THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DEGREE OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE PERCEPTION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROUTE OF TOURIST ROUTES. CASE STUDY: TOURIST DESTINATION ARIESENI, ROMANIA

Tourism is a relatively recent economic activity, in the studied area, in spatial and structural expansion. Knowing the functioning mechanisms of tourism and the impact on the environment requires sustained efforts in order to identify them. In this context, the main objective of this study is to identify the relationship between the degree of knowledge and the perception of the importance of the development of tourist routes at the level of the local population, tourists and tourism service providers. Tourist routes are important structural elements in shaping and affirming tourist destinations with functions in the direction of extending the duration of the action and improving the tourist experience. To achieve this goal, the sociological survey method, based on the questionnaire, was used. The results highlighted the existence of direct interconditioning relationships between knowledge (high degree of knowledge) and tourist perception (good perception), regarding the existence of the destination and the importance of tourist routes. Moreover, the obtained results can be used by all the factors involved in the implementation and development of tourism at the local level.