BELGRADE AND SARAJEVO. ANALYSIS OF DARK TOURISM SPECTRUM AND SUPPLY IN POST-CONFLICT SOCIETIES OF THE WESTERN BALKANS

Abstract

In the early 1990s, the Balkans faced some of the most violent military confrontations since the end of the Second World War. As a result of the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the borders have been redesigned on the map of Europe and new states have emerged. Some of these countries have succeeded in becoming members of Euro-Atlantic structures. While Montenegro and North Macedonia became NATO members, and Slovenia and Croatia have integrated into both NATO and the European Union, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be affected by frozen conflicts and interethnic tensions. The research aims to analyze the evolution of tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, focusing on the tourist potential of the capitals of these states, Sarajevo and Belgrade, respectively. The novelty of the research is to identify and analyze the potential of dark tourism in Sarajevo and Belgrade. The methodology used implied field research in both countries, in order to identify the tourism potential - with emphasis on dark tourism heritage on both countries. Also, the touristic offer in the two cities was analyzed, focusing on the dark tourism spectrum proposed by Philip R. Stone in 2006.