HISTORICAL SUMMATIONS AS A COMPONENT ELEMENT IN THE FORMATION OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN DODECANESSE

Abstract

Tourist attractions are considered as the fundamental elements of the tourist product. However,until today, few efforts have been made for their scientific approach and implementation in the various sectors of tourist activity. A review of the research methods, that have been developed and used internationally to study and estimate regional tourist attractions, reveals that most studies can be classified in the framework of three methodological approaches: The ideographic, the organic and the cognitive approach of attractions. Each of the above methodological approaches results in some specific classifications concerning the nature and he typology of tourist attractions. Based on the methodological framework of the approaches used worldwide to evaluate tourist attractions and define their structure, an effort of experimental implementation (case study) was undertaken in the region of Dodecanese, which is one of the most touristic Greek regions attracting the interest of international tourism, mainly due to its cultural goods and, in particular, its historical elements that are connected with the historical heritage which constitutes its cultural infrastructure. The aim of this paper is to establish the cognitive definition of cultural tourism and its evolution through international organizations, the institutional framework concerning tourism and culture, the quantitative and qualitative determination of the tourist product of Dodecanese and its connection with the general features of the region as well as its interaction with the natural and human environment.