CULTURAL TOURISM - AN ELEMENT OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THE OFFER AND COMPETITIVENESS OF THE TOURIST DESTINATION

Tourism occupies an increasingly important position in the global economy. Attractions are the main reasons tourists visit a certain destination, and cultural attractions are among the main types of attractions. Culture represents one of the main potentials for the growth and development of tourism. The tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the destination is characterized by its ability to attract tourists. Tourism that focuses on cultural attractions is known as cultural tourism. The subject of this paper is cultural tourism as an element of improving the quality of the offer and the competitiveness of the tourist destination. The mentioned subject is realized through the presentation of the development and importance of cultural tourism as a specific form of tourist movements, as well as cultural tourists whose main motive for visiting is precisely culture, i.e. its different forms. The aim of this paper is to present the strong connection between culture and tourism, which are recognized as two powerful drivers of economic and cultural development.