UNLOCKING THE TOURISM POTENTIAL OF BORDERING REGIONS: A CASE STUDY OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN FOČA (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) AND PLUŽINE (MONTENEGRO)

Abstract

Revitalizing border areas, which in the scientific discourse are most often considered peripheral, deprived, and less developed, is the focus of contemporary geographical research. Borders, acting as demarcation lines or points of convergence, possess a dual role, offering both positive and negative contexts. This duality adds complexity to the observation, diagnosis, and action required to stimulate economic activities. Tourism emerges as an alternative solution predominantly acknowledged by local communities, which would make it easier to achieve the inclusion of geographically isolated areas in regional development policies, ultimately achieving harmonization of economic growth at the national level. The paper deals with the analysis of the state and possibilities of the development of crossborder tourism in the Bosnian-Herzegovinian-Montenegro border sector, namely in the area of the municipalities of Foča, home to Bosnia and Herzegovina's oldest national park, and Plužine, housing the Piva Nature Park. Based on a qualitative methodology (questionnaires conducted among different tourism stakeholders), the research aims to determine whether tourism as the basis of crossborder cooperation can be considered an alternative for overcoming the marginalization of the observed areas, taking into account that these are demographically and economically weakened municipalities in the context of contemporary circumstances belonging countries and what are its future perspectives. The respondents are representatives of local stakeholders who possess valuable insights and knowledge about the unique social, cultural, economic, and ecological factors in their area. The research results can serve as a significant insight into the plans and priorities of tourism development.