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13
УДК 378.9(497.11)
V Г
Z. Bjeljac, J. Romelic, N. Curcic
PLACE AND ROLE OF TOURISM GEOGRAPHY IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN SERBIA*
Since the 60s of the 20th century to the present, the study of tourism has a dualistic character, i.e., it has been studied in terms of geography (tourism geography) and the economy (tourism economics). This paper explores the place and role of geography in tourism education, from the aspect of higher education in Serbia during the period of transition. Since the 90s of the 20th century to the present, tourism geography, as a subject at universities in Serbia has changed its role and significance during the education reform. This paper aims to determine the essential function of geographical science in the study of the phenomenon of tourism in general, by analyzing the syllabus of the faculties that examine tourism geography.
tourism geography, tourismology, transition, higher education, Serbia.
Introduction
In the period of post-socialist transition in Serbia, the economic and institutional changes from the 90s of the 20th century to the present day have contributed to significant changes in the sphere of education. Serbia is one of the last countries in Europe to sign the Bologna Declaration and the adoption of the Law on Higher Education in 2005, and start the application of the convention on higher education institutions in Serbia. However, it seems like in some cases the reforms stopped on the surface, that cosmetic instead of substance interventions had been made on educational programs or individual courses. The changes were in terms of turning two-semester subjects to one semester, without the real shortening of the teaching material that these courses include 1.
According to the report of the European Commission for 2012, a little progress has been documented in the fields of education and training sectors. The report stresses that the financial and human resources of the authorized Ministry, as well as the application of the necessary reforms in education, were not at a satisfactory level 2. The process of implementing the reform in education is slower than the needs required by society in development. The reasons are numerous, but the most common are the following: lack of political will, lack of vision and turning a deaf ear to the international commitments that Serbia had accepted 3. The reform of university studies in accordance with the Bologna Declaration had been implemented differently in various faculties. The faculties of science and technical sciences have gone a long way, while the departments of social sciences and humanities were at the very rear in the reform of their study programs 4
During the transition period, as all higher education institutions in Serbia, the institutions that have educated staff in the field of tourism have changed their place in the education of human resources for the tourism industry. This paper will discuss the importance and role of tourism geography in study programs at state universities educating the staff that would work in tourism.
* This research is a part of project "Geography of Serbia", No: III 47007 and part of project Serbs and Serbia in Yugoslavian context, No: III 47027 financed by Ministry of Education, Science and Technological development of Republic of Serbia.
1 Japtfh И., ВукасовиЪ M. Болоаска реформа високог школства у Србщи: Мапираае фактора ниске ефикасности студирааа // Филозофща и друштво. 2009. N 20(2). Pg. 119-151.
2 Мацар Л. Политика високог образовала у Европсю^ Унщи — Препорука за Србщу [Text] // Образоваае и Разво] : Институт Друштвених Наука, 2013. Pg. 133-141.
3 ВучковиЪ-ШаховиЪ Н. Право на образоваае-обавезе држава и опште посебне мере за оствариваае. Образоваае и Разво] : Институт Друштвених Наука, 2013. Pg. 256-266.
4 АнтоловиЪ М., ПетковиЪ В. Studio Bologneze и Болоаска реформа високог образовала у Србщи // Педагошка стварност. 2010. N 16(3-4). Pg. 196-206.
© Bjeljac Z., Rоmеlic J., Curcic N., 2016
The research problem
Detailed analysis of study programs for university education of personnel in the field of tourism shows that there are both formal and substantive differences among them. The differences are manifested in attempts to study in greater detail some of the forms and types of tourism, the problems of valorization of tourism resources, management or marketing aspect of the profile of tourism experts and the like.
On the other hand, the most noticeable differences are in the representation of tourism-geographic objects in the form of certain geographical disciplines that directly or indirectly stray to the components of the tourism industry, starting from the choice of resources, their valorization, tourism trends, generating areas and tourist destinations, the structure and the specific role of the local population and the population that are in the position of visitors.
At faculties of professional and academic character with primary economic-tourism programs of study, the prevalent group of subjects is based on commercially-economistic concept with a group of classes where the geographical group of subjects has been reduced to a bare minimum.
This clearly visible and basically contradictory state has set up the subject and problem of the research — to determine (find) causes of the obvious difference of the above mentioned group of study programs i.e., the explanation of the different conceptual approaches in training personnel in the field of tourism. That is, what reasons caused on the one hand geographicality, and on the other hand commercially-economic concept at the studies of tourism?
Tourism, as a very complex set of activities, and the tourist industry as a much dissected phenomenon with components that serve to satisfy the many demands of tourists, with this very fact provide a solution to this problem. However, when the question arises — where from, on one hand, there is a stressed geographical and on the other hand stressed the economic concept of studies, then the approach to solving this problem is loaded with overcoming obstacles to scientific and unscientific i.e., daily political character. This is accompanied with solving the financial problems of faculties in accepting greater number of students, which is even met as a practice at colleges abroad.
The emergence and development of science and educational institutions dedicated to training tourism professionals in Serbia
Tourism as a geographical scientific discipline was first officially mentioned in 1905, in the book of Dr Jozef Stradner titled, "Tourism". The terms of tourists, the tourism region, the attractiveness and the like were for the first time introduced and explained in this book. In the first issue of the Serbian Geographical Society Gazette, academician Jovan Cvijic introduced the term tourism geography research and terms in the field of tourism 5.
In 1962, the first generation of students was enrolled in post-graduate studies in tourism at the department of Geography at the Faculty of Science, University of Belgrade. That year, 36 students from the former Yugoslavia and among them were lawyers, economists, geographers, philologists and ethnologists, who were attending classes. This year could be considered the beginning of organized work at the university education of personnel for tourism in Serbia 6. The study of the economics of tourism started in 1967, at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade, and in the same year The College in the tourism, Belgrade was founded. The College of Hotel Management was established in 1974 in Belgrade. The Institute for Tourism and Regional Planning was established at the Department of Geography, the Faculty of Sciences in Belgrade. In 1976, the Institute and study groups develop into the Department of Tourismology Science of the Faculty of Sciences, which stopped working in 1991. During the school year
5 Bjeljac Z., Stankovic M.S., Brankov J., Terzic A. From Turistika to Tourism studies, International scientific conference 150th anniversary of Jovan Cvijic's birth, book of abtracts, october 12-14 2015. Belgrade, Serbia, 2015. Pg. 95. The mentioned title is on page 112 of The Gazette, in a chapter that contains the first two scientific works in the field of this new science, in brackets is in French tourisme. Jovan Cvijic mentions tourism geography, as a perspective geographical discipline in the future.
6 Given the complexity of tourist activities, as well as a large number of services that lie in its basis, it is extremely important to link strategy and policy of tourism development and consequently identify the elements that are important for the quality management of tourist services, and the training of personnel in tourism is undoubtedly a very important link in this chain. This fact was the initiator to start the research on and in tourism and, consequently the need for research on all levels, not just at high school. Then the first generation of students was enrolled in the geographical group of the Faculty of Sciences to graduate studies of tourism from entire Yugoslavia. (Ромелип J.3yp4Hft Н. Pa3Boj туризмологи|е на Департману за Географщу, Туризам и Хотелщерство ПМФ у Новом Са-ду // Проблеми и пракса разво]а туризмологи|е: Зб. абстраката са научног скупа — 50 година туризмологи|е у Србщи. Beograd, 2012. Pg. 11-12.)
of 2007/2008, at the Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, the study group of Tourismology was reintroduced 7.
The Department of Tourism 8 was established at the Institute of Geography, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad in 1992. The Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad is one of the first universities in Serbia that organized classes according to the Bologna Convention, as a model (pilot) program of applying this kind of teaching since 2002.
Tourismological teaching-scientific concept is particularly pronounced at the Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade; Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management of the Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad; Institute of Geography, Faculty of Sciences, University of Nis, as well as the Institute of Geography, Faculty of Sciences, University of Pristina (with temporary residence in Kosovska Mitrovica), a strictly scientific and within the Geography Institute «Jovan Cvijic» SASA 9.
In Tourismology, only by applying the geographic principles and methods, the connection of the nature of man and the origins of his health and recreational tourism needs that causes a mass movement toward tourism and recreational areas could be explained. This is why some authors see mass tourism movements as special newly established phenomenon of human society, and one of the necessities of anthropological sustainable survival. In contrast to the unfavorable socio-political conditions when it was established, tourismology nowadays has favorable or very favorable conditions for prosperity. This is also true for other study groups, even for Geography 10.
As certain worldwide surveys indicate, geography is a discipline focusing on "how cultures and societies write themselves onto the earth and how both the environmental and the social are transformed in the process" n. The discipline of geography and the study of tourism are complementary. On the one hand, Squire 12 argues that tourism can provide the discipline of geography with a "useful vehicle through which to examine social and cultural questions". On the other, Goodenaugh and Page 13 contend that a geographic approach is particularly suitable to the study of tourism because it gives students "a broad perspective on the inter-relationships between societies and environments". Additionally, Mitchell and Murphy 14 point to the importance of geographers' ability to synthesise and model complex worldwide activity within the study of tourism.
Subsequently, this indicates that the modern concept of tourism refers to the issue of its dual nature i.e., its dual function — non-economic and economic.
Non-economic function is comprised of healthy-recreational function, entertainment, cultural, educational, etc. The economic function implies the impact of tourism on the economic recovery of demographic factors; conversational function; contribution or tourism to the development of underdeveloped areas; intensification of development of emitting area; multiplicative function and others.
Tourism activates a number of economic activities and branches to the extent that they become an integral part of the tourism industry. It is primarily characteristic of tourism catering industry, retail, utility-service activity, travel agencies, tourist traffic, etc.
7 Jовичиñ Ж., Косар Л., Щевач Н., Фаркаш З. 30 година истраживачког рада и образовала кадрова за туризам. Београд: Туризмолошки факултет, 1991; Поповип Б.И., Б]елац Ж. Рaзвoj туристичте шуте у Србщи после Другог светског рата са посебним освртом на Географски Институт '^ован Цвщип'" САНУ: Зб. радова Географског Института '^ован Цвщип" САНУ. 57, 2007. Pg. 185-192; Ромелип J., Ъурчип Н. Разво] туризмологще на Департману за Географщу, Туризам и Хотелщерство ПМФ у Новом Саду // Проблеми и пракса разво]а туризмологще. Pg. 11-12; Stetic S. Znacaj i uloga turizmologije za razvoj skolovanja kadrova u (za) turizmu na ex Yu prostorima a i sire // Проблеми и пракса разво]а туризмологще. Pg. 9-10.
8 For a long time at the University of Novi Sad, Institute of Geography, highly-qualified personnel is educated for a period of 4 years of study, at that time the only one in the country. In this way, our graduates with a university degree have become highly respected and progressive personnel who spread the knowledge of tourism in enterprises, organizations and associations in the country, but also abroad. Students from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatian and Macedonia have been and still are promoters of the science of tourism in the former Yugoslav republics. The first generation of students majoring in hotel management was registered in 1998. (Попо-вип Б.И., Б]елац Ж. Рaзвoj туристичкe туте у Србщи после Другог светског рата са посебним освртом на Географски Институт '^ован Цвщип" САНУ. Pg. 185-192.)
9 Поповип Б.И., Б]елац Ж. Рaзвoj туристичте шуте у Србщи после Другог светског рата са посебним освртом на Географски Институт '7ован Цвщип'" САНУ. Pg. 185-192.
10 Jовичиñ Д. Географска фундамненталност туризмологще // Проблеми и пракса разво]а туризмо-логще. Pg. 2.
11 Schoenberger E. Interdisciplinarity and social power // Progress in Human Geography. 2001. N 25(3). Pg. 377.
12 Squire J. Accounting for cultural meanings: the interface between geography and tourism studies re-examined // Progress in Human Geography. 1994. N 18(1). Pg. 1.
13 Goodenaugh R.A., Page S.J. Planning for tourism education and training in the 1990s: bridging the gap between industry and education // Journal of Geography in Higher Education. 1993. N 17(1). Pg. 72.
14 Mitchell L.S., Murphy P. Geography and tourism // Annals of Tourism Research. 1991. N 18. Pg. 57-70.
The aforementioned specifics of tourism indicate that it is a very complex phenomenon, which inevitably causes the differences in the understanding of priorities that should be given to individual programs of curriculum at faculties that deal with educating experts in the field of tourism.
Our understanding of the time schedule, scope and intensity of the lecture materials of particular scientific disciplines will be explained on the example of the Department of Geography, Tourism and Hospitality, of the Natural Sciences faculty in Novi Sad. This institution is committed to educating professionals in tourism applying the innovative concept that acknowledges tourism as an integral, interdisciplinary category. The fundamental and essential elements of the commercial and economistic conception are not neglected in this institution. It seems that a tendency to overcome these differences has been maintained and that teaching and scientific activities produce more obvious balance with its functionality being proven in practice.
The initial reason was contained in the fact that tourism is happening in time and space, which is the subject of geographic research. Tourism resources, such as — tourist and geographical position of the area, relief, climate, hydrography, flora and fauna; population as a subjective factor in the development of tourism; economic activities and branches that are in the function of tourism etc. in relation to the entire inventory of the geographic environment are the main subject of geographical study and interpretation.
Given that without tourism values there are no significant tourist movements, this means that they are comprised in the geographical study.
However, the complex nature of tourism has requested a reduction of geographic basis in favor of non-geographic objects. The compression has been made of the original basis and more appropriate adaptation to increasingly stringent understandings of tourists, tourism values and forms of tourism movements.
Anthropogenic tourism values are studied within the course — Cultural and historical tourism base, but are also present in the Socio-geographical bases of tourism, as well as in the study of interface i.e., regional-geographic attractions.
The economic function of tourism is covered by the group of classes in economy, and the main business segment is represented in the following contents: financial management, tourist destination management, management of the tourism industry, personnel management, etc.
The increasingly important selective forms of tourism that are consistent to the trend of sustainable development are dealt with in the subject — Tourism and environmental protection, followed by the introduction of new subjects that in a comfortable and modern way solve, in this field, many uncertainties (wine tourism, urban tourism, congress tourism, event tourism, etc.).
Also included are subjects that provide the basis for understanding the complementary functioning of tourism and activities that fall under the so-called tourism industry (hotel sales, traffic in tourism, etc.).
Reasons of survival of the tourismology concept at certain Universities and research institutions
Based on the review of study programs at universities that train professionals in the field of tourism, it is evident that the tourismology concept is characteristic for faculties that have geography as a main, initial orientation, along with spatial planning and general educational and scientific orientation to sciences that study the part of the Earth's surface which is exposed to human activities, i.e., geographical environment. The area mentioned above includes all kinds of tourism resources, the population as both a creator of tourism attractive areas and a customer of the values of such destinations, infrastructure in general or in the function of tourism etc. Accordingly, such university institutions had good potentials (developed geographic approach to researches and prevailing staff of such determination) to train professionals in tourism. Since the geographical environment has an undeniable complexity and above all its attractive part of the accommodation base are necessary for the implementation of tourist movements, there should be a term to denote that. Hence, among many possible alternatives, the term was chosen that has been frequently mentioned among the prominent world experts — tourismology. Having in mind that the flow of education of tourism experts required subjects that would also reflect the commercial-economistic aspect of tourism, thus more scientific disciplines of economic-manager-marketing characters were added to subjects of 'tourismology'. This is how very complex and respectable study programs originated, as mentioned above, first at the Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management in Novi Sad, then Tourismology department of the Faculty of Geography in Belgrade, and then to the appropriate institutions in Nis, Kosovska Mitrovica, etc.
At the time of the original, initial orientation to "pure" geography, the faculties mentioned above, within their professional boards (at the initiative of academician Branislav Bukurov in Novi Sad, and Zivadin Jovicic in Belgrade, etc) aimed to raise the scientific commitment of their institutions to more pragmatic level and subordinate it to the needs of specific economic activities and sectors, where geography could provide good, comprehensive and solid foundation. From the very beginning of these discussions, the prevailing mood was that guidance to the tourism trade was conducted within a special section. This is because geography is one of the sciences that studies geographical environment (space) in a complex way as the milieu where real tourist or local recreational developments take place. Therefore, geographical science, had all the opportunities to be a good prerequisite for the formation of a complex approach to the phenomenon of tourism. The question arises, what was in the beginning our attitude towards the situation at the European universities of similar commitment?
As far as the content component of university teaching is concerned, it is undisputed that world trends have been followed. When it comes to plans and programs, our basic disadvantage was that we were not able to sufficiently quickly and substantially, as far as we felt it was necessary to optimize, follow new trends in management and marketing in tourism. The main reason for the slowness is the resistance of older teachers, especially those whose main field was geography, and who were in a position to reach decisions on that.
Contradictions of the conception base for educating tourism experts
University education of experts in the field of tourism presents a delicate problem and this happens primarily because it does not have a long tradition in our country. Therefore, the delicacy of the problem stems from the very nature of tourism.
The aforementioned specifics of tourism indicate that it is a very complex phenomenon, which inevitably causes differences in the understanding of priorities that should be given to certain sciences in syllabus (study programs) of higher but also high schools that work on educating the professionals in the field of tourism. By the early 90s and in later years (but to a lesser extent), the history of this education was conceptually inconsistent and discontinuous in Serbia. It was characterized by the irreconcilable conflicts between two concepts:
- commercially-economist;
- an integrated, interdisciplinary designated by the term — tourismology direction, which was basically oriented in teaching and scientific commitment to geography, especially the tourism geography
15
The conflicts between these two concepts are even more striking in the world. Tourism is taught in the countries of the European Union, the United States, Australia, at the faculties of Polytechnic and Economics, where the economy group of classes is primary 16. In European countries that were formerly socialist countries, the situation is similar to the one in Serbia, because the tourismology direction is primary 17. Since the late 90s of the 20th century, the economic concept begins to strengthen in these countries under the influence of the Bologna Process and the implementation of the Western European education systems.
In Croatia, where students prepare for managerial jobs in tourism and hotel industry, economics group of subjects is prevailing, although in smaller percentage than in Europe (15-19 %), where as geographical group of subjects has a share of (3-5 %). In Macedonia, where students prepare for work in tourism and catering, economics group of subjects is prevailing (18 %), then follow practical and research methods of development (21 %), whereas geographical group of subjects is based on tourist geography (2 %). In Serbia, where students prepare for managerial jobs in tourism, hunting tourism, hotel industry and gastronomy, geographical group of subjects is prevailing (14 %), and the share of economics subjects is significant (10-13 %) 18. In 2014, the geographical group of subjects that study tourism in Macedonia
15 JoBHHHh, fl. Teorpa^cKa ^yHgaMHeHTanHoCT TyproMonoraje. Pg. 2; Romelih J., Bje^ac Zh. Polozhaj i uloga geografije u savremenom turistichkom obrazovaau u Srbiji // Zbornik radova sa prvog kongresa srpskih geografa. Beograd: Srpsko Geografsko Drushtvo, 2007. Ka. 2; Portal of universities in Balkan countries. URL: http://www.balkanex.info
16 Richards G., Onderwater L. Towards a European body of knowledge for tourism — perspectives and proposals. Tilburg: European Association for Tourism and Leisure Education — ATLAS, The Netherlands, 1998.
17 Richards G., Onderwater L. Towards a European body of knowledge for tourism — perspectives and proposals; Portal of universities in Balkan countries. URL: http://www.balkanex.info
18 The researchers are on the example of Serbia, Macedonia and Croatia, made for 2003. The difference in percentages that could be observed in the comparison with the period of the 2013/14 school year is in the increasing of number of higher education institutions that deal with education of future personnel in the tourism and catering industry, as well as the increasing
covers 34,82 % and economic subjects cover 49,11 %. In Croatia, the geographical group forms 18,49 % and economic 35,42 %. In Montenegro 14,43 % are tourist-geographic group of subjects, and 41,24 % economic-tourist group of subjects. In Serbia in 2014, a tourist-geographic group of subjects makes 35,28 % and economic tourism 29,45 %. In Bosnia and Herzegovina tourist geographical group of subjects make 17,45 %, while economic-tourism 5,65 % 19.
With the economist commercial concept, it could be noted that in countries where tourism is a leading or one of the leading economic activities or population represents a significant number of tourists in the tourism movements in Europe (Italy, Spain, France, Germany), the geographical group of subjects is significantly present. In some countries where tourism is sporadic activity (Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden), the geographical group of subjects has almost negligible significance 20.
The expansion of tourism in Serbia, during the '70s and '80s, gave a solid opportunity for survival and development of both concepts i.e., the field of education. The first was embodied, for example, in the activities of the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade and in other activities of the faculty of Tourismology, also in Belgrade. Even though the integral tourismology concept is well accepted in the highly developed tourist countries, here in our country it was suppressed in the mid-'90s. This resulted in the cessation of the operations of the above mentioned Faculty of Tourismology. The importance of geography in tourism education is almost spontaneously indicated by the fact that even at the mention of the name of a tourist destination, tourist season, modes of travel from emissive area to the tourist places and the like, it refers to the geographical categories, or concepts whose essence could primarily be detected by using the geographic methodological i.e., methodological aspects 21.
Although at first glance it does not look like that, if there is a case of categories that are essentially economic 22, psychological, cultural or any other non-geographic phenomena, all of them possess a geographic line when viewed from physical, developmental or some other aspect that is the essence of geographical subject and ways of its study. Geography studies the natural resources and the attractiveness in the most comprehensive and complex way. But when it comes to cultural goods, each of them, for example, has its location or a collection of cultural goods have allocation, characterized by their mutual relationship or in relation to other elements and factors of the geographical environment. Therefore, their tourism context could always be geographically studied in a certain way or they are approached in the process of training in a specific didactic and geographic methodical manner 23.
Tourism Geography in study programs of higher education institutions in the area of the former Yugoslavia
The base of tourist-geographic methodology consists of the following methods: geographical (spatial, regional); historical-genetic; parallel (comparative), systematization method; systems analysis; mathematic-statistic methods and models, and cartographic method 24.
The aforementioned geographic method is expressed in terms of two components — a regional analysis (tourist-geographic analysis of the regional development factors of a specific areas or regions) and analysis or theory of location (determination of the legality of the optimal location of specific production facilities). The important fact is that the implementation of this method employs field work (research). It is used in an effort to determine the position of an economic object in relation to factors of
number of cases. (Richards G., Onderwater L. Towards a European body of knowledge for tourism — perspectives and proposals.)
19 Portal of universities in Balkan countries. URL: http://www.balkanex.info
20 Richards G., Onderwater L. Towards a European body of knowledge for tourism — perspectives and proposals; Schmelzkopf K. Interdisciplinarity, Participatory Learning and the Geography of Tourism // Journal of Geography in Higer Education. 2002. N 26(2). Pg. 181-196; Portal of universities in Balkan countries. URL: http://www.balkanex.info
21 Tomic P. Stanje i moguci — inovacijski prilozi modernizaciji univerzitetskog obrazovanja turistickih strucnjaka u Jugoslaviji / P. Tomic, J. Romelic // Tehnologija, kultura i razvoj : Zbornik radova 8. naucnog skupa Globalno i lokalno u tehnoloskom i kulturnom razvoju: Jugoslavija u evropskom i blizem okruzenju s posebnom temom Modernizacija univerzitetskog obrazovanja u Jugoslaviji, Kotor, 2001., Udruzenje "Tehnologija i drustvo", Institut "Mihailo Pupin", Centar za istrazivanje razvoja nauke i tehnologije. Beograd, 2001. Pg. 180-186.
Tourism geography, as a separate branch of economic geography, from its beginnings in the 1930s of the 20th century to the present. Today this scientific discipline belongs to one of the most important sciences that deal with tourism. The modern tourism geography pays attention to some of the most important problems such as: valorizing of natural conditions that are important for tourism development, the geographic environment transformation and the ecological problems conditioned by the tourism development, tourism-geographic renovation etc. (Dinic J. Pojava, razvoj i savremeni problemi turisticke geografije // Ekonomski anali. 2001. N 44(153-154). Pg. 109-118.)
23 Romelih J., Bje^ac Zh. Polozhaj i uloga geografije u savremenom turistichkom obrazovaau u Srbiji.
24 Ibid.
external economy (the presence of complementary economic structures, desirable workforce, research institutions, etc.), the state of infrastructure directly subordinated to the functioning of a given object, the position of objects in the context of the morphology of settlements, etc.
Tourist-geographic topics allow two sided methodical approach — it is the use of selective methods exclusively suitable to these contents, and on the other hand, there is a group of methods that could be used to each type of geographic content. This is why the operating methodical circuits and methodical processes make a combination of both types of methods provided that in that combination the segments that possess the most prominent possibilities of mutual correlation function properly. Tourist-geographic teaching and research contents with their specific system of concepts, processes, judgments, conclusions, connections and regularities have a special (methodic language) 25.
If the experience in the United States of America and the Great Britain are observed, where the economic and commercial approach to the study of tourism is prevailing "The following course description of the Geography of Tourism sets out the content, the aims and the objectives of the course: This interdisciplinary course is designed to provide students with a background in human and physical geography as it relates to the growing phenomenon of tourism around the world. The relationships of culture and tourism will be carefully considered, including issues of ethnicity, nationality, gender, and religion. There will be a strong focus on issues of ethics and the need for social responsibility. Students will examine issues of sustainable economic and social development. They will also evaluate mass tourism and alternative forms of tourism, including ecotourism, indigenous people as tourist attractions, and sex tourism. Case studies and class projects will be used to help illustrate the issues. By the end of the semester, students should have an understanding of how tourism transforms the physical, social, and cultural environments of the earth and how geography can provide a framework for an interdisciplinary understanding of tourism 26.
As mentioned in the text above, the scientific and teaching approach to tourismology in the neighboring countries and in Serbia has been developed, mainly at the Faculties of Sciences, which is confirmed by the review at the universities in the individual countries in the region.
In Croatia, Geography of Tourism is one of the main subjects at the University of Natural Sciences Department of Geography, University of Zagreb; Department of Cultural Studies, University of Osijek; Faculty of Maritime Studies and the Faculty of Business Economics — course tourism at the University of Split; Faculty of Tourism and Hotel management, University of Rijeka; Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Tourism, University of Zadar. According to the syllabus and according to the Bologna Convention, the lectures in Croatia are fragmented to undergraduate (depending on the faculty 4 or 3 years) and graduate (1 or 2 years) and postgraduate studies 27.
In Macedonia, the tourism geography is studied at the Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Department of Tourism, University of Skopje; Faculty of Tourism and Catering, University of Bitola; Faculty of Tourism and Business Logistics, Gevgelija, University of Stip. According to the syllabus and the Bologna Convention, the lectures in Macedonia are divided into graduate (four years) and postgraduate studies (one year) 28.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, tourism geography is taught at the Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Geography, Department of Tourism, University of East Sarajevo; Faculty of_Science, Department of Geography, University of Sarajevo; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Science and Education, Department of Tourism and Environmental Protection, and as an optional subject at the Department of Geography at the University of Mostar; Faculty of Science Department of Geography, University of Banja Luka (as an elective tourism regions of the world). According to the curricula and the Bologna Convention, the lectures in Bosnia and Herzegovina are divided into teaching undergraduate and master's degrees (four years or one year). In Montenegro, the tourism geography as a subject of study is included at the Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Tourism in Niksic, University of Podgorica 29.
The current study programs in the field of tourism and complementary professions in higher education institutions in Serbia
25 Ibid.
26 Schmelzkopf K. Interdisciplinarity, Participatory Learning and the Geography of Tourism. Pg. 184-185.
27 Portal of universities in Balkan countries.
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid.
In Serbia, tourism geography is studied at the Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, High Technical School, Novi Sad; Faculty of Geography, Department of Tourismology, University of Belgrade; High Professional Tourist School, High Professional School of Hotel Management, Belgrade; as an optional subject at master studies at the departments of Geography, Faculty of Sciences in Nis and Faculty of Sciences in Kosovska Mitrovica 30.
As mentioned above, those that have the longest tourism tradition of studying geography are the Department of Geography, Tourism and Hospitality Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad and the Faculty of Geography, Department of Tourismology, University of Belgrade.
The current programs of study at universities in Novi Sad and Belgrade indicate the presence of tourismology concept in the studying of tourism. The studies are highly branched at the Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad and consist of four modules: Module of Tourism, module of hotel activities organizer, module of gastronomic activities organizer and module of organizer of hunting tourism activity. Tourist-geographical disciplines are represented as compulsory subjects in Module of Tourism, while under other modules they have the status of elective courses 31.
At the Faculty of Geography in Belgrade, there is a unique course, as mentioned above, called 'educational profile graduate tourismologist,' as part of the study program in the Tourismology department. Here, the tourism and geographical disciplines are represented at a higher percentage in comparison to Novi Sad. However, having in mind that it is a relatively newly introduced course, as the experience has shown in the majority of faculties of such a character and commitment, it is almost certain that further tendency of development of this course would go towards creating a balance between the geographical and commercial economistic conception because the nature of tourism profession demands it. Multiannual education of their own teaching staff will decrease the dependence on visiting professors from the universities with a longer tourismology tradition, and a more stable system of study programs would be developed that would be innovated meaningfully, technologically and with human resources in mind 32.
The above mentioned optimistic statements are mainly based on comparison with the upward trends that have been slowly but steadily manifested at the earlier introduced tourism studies within the Faculty of Science in Novi Sad.
Conclusion
Noticeable differences in conceptual approaches in educating personnel in the field of tourism conditioned on the one hand geographicality, and on the other hand commercial-economistic concept of studies of tourism in Serbia. The explanation of this phenomenon has set before us the need to research the causes of this phenomenon.
Tourism as a very complex set of activities, and the tourist industry as a much dissected phenomenon with components that serve to satisfy the many demands of tourists, provide a solution to this problem with this very fact. However, when the question arises — how do we have the emphasized geographical, and on the other hand, economic concept of studies, then the approach to solving this problem has the task of overcoming obstacles of both scientific and daily political character.
It is characteristic that tourismology concept is inherent to faculties that as a parent orientation had geography and generally educational and scientific orientation to the sciences that study part of the Earth's surface that is exposed to human activities, i.e. geographical environment. This environment includes all kinds of tourism resources, the population as a creator of tourist attractive area or customers of values or such destinations, infrastructure in general or just in the function of tourism, etc. These university institutions had good personnel and scientific research resources for training the tourism professionals on a geographical basis. Geographical environment, and above all its attractive part, and the material basis are essential in running the tourist movements and they contain the distinct complexity, which should have inevitably been introduced by a term that would denote this complexity. Therefore, the solution was found among many possible alternatives, in a term that is frequently mentioned among the
30 ПоповиЬ Б.И., Б]елац Ж. Pa3Boj туристин^ HayKe у Србщи после Другог светског рата са посебним освртом на Географски Институт '7ован ЦвщиЬ" САНУ.
31 РомелиЪ J., ЪурчиЬ Н. Разво] туризмологще на Департману за Географщу, Туризам и Хо-телщерство ПМФ у Новом Саду; Tomic P. Stanje i moguci — inovacijski prilozi modernizaciji univerzitetskog obrazovanja turistickih strucnjaka u Jugoslaviji.
32 Bjeljac Z., Stankovic M.S., Brankov J., Terzic A. From Turistika to Tourism studies, International scientific conference 150th anniversary of Jovan Cvijic's birth, book of abtracts, october 12-14 2015; Jовичиh Ж., Косар Л., Ц^евач Н., Фаркаш З. 30 година истраживачког рада и образовала кадрова за туризам.
prominent world experts — tourismology. Since the course of education of tourism experts requested subjects that would reflect the commercial-economistic aspect of tourism, this is why more scientific disciplines of economy-manager-marketing character were added to subjects in tourismology (tourism-geography). This is how the very complex study programs arose, as mentioned above, first at the Department of Geography, Tourism and Hospitality in Novi Sad, then at the Tourismology department of the Faculty of Geography in Belgrade, and then to the appropriate institutions in Nis, Kosovska Mitrovica, etc.
On the other hand, at the faculties of professional and academic character with primary economic-tourist programs of study, a group of subjects is prevalent based on commercially-economistic conception, where the geographical group of subjects is reduced to a bare minimum.
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22. Portal of universities in Balkan countries [Electronic resource]. — Mode of access: http://www.balkanex.info
Zeljko Bjeljac, J. Romelic, N. Curcic
PLACE AND ROLE OF TOURISM GEOGRAPHY IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN SERBIA
Since the 60s of the 20th century to the present, the study of tourism has a dualistic character, i.e., it has been studied in terms of geography (tourism geography) and the economy (tourism economics). This paper explores the place and role of geography in tourism education, from the aspect of higher education in Serbia during the period of transition. Since the 90s of the 20th century to the present, tourism geography, as a subject at universities in Serbia has changed its role and significance during the education reform. This paper aims to determine the essential function of geographical science in the study of the phenomenon of tourism in general, by analyzing the syllabus of the faculties that examine tourism geography.
tourism geography, tourismology, transition, higher education, Serbia.
