1. Sacred or sold? : A systems approach to balancing spirituality and commercialisation in faith-based tourismTadeja Jere Jakulin, Dane Munro, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: This paper examines the complexity of pilgrimage tourism, with its interdependencies among sacredness, spirituality, and commercialisation at faith-based tourism destinations. We use a Systems Approach to move beyond linear thinking that positions spirituality and commerce as inherently oppositional forces, arguing that pilgrimage destinations function as complex adaptive systems in which spiritual, commercial, and educational objectives interact dynamically. We build Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) formed from autoethnographic observation and stakeholder discussions. We present and compare four pilgrimage sites: Lourdes (France), Brezje (Slovenia), Malta, and Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia (Türkiye). The CLD models reveal the dynamics of the pilgrimage sites, the interdependencies, and the interactions among stakeholders (elements of the system). The systems approach demonstrates that successful destinations manage pilgrimage sites as integrated systems in which activities complement and constrain one another through feedback loops. Using a Systems Methodology, the article develops the dynamics of pilgrimage environments and presents a new typology of four pilgrimage (sacred) and commercial (secular) destinations. By advancing knowledge and education, the spiritual-commercial role of the sacred- secular destinations in question offers a different, comprehensive approach to their management.
Keywords: religious tourism, commercialization of pilgrimage, spiritual authenticity, systemic dynamics, management of sacred sites, heritage education
Published in RUP: 06.05.2026; Views: 140; Downloads: 6
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2. Hidden fish assemblages in Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica meadows are less diverse and abundant than in the cryptic spaces of neighboring habitatsMarcelo Kovačić, Igor Glavičič, Alen Soldo, Zoran Valić, Dejan Paliska, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: The present research provides the first quantitative comparison of the hidden fish assemblages in Posidonia meadows and neighboring non-Posidonia habitats. The data and samples were collected at sixty sampling points at three locations on the south side of Brač Island in the eastern Adriatic Sea from October 2023 to June 2025. The gradient of a significant increase in fish abundance and average fish species richness in cuboids and the increase in the frequency of occurrence of fish species were observed from habitats inside Posidonia meadows, over the Posidonia meadow edge, to the habitats outside Posidonia meadows. The primary influence on the abundance was the rarity of species from the family Gobiidae within Posidonia habitats. The markedly different species composition between the Posidonia and non-Posidonia habitats was driven by the high species richness of the family Labridae in the Posidonia habitat compared to the high species richness of the family Gobiidae in the non-Posidon The Posidonia meadow edge showed overlap with the two other habitat types, sharing a number of species. The sampling protocol developed in this study is suitable for the quantitative assessment of fishes inhabiting hidden Posidonia microhabitats and provides a methodological basis for future research. The current knowledge of fish in Mediterranean Posidonia meadows, as well as the conservation consequences of still limited knowledge, are discussed.
Keywords: Adriatic Sea, seagrass, cryptobenthos, benthic fishes, habitat charateristics, SCUBA diving
Published in RUP: 04.05.2026; Views: 172; Downloads: 5
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3. Time-money segment differences in ideation and collaboration readiness in sustainable tourism educationDejan Križaj, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: This study examines whether tourism students’ self-reported time–money use patterns are related to their readiness to collaborate on idea development, and whether sustain- ability emerges spontaneously in their tourism innovation ideas. Using an anonymised dataset of open-ended questionnaire responses from Slovenian higher education tourism students (N = 597; 2019–2025), we applied deterministic rule-based coding to classify the presence of actionable ideas and sustainability framing, as well as collaboration readiness and conditions. Actionable ideas were common (53.4%), but sustainability framing was uncommon (7.5%). Most respondents were unconditionally willing to collaborate (69.3%), while 30.7% expressed conditional willingness or unwillingness. Time–money behavioural segments were significantly associated with collaboration reservations, whereas segment differences in ideation and sustainability framing were not significant. Among students expressing reservations, topic match and perceived team quality were the most frequently stated conditions. These findings indicate that sustainability-oriented tourism education should support both sustainability integration and low-risk collaboration through clear project briefs, topic-based matching, and team-process supports. The conclusions should be interpreted with reasonable caution as they are context-specific evidence based on self- reported, rule-coded responses, particularly for sustainability framing, where positive cases were rare. In this context, segmentation should be regarded as a diagnostic tool for course design rather than as a basis for labelling students.
Keywords: tourism education, sustainability, collaboration readiness, behavioural segmentation, time–money trade-offs, project-based learning, open-ended survey, clustering
Published in RUP: 04.05.2026; Views: 159; Downloads: 7
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4. Sustaining accommodation SMEs : drivers and pathways of sustainable transition in the Mediterranean tourist accommodation sectorEmil Juvan, Guido Capanna Piscè, Federica Murmura, Giada Pierli, Alessio Travasi, Massimiliano Rumignani, Gian Andrea Paolo Garancini, Manos Ligerakis, Jana Čakardžić, Dino Mujkić, 2026, scientific monograph Keywords: Triple Bottom Line (TBL), Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) theory, environmentally significant behaviour, accommodation sustainability
Published in RUP: 08.04.2026; Views: 297; Downloads: 9
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9. Prosthetic memory and film-induced dark tourism in the specific post-conflict context : a divergent young adults’ perspectiveMetod Šuligoj, Jasna Hartman, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: The present postmodernist study explores how widely accessible films depicting tragic historical sites/events influence prosthetic memories and film-induced dark tourism among Western Balkan (the ‘region of memory’) young adult new-age platform users with no personal war experience. A heterogeneous list of ten internation - ally known historical films, compiled with the help of informants, was the basis for discussion in three nationally diverse focus groups (Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian- Herzegovinian) and then compared with a comparison group from a less stressed environment. The results of the content analysis with triangulation are discussed, and explaining the missing prosthetic memory, factual knowledge and film-induced dark tourism nexus among young adults in a peculiarly toxic post-conflict atmosphere. The study thus identifies historical film and dark tourism abstainers and explains deviations not pre - viously reported in studies of the above concepts, taking into account the specific social environment and age group.
Keywords: prosthetic memory, learning history, dark tourism, film-induced tourism, post-conflict society, young adults
Published in RUP: 02.04.2026; Views: 355; Downloads: 5
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