Lecture in Mostar: On sustainable tourism and the launch of the Association of Licensed Tourist Guides

”Sustainable Tourism – The Role of Tourist Guides” is the title of the lecture held in Mostar on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

Kristina Nuić Prka, president of the Croatian Association of Tourist Guides and a guide with many years of experience, spoke about this topic, namely the development and management of tourist activities in a way that has minimal impact on the natural environment, culture and communities associated with tourist destinations, in a way that provides long-term benefits for all participants in tourism, as well as the role of tourist guides.

”Sustainable tourism is tourism in which everyone is satisfied, from those working in all segments of tourism, guests, but also the local population. When we talk about Mostar, we often have a situation where we have a lot of guests, and we also have Mostar as a magnetic area for the development of all surrounding destinations and in this way we would extend the stay of tourists in Mostar, ” said Nuić Prka.

She pointed out that the big problem of our country is the border crossings, which are the first encounter for foreigners with the country they are coming to, and they speak a lot about Bosnia and Herzegovina. She also pointed to the perception that tourists have about our police, corruption, and emphasized that it is very important to deal with these issues in time in the tourism segment as well.

As the president of the Association of Tourist Guide Associations of Croatia, she also spoke about the importance of establishing an association of licensed tourist guides in Mostar in order to fight for their rights together, and put an end to those who operate in these areas without any permits.

The lecture was organized by the Mostar Franciscan Monastery, in cooperation with the Tourist Board of the City of Mostar, from which it was announced that they are currently considering several models of managing tourist guides to ensure that guiding around the city is in the hands of licensed local guides.

“With the aim of protecting and supporting our local experts, and at the same time preserving sustainable tourism, we believe that it is necessary to introduce an obligation for all travel agencies to hire only licensed local guides. This measure will not only improve the quality of the tourist experience, but will also directly impact the development of the local community and enable a more even distribution of tourist visits throughout the city, including those parts that are currently not sufficiently recognized,” said Nikica Čerkez on behalf of the Mostar City Tourist Board, adding that in this way they are trying to preserve the authenticity of Mostar, while at the same time contributing to sustainable tourism for the benefit of all citizens.