engleski

Study programs in culture and tourism in higher education in the Republic of Croatia – a critical analysis

It is known that tourism, as a social phenomenon and economic activity, represents a significant development impetus, because through its activities, in addition to the already known multiplicative functions, it fulfills social, health-related, cultural, and other roles, i.e., it benefits both tourist visitors and the local population, that is, the domicile environments within which it develops. It is especially important to develop special interest tourism (SIT), and the countries that aim to develop such forms of tourism should opt for a strategic turnaround and new ways of thinking. One of the most important forms of SIT is cultural tourism. To develop it, a broad strategic platform and a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach are needed. This paper investigates the segment of higher education that educates experts on the needs of cultural tourism by providing an overview of study programs in the field of culture and tourism in the Republic of Croatia. The Croatian experience is researched and analyzed through an assessment and critical review of the existing study programs in the field of culture and tourism in the Republic of Croatia. The paper discusses the issue of cultural tourism within the context of growing globalization and refers to education for the development of cultural tourism based on the principles of sustainability and resilience. A critical analysis indicates that the development and dynamization of adaptive curriculum changes, the development of new study programs of an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature, as well as the cooperation on international projects and research conducted with partner institutions within the country and abroad, are imposed as strategic priorities in the development of regional educational institutions which simultaneously conform to the needs of the market and sustainable development. This contributes to the contextualization of curriculum development as social constructs. The authors of the paper aim to encourage scientists and policymakers to a broader and more complex view of this important issue - education for tourism and culture of the 21st century. In that sense, the authors plead for the development and dynamization of adaptive curriculum changes, as well as the development of new study programs of an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature.

special interest tourism (SIT) ; cultural tourism ; higher education, study programs ; curriculum analysis

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