Analysis of Potential Tourists’ Behaviour in the Process of Deciding Upon a Tourist Destination Based on a Survey Conducted in Bačka Region 70 Geographica Pannonica / Analysis of Potential Tourists’ Behaviour in the Process of Deciding Upon a Tourist Destination Based on a Survey Conducted in Bačka Region Introduction Te main goal of all marketing activities of a travel company is satisfying the needs and wishes of potential tourists in the way that ensures increased sales and proft in the long run. Business results of a travel company depend largely on the satisfac- tion of customers. Returning costumers as well as established relationship of loyal- ty are sings that the company is doing well on the tourist market. Successful market- ing strategies based on the knowledge of potential tourists’ needs and wishes deter- mine sales and proft of a particular travel company. Expected sales and proft are in- fuenced by the level of satisfaction of cus- tomers, i.e. tourists who trust a particular travel company. Te knowledge of the needs and wish- es of potential tourists is an essential input for a travel company to make marketing- related decisions. Information on potential tourists’ behaviour in diferent situations concerning the choice of tourist destina- tion creates a solid basis for planning mar- keting strategies, such as diferentiation of tourist products and service, positioning or re-positioning of tourist products and services, segmentation of the tourist mar- ket, etc. Te more pieces of relevant information on customers and services on the tour- ist market, the better marketing activities aimed at driving potential customers’ be- haviour. Te knowledge of customers is a good basis for making marketing deci- sions unless the reality requires new ad- ditional information. Anyhow, marketing research into the potential customers’ be- haviour is irreplaceable and invaluable. Marketing research into the behavior of potential tourists in the process of making a decision about a tourist destination uses the results of research carried out in many specialized disciplines, such as geography, sociology, psychology, anthropology, eco- nomics, etc. which deal with particular modes of potential tourists’ behaviour so as to make it possible to understand those diferent modes, as well as to ensure sat- isfying tourists’ needs and achieving busi- ness success. Potential tourists’ behavior is primarily determined as micromarketing research. The Process of Making Decision About a Tourist Destination One of the most important segments of re- search regarding customers’ behaviour in tourism is the process of making a decision about a tourist destination. Tat choice is, in fact, potential tourists’ response to a par- ticular problem. Te decision-making pre- supposes making a choice between two, or more than two, options, i.e. modes of be- haviour. Potential tourists are always in a position to make choices, i.e. to choose be- tween two or more alternatives. Te choice itself represents a desire to satisfy certain needs and wishes by choosing a particu- lar tourist destination. However, to be able to make rational decisions, potential tour- ists need adequate information. By choos- ing a particular tourist destination, poten- tial customers decide on the allocation of available fnancial resources, on the trav- el agent’s, etc. Tere is a wide array of dif- ferent modes of bahaviour on behalf of po- tential tourists when it comes to making a decision about a tourist destination. Te analysis of the decision-making involves research into how they choose among dif- ferent tourist destination ofers, as well as processes that precede and are a part of the decision-making itself. Research is done also afer the purchase, i.e. afer tourists’ return from a chosen destination. In gen- eral, the decision-making is composed of two segments: the process itself and the factors that afect the process. Te deci- sion-making involves afective and cogni- tive behaviour (Schifman, Kanuk, 2000). Abstract The research into the behaviour of poten- tial tourists regarding the choice of a tour- ist destination conducted in Backa was done by a survey composed of the analysis of basic indicators, as well as factor analy- sis. The target segment on the tourist mar- ket was the total number of the inhabitants in Backa region, and the sample that repre- sents the target segment was the people of Backa who use the services of chosen travel agents in Novi Sad, Subotica, Som- bor, Backa Topola, and Vrbas. The ques- tionnaires refect the attitude of potential tourists to the decision-making process re- garding the choice of a tourist destination. The selection of the sample was done ran- domly and was limited to the number of people who visited those travel agents’ and their willingness to do the question- naire. Key words: tourists’ behaviour, tourist destination selection, Bačka 1 Provincial Secretariat for Education and Culture, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 16, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia. 2 Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences,University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia Lukrecija Djeri1, Jovan Plavša2, Slobodan Čerović2