K N O W L E D G E from daily routine, it is necessary to leave the permanent residence, experience something new. This expected pleasure is today one of the main generators of tourist travels. It leads to the concentration of tourists in tourist areas. In these places, for the purpose of satisfying the needs of tourists, new relations are very quickly established very quickly, primarily economical, new economic and non-economic activities develop, and new forms of demand appear. In addition to these, dominant economic relations, wider social relations are also established, namely relations between tourists and the local population, as well as relations between the tourists themselves. Tourism is a complex system made up of a number of subsystems. The basis of tourism economic activity consists of hotel and hospitality industry, transport, tourism and travel agencies, retail, crafts and various types of communal activities. Accordingly, it is not difficult to conclude that tourism is one of the most resilient parameters of the increase in gross domestic product, investment potential of the economy and determining the character of the work from the standpoint of productivity. TOWARDS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
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There are numerous attempts to breakdown the course of development of tourism into phases, which is very difficult. Distribution of tourist movements in four stages is the most common. The first stage is antiquity, when the movements took place that only resembled tourism. The second stage covers the period from the beginning of the 19th century to World War One. The time of tourist progress brings organized forms of travel, receptive forms of tourism and
Managers in tourism In Belgrade Business School, Tourism Management is a threeyear study program. In addition to basic lectures, it enables training of students (future employees in tourism) through encounter with a number of guest lecturers and practical work, especially in a large number of eminent tourist agencies. Upon graduation, students obtain the title of professional manager in the field of tourism.
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the tourist market, as well as the emergence of professional organizations for the conducting of tourist activities on a commercial basis. The third stage of development is the so-called mass tourism, from World War One until 1950. The fourth stage occurs in mid-20th century and continues to this day. At this stage, tourism becomes an inseparable part of the economic and social system. It becomes part of the national economy, element of social and cultural policies of every country, as well as a very important political phenomenon. It assumes the character of dynamic psychophysical recreation with gaining knowledge of other regions and peoples, global cultural and historical heritage and the like. The increasingly pronounced forms of tourism today are annual vacations, excursion tourism, spa, health, social, cultural, hunting and congress tourism. At this stage, tourism goes from “the realm of necessity” to the “realm of freedom”. On the tourist map of the world today, Serbia is one of these new “empires of freedom”. Serbia is a country where civilizations, cultures, religions, climates and landscapes meet and intertwine. The Pannonian Plain in the north, fertile river valleys and hills of Šumadija in the central part, mountain ranges crisscrossed with gorges and caves in the south. In line with the continuous development and expansion of tourism, and therefore the need for new education and professional personnel, Belgrade Business School has introduced a new study program: Tourism Management. This program has been accredited and the first generation of students enrolled in 2014/2015 academic year. It is anticipated that future tourism development will be marked by specific tourist products, facilities and activities aimed at specific, narrower segments of demand, the so-called “market niches”. As this is a sustainable form of tourism, Belgrade Business School makes emphasis exactly there, in the perspective of further development and training future staff. s (The author is the head of the study program Tourism Management at Belgrade Business School)