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IS BRAN CASTLE THE PLACE TO MEET DRACULA? A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON VISITORS' OPINIONS REGARDING DRACULA TOURISM IN THE MEDIEVAL FORTRESS
Abstract
Bran castle is a medieval fortress situated in south-eastern Transylvania and the most visited tourist attraction in Romania. Its popularity among international visitors is mainly due to its association with the famous Count Dracula, based on the assumption that this particular castle might be the one that Bram Stoker presents in his novel. The castle has its own history, starting from the 14th century and continuing with its transformation into a summer residence for the royal family of Romania, in the 20th century. The main challenge for the administration of this museum is to showcase the real history of the castle without disappointing visitors who are choosing this tourist attraction supposing that it is Dracula's castle. Based on these issues, the present paper presents a qualitative study regarding visitors' image of Bran Castle in relation to its fiction or real connection to Dracula. The analysis of international and Romanian tourists presents their main motivations, pre-arrival expectations, and their opinions regarding the visiting experience and the development of Dracula tourism in association with the castle. The findings may be use by the castle's management in its efforts to attract visitors and ensure their satisfaction during their museum experience
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References14
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