CLUSTER AS THE DEVELOPMENT TOOL OF RURAL TOURISM IN CONTINENTAL CROATIA

Over the past few decades, in according with modern global economic trends as preferences of modern turistic spenders, there has been a raising interest in rural turism detected in the world, as it's emeregent forms. However, overviewing the current situation in Croatian tourist market, rural tourism is on a low development branch regardless to the existing, rich resource basis of Croatian rural area as the fact that rural area occupies 91, 6% of total territory. By that, it definetly needs to point out that there is territory fragmentation present and that the turist development of continetal region is in big and even enormus development fall behind in regards to the Adriatic region. For example, according to some statistic evaluations and mesurements in Continental region of Croatia there has been achieved only 5% overnight stays of the total number. The main reason of the current condition in the tourist sector of Croatia in domain of rural tourism is the previous focus of national tourist politics exclusively on development and promotion of the tourist product Sun, Sea and Sand. Building on the presented, there is absence of common cooperation culture among small economic subjects, in this case with other tourist shares, which are geographically concentrated, and have potential effects in the segment of rural tourism. Therefor the primary goal of this work is to identify and show basic, development determinants in forming interest grouping, that is, cluster. Besides, focus of the research work will be contained in the display, as in analysis reason of un recognizing cluster as a tool for more successfull and efficient bussiness between rural tourist stakeholders. In order of getting relevant information and cognition, there will be a empirical research on holders of rural tourism offers in selected units of local (regional) government, that is, continental region counties of Croatia.