CULTURE AND TOURISM AS MAJOR CATALYST IN CREATING COMPETITIVE AND MULTICULTURAL CITY IDENTITY

This paper will present an interdisciplinary approach to the study of culture and tourism on the identity of the city. It is based on the thesis, that culture as a process, thanks to the tourism, is constantly transforming into the culture as a product. Interaction of culture and tourism is the key prerequisite for the creation of a competitive and multicultural city identity. Cultural tourism, as a main result of interaction of culture and tourism, through interculturalism and multiculturalism makes the key prerequisite for the development of cultural identity of the city. When it comes to a competitive identity, not only the interaction of culture and tourism must be taken into consideration, but also people who live in the city, as well as investments in culture, politics and the city’s brands. The authors carried out a research with the aim of gathering the information and drawing conclusions of identifying elements with multiculturalism and identity of the city Osijek, Croatia. The study was carried with the purpose of improvement cultural tourism in Osijek, and indirectly with the aim of strengthening the culture in general.