IN MEMORIAM OF UP HONORARY DOCTOR, JANEZ PERGAR
Yesterday, in Ljubljana, Janez Pergar passed away. He was a prominent Slovenian expert in the field of travel and tourism, a long-time lecturer at the Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica in Portorož, and in 2005 became an Honorary Doctor of the University of Primorska.
Janez Pergar was born on 25 May 1942 in Ljubljana, where he studied and graduated from the Faculty of Economics. From 1963 and for most of his career thereafter, he worked for the tourist company Kompas, for 20 years as Chairman of the Board. His outstanding professional activity in the field of organised travel was visible both in the national and international environment. He served in the leadership of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was co-founder and first President of the Association of Travel Agencies of Slovenia, headed the World Association of Travel Agencies (WATA), was an active member of the International Federation of Tour Operators (IFTO), Honorary Consul of the Republic of South Africa in Slovenia, and President of the Slovenian-Swedish Association.
Janez Pergar's contribution to the development of the Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica is exceptional and dates back to 1993, when as an initiator and then co-founder he participated in the establishment of the then College of Hospitality and Tourism Management in Portorož. As a member of the first Turistica academic council, he made a key contribution to the conception of an integrated approach to higher education in tourism, which has become a reference in the field of travel in Slovenia and in the wider European area. In this respect, his efforts to establish the first Slovenian tourism faculty in Portorož, the most developed Slovenian municipality in terms of tourism, in the "living lab of international tourism", cannot be ignored. After almost two decades, Janez Pergar's rich expertise, international ambition and ability to build cooperative relationships are the legacy that he has entrusted to his younger colleagues in the faculty's governing bodies and to many of its graduates, who are now well-established tourism professionals.
For his efforts in raising the quality of European higher education, especially for the suggested solutions in knowledge transfer and increasing the employability of graduates in the case of UP FTŠ Turistica, Janez Pergar received the highest university award - an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Primorska.
Mr Pergar was not only an excellent mentor, lecturer and colleague, he was also a founder, international promoter and a wholehearted supporter of Turistica until the end. And he was truly a respected person - with his politeness, responsibility, perseverance and knowledge, he encouraged his students and colleagues to become true tourism professionals.
Janez Pergar left an indelible mark on tourism and at Turistica, which we will respectfully maintain in our teaching work and memory.
The e-Book of Mourning is available below and can be signed in person at the premises of UP FTŠ Turistica.
ELECTRONIC BOOK OF MOURNING FOR JANEZ PERGAR
