The Faculty of Economics Pale at the University of East Sarajevo has been awarded the prestigious UNWTO TedQual certificate for its “Tourism and Hospitality” study program. This is the first institution to receive this certificate in Bosnia and Herzegovina and fifth one in Southeast Europe. The certificate represents international acknowledgement of educational excellence in tourism.
USAID Turizam initiated the UNWTO TedQual program at the University of East Sarajevo, the University of Tuzla, and the University of Herzegovina. Universities were assisted in upgrading their study programs in accordance with a minimum set of quality standards in order to apply for a TedQual certificate of excellence. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) TedQual certificate is an international program for quality assurance and certification of tourism study programs. It aims to support the continual advancement of tourism education and research programs, and represents the gold standard of education in tourism.
Global trends indicate that in a post-pandemic period, the tourism industry suffers from unseen workforce shortages, so the quality of education becomes pivotal. Nonetheless, the travel and tourism industry is the world’s third largest, accounting for 11% of global employment, and education will provide to Bosnia and Herzegovina a competitive advantage over other tourist destinations.
In addition, it encourages talented and committed students who will contribute significantly in the future to the tourism management. Therefore, the TedQual certification is a significant milestone for the future development of a competitive and sustainable tourism industry in BiH. It simultaneously signifies the beginning of a self-improvement journey.
The first study program in Bosnia and Herzegovina has embarked on the path to excellence and continuous modernization, which is a courageous act and justification of the resilience. USAID Turizam is proud to have supported the very first achievement of its type. Therefore, it will continue to provide assistance to further relevant universities. Currently, two additional universities are receiving technical assistance to become TedQual-accredited institution, and hopefully this process will be successfully accomplished.
