Title: A holistic framework for the development of a sustainable touristic model

Authors: Romina Alkier; Vedran Milojica; Vasja Roblek

Addresses: Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija, Primorska 42, 51410 Opatija, Croatia ' Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija, Primorska 42, 51410 Opatija, Croatia ' Faculty of Management, University of Primorska Cankarjeva 5, 6000 Koper, Slovenia

Abstract: This article reflects on confronting Western Balkans countries with the sustainable development. The goal of this paper is to present the importance of the development of the concept of the ST model and its role in economic and social development of rural areas of the Western Balkans. The purpose of the model is to find out how ST can contribute to the development of rural areas and economic growth in the Western Balkans, and to provide an answer to the research question: which areas of development processes and operations, and their aspects, are essential for the development of ST in the Western Balkans.

Keywords: sustainable development; regional development; Western Balkans; value added models; holistic approach; sustainable tourism; sustainability; economic development; rural areas; social development; rural communities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMABS.2015.074213

International Journal of Markets and Business Systems, 2015 Vol.1 No.4, pp.366 - 387

Received: 01 Aug 2015
Accepted: 10 Nov 2015
Published online: 18 Jan 2016 *

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