Perception of the problems of financing the development of regional tourism in Europe

The aim of the proposed article is to examine the issues surrounding the financing of tourism development in the region, with a particular focus on the use of public resources in this area. This may include the use of post-mining areas for sustainable tourism, such as tourist attractions linked to mining history and geology, as well as industrial areas where mining is still ongoing and where existing extractive industry infrastructure can be used to support the development of local tourism. The main objectives of the article are (1) identification and measurement of the perceived extent of issues regarding the financing of tourism development, (2) identification and measurement of the perceived extent of issues regarding the support of tourism development from public sources, and (3) exploration of the relationship between issues concerning the financing of tourism development and issues concerning the support of tourism development from public sources. We relied on scientific literature when identifying the key factors (issues) in financing tourism development in regions. We verified the reliability of the tools created to measure the perceived extent of issues based on McDonald's omega. The primary survey, on which the research results are based, involved 94 experts in regional tourism from Europe. Within the scope of the examined aspects of financing tourism development in the region, the most problematic aspect is perceived to be the support from public sources. This is primarily due to the lengthy process and administrative burden involved in acquiring public funding, as well as the uncertainty associated with obtaining it. According to the research results, these are clearly interconnected issues with the strongest mutual positive correlation. The overall lack of financial resources for tourism development, perceived as the third most acute problem, is attributed by experts to the shortage of public funding at the national level, with almost no consideration for the volume of public funding at the European level.