BUas students shared climate findings with Montenegro's Minister of Tourism

06/08/2026 - 17:06

Students from the BSc Tourism programme at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) this week presented their initial research findings to Simonida Kordić, Montenegro's Minister of Tourism. The students conducted field research across four geographically distinct regions of the country, examining the impact of climate change on tourism. The meeting with the minister took place at the close of an intensive four-week research period and forms part of the international Destination RiskScan project. This marks the fourth consecutive year that BUas has carried out its International Field Research Project (IFP) in Montenegro.

Mapping Climate Risks

18 students from the joint degree BSc Tourism program of BUas and Wageningen University spent four weeks travelling through Montenegro to interview local tourism stakeholders about climate risks. They focused on four geographically distinct regions: the coastal area of Bar & Ulcinj, the urban region of Podgorica, the mountain area of Kolašin, and the rural communities of Andrijevica, Plav, and Gusinje. Using an exploratory, qualitative research approach, the students mapped how different actors in the tourism sector perceive climate change risks and what resilience strategies they deploy.

Findings Presented to Minister Kordić

At the conclusion of their fieldwork, the students presented their initial findings to a delegation from the Montenegrin Ministry of Tourism, led by Minister Simonida Kordić. She was accompanied by State Secretary Petar Drašković and several directors and advisers specialising in tourism destination development, strategic planning, and sustainability. Ilija Morić, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Montenegro, also attended the presentation.

The meeting centred on the future of tourism in Montenegro, the importance of evidence-based policymaking, and the development of sustainable and competitive tourist destinations. Minister Kordić highlighted Montenegro's ecological character and its exceptional natural assets as the foundation of the country's tourism potential. "The climate is not what it was 30 years ago. With tourism constituting 30% of Montenegro's GDP, adapting is not optional, it is essential. Data is not always available or suitable for tourism, so we need tools that aid the creation of policies that make sense for the future."

Part of an International Research Network

The students' research forms part of the Destination RiskScan project — an international collaboration between CELTH, BUas, the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI), Travel Forward (UK), and risk analytics firm Risklayer (Germany). The project is developing an open-source methodology and an easy-to-use online tool for integrated climate risk assessment at tourism destinations worldwide. Anke Arts, co-director of CELTH, attended the ministerial presentation and introduced the participating knowledge institutions.

The collaboration with Montenegro is embedded within a broader Erasmus+ partnership between BUas and the University of Montenegro, facilitating the exchange of students and staff between both institutions.

Montenegro as a European Test Case
Montenegro is aiming to become the European Union's 28th member state by 2028. With tourism accounting for thirty per cent of its gross domestic product, the country is both highly vulnerable to climate change and a significant partner in the context of the European Green Deal. The findings of the BUas students could therefore directly inform national-level policymaking.