one of the leading industries in many countries. According to the data of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN WTO) (2017) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) (2017), currently tourism is the third largest economic sector in the world and on a global scale creates 10% of gross domestic product (GDP). The tourism sector employs 1 in 10 people worldwide, revenue from tourism services exports in 2017 accounted for 30% of global services exports and 7% of global exports of goods and services. According to the UN WTO, international travel growth in 2018 was 6% and reached 1, 4 billion.

In the article authos analyzes aspects of Lithuanian inbound tourism development. The object of the research is the Lithuanian inbound tourism development. The aim of the research is to carry out tha analysis of scientific literature sources, documents analysis and tha analysis of statistical data.

The author of the paper discusses the tourism development from the sustainability aspect in the regions of Lithuania. The scientific problem - the tourism development trends have not been sufficiently studied at regional level in Lithuania and tourism in the regions developed without a clear long-term development strategy and consistent implementation of the programme. The aim of the research is to explore tourism development by sustainability aspect in the regions of Lithuania. Many scientists have analyzed trends in sustainable tourism development. However, tourism development conditions at region level have not been researched, only sporadic research studies have been performed. The main problems of tourism development in the aspect of sustainability in the regions of Lithuania are as follows: lack of knowledge about the essence and principles of sustainable tourism in local politics, underdeveloped infrastructure, economic problems: insufficient investment in sustainable tourism. The most important activities for the development of sustainable tourism are: the importance of investing in sustainable tourism development, the importance of a responsible approach to the use of natural resources by tourists and the importance of tourism development, planning and control.

Straipsnyje autorė analizuoja Lietuvos atvykstamojo turizmo plėtros aspektus. Tyrimo objektas – Lietuvos atvykstamojo turizmo plėtra. Tyrimo tikslas – atlikti Lietuvos atvykstamojo turizmo plėtros analizę. Tyrimo uždaviniai: atlikti turizmo plėtros analizę teoriniu aspektu bei atlikti Lietuvos atvykstamojo turizmo statistinių duomenų analizę. Straipsnyje naudoti mokslinės literatūros šaltinių, dokumentų bei statistinių duomenų analizė. Pastaraisiais dešimtmečiais sparčią turizmo plėtrą lėmė bendrosios visuomenės vystymosi tendencijos – turizmas tapo viena iš populiariausių laisvalaikio veiklų ir viena pirmaujančių ūkio šakų bei pagrindine ūkinės veiklos sritimi ir pajamų šaltiniu daugelyje valstybių. Pasak JT PTO analitikų šiuo metu turizmas yra trečias pagal dydį ekonominis sektorius pasaulyje ir 83 proc. pasaulio šalių yra vienas iš penkių pagrindinių pajamų šaltinių. Straipsnyje prieinama prie išvadų, kad turizmo plėtra – tai ilgalaikis procesas, susijęs su turizmo planavimu bei turizmo politikos formavimu bei didėjančiu atvykstančiųjų turistų srautu. Vystant turizmo plėtrą, būtina atsižvelgti į daugelį įtakojančių veiksnių, svarbus ir tinkamas plėtros modelio pasirinkimas, nulemiantis turizmo plėtros rezultatus. Plėtojant turizmą, svarbus yra šalies vyriausybės vaidmuo formuojant turizmo politiką. Atlikus Lietuvos turizmo sektoriaus plėtros analizę statistiniu aspektu, Lietuvoje fiksuojamas turistų srautų augimas.