JOVAN POPESKU
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF IIPT SERBIA (IMIT)
Jovan Popesku brings more than 40 years of experience in the tourism education and tourism business to his position of founder of Institute for Peace through Tourism, Serbian Chapter of IIPT. He earned his Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. degree at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. He was professor at Singidunum University, Department for Tourism and Hospitality Management, Belgrade. He is the founder and president of the Centre for Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Development, Belgrade, Serbia (CenORT). He was the first Director-General of the National Tourism Organization of Serbia.
Jovan experienced the following IIPT events: Second Global Conference, Montreal, 1994 (with the paper), Second Global Summit, Geneva, 2003 (with the paper), First European Conference, Leeuwarden, 2008 (with the paper), IIPT World Symposium, Johannesburg, 2014 (with two papers) as well as IIPT ZOOM Family Meeting (2021).
Jovan’s fields of activity include tourism destination management, sustainable tourism management, rural and ecotourism as well as tourism marketing. He was the author and supervisor of domestic and international projects primarily related to tourism destination management and sustainable tourism.
Speaking of IIPT Serbia’s plans Jovan says: ‘’By establishing IIPT Serbia we want to contribute to the spread of a culture of peace in general, especially related to the role of tourism in this process. Similarly, we will do our best to influence the spread of this idea in cooperation with similar organizations from the wider region to which we belong, traditionally associated with divisions which are often tried to be resolved through armed conflicts’’.
DANIJEL PAVLOVIĆ
SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE IIPT SERBIA (IMIT)
Associate professor Danijel Pavlović, Ph.D. is the director of the Academy for hospitality, tourism and wellness, Belgrade, Serbia. Until February 1, 2024, he worked as an associate professor at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, Singidunum University. Belgrade, Serbia. He obtained his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at Singidunum University. He has a rich practical and academic experience, more than a decade, in the field of tourism destination management, tourism destination competitiveness, responsible and sustainable tourism development, management of travel agencies and tour operators as well as in the field of religious tourism and pilgrimage.
He has participated in several projects related to the development of tourism and the education of employees in the tourism industry. He also gained rich experience in organizing scientific tourism events, conferences, and panels. He is a member of editorial boards, editor, and reviewer in several international tourism scientific journals. In his academic career, he is especially dedicated to emphasizing the benefits of tourism development.
Since the founding of the Institute for Peace through Tourism – IIPT Serbia (as part of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism IIPT), he has been a member of the Steering Committee and holds the position of Secretary-General of the Institute. Actively participating in creating the basis for the efficient functioning of the Institute for Peace through Tourism – IIPT Serbia, together with the founder and president of the Institute Jovan Popesku, Danijel Pavlovic especially emphasized: “tourism development should not be an end in itself but should produce wider economic, social and environmental benefits and well-being for the community as a whole, including tourists, creating the foundations for peace, better understanding among cultures, nations, and peoples, and that tourism as such should be the basis for future responsible and sustainable development of the world as a whole”.