UNWTO-TedQual International Volunteers Programme Practicum in Montenegro

As part of the UJNWTO-TedQual International Volunteers Programme 15 students from the George Washington University (GW) School of Business and 8 students from two universities in Montenegro worked together to identify opportunities for nature-based tourism development in the area of Durmitor National Park in Northern Montenegro.

The student team worked in Montenegro for two weeks in June (June 11-25). The GW group included students from both the MBA (Master of Business Administration) program and the MTA (Master of Tourism Administration) programs under the guidance of Dr. Donald Hawkins, Dr. Hannah Messerli and Milena Nikolova. The Montenegrin students were from the School of Tourism and Hotel Management in Kotor and the School of Tourism, Hospitality, and Trade Management in Bar, and were lead by Prof. Andriela Vitic and Prof. Sanja Vlahovic. The work of the students is part of the project "Unleashing Sustainable Tourism Entrepreneurship in the Area of National Park Durmitor" supported by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Montenegro and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Office in Podgorica.

For two-week assignment of the student team focused on three important components:

• A Strategic Environmental Assessment of Durmitor National Park (DNP) Area as a Nature-Based Tourism Destination
• Identification of Nature-Based Tourism Source Market and Distribution Channels
• Development of Preliminary Business Concepts for Nature-Based Tourism Products

Students assessed the current tourism attractions and future potential of the DNP region by visiting different areas in the park and the surrounding areas. They also met with local stakeholders from four municipalities (Zabljak, Savnik, Pluzine and Plevlija) in the region. Meetings were conducted with mayors and other public officials, entrepreneurs and small business owners, representatives of local non-governmental organizations and key donor organizations working in the area. As part of their work, the also group engaged in a visioning exercise with local stakeholders aiming (a) the development of a long-term vision for the development of DNP region as a world-class nature-based tourism destination, and (b) the identification of specific actions to help realize that.

The fieldwork of the student team was preceded by a month of background research and preparation. Students from GW and the two Montenegrin universities actively collaborated relying on GW online education platform Blackboard. Using chat sessions, e-mail communication and active information exchange the team conducted online research, market analysis, competitive analysis, benchmarking and identification of best practices.

As a result of the active background research and the intense two-week fieldwork, the student team concluded that the Durmitor National Park region has a real potential of becoming a world-class nature-based tourism destination. In order to realize that potential students outlined a preliminary strategy including several key components:

1. Adopting an integrated destination management approach uniting all stakeholders in the region in a competitive tourism cluster
2. Building the capacity of local businesses, entrepreneurs and community members through training and education in tourism and hospitality management, tourism services, marketing and communications, business development and entrepreneurship, etc.
3. Implementation of three sustainable tourism business concepts: the development of an ecolodge, development of a katun network and the development of a center for SAVE (Scientific, Academic, Volunteer and Educational) tourism

The findings and key recommendations of the team were presented in two stages. The first presentation was conducted in the town of Zabljak in the DNP area in front of local stakeholders who warmly welcomed the ideas and expressed interest in implementing them. The second presentation was conducted in the capital city of Podgoritza in front of an audience of more than one hundred people including the Montenegro Minister of Tourism, Predrag Nenezic, the United Nations Development Program Montenegro head of office Garret Tankosic-Kelly, representatives of the national media, other representatives of the Government of Montenegro, key donor organizations working in the country and many other interested organizations and individuals.

The complete findings and recommendations of the student team will be presented in a final report detailing concrete strategies and actions, along with funding opportunities that can help turn Durmitor National Park region into a world-class nature-based tourism destination.