Nagovor dekana ob novem študijskem letu

Dear students, dear colleagues,

A new academic year marks a new beginning, bringing new knowledge, experiences, connections, as well as new challenges and opportunities. I would especially like to extend a warm welcome to all of you who are entering Turistica for the first time this year. You have chosen to study a field whose importance today is perhaps greater than we sometimes realise.

Tourism is one of the largest and most dynamic social and economic activities in the world. It connects people, cultures and countries, creates jobs and opportunities for development, while at the same time having a significant impact on places, the environment, mobility, local communities and quality of life. Tourism is therefore about much more than travel, hotels or destinations. It is a field where some of the most important challenges of the modern world converge: climate change, sustainable development, technological progress, demographic change, accessibility, safety, and the need to strike a balance between economic development and people’s quality of life.

Yet these challenges also present opportunities. Tourism has tremendous potential as a force for prevention and well-being. By enabling people to encounter other cultures, ways of life and perspectives on the world, we reduce the distance between people and foster understanding, tolerance and intercultural dialogue. By giving families and different generations opportunities to spend time together, we strengthen relationships and social bonds. By allowing individuals to step away from the pressures of everyday life, be physically active, connect with nature, rest and gain new experiences, we contribute to physical and mental well-being and a better quality of life.

When we travel, we discover how people elsewhere live and work, how they organise their cities, develop businesses, protect nature and use technology. We bring some of these ideas back to our own communities, and in this way tourism contributes to social and economic development. Societies that meet, communicate and understand one another better have greater opportunities for mutual understanding rather than conflict. Tourism, of course, cannot prevent wars on its own, but it can help create their opposite: connections, dialogue, trust and intercultural tolerance.

Tourism should therefore not be understood merely as an economic sector. It is also a space for social connection, prevention, health, development and peace. And this is precisely why the world needs highly skilled tourism professionals.

At Turistica, this is what we aim to prepare you for. Not simply for a particular profession, but to understand tourism in all its complexity. We want you to learn how to ask the right questions, critically assess change, connect different fields of knowledge and apply what you learn to find better solutions.

The opportunities available to our graduates therefore extend far beyond the traditional understanding of the tourism sector. We need people who know how to manage destinations and businesses, develop new products, use emerging technologies, lead sustainable development, conduct research, contribute to public policy, and understand the needs of visitors and, above all, the communities in which tourism takes place.

This is also why we continuously develop Turistica as a modern environment for study, research and engagement with professional practice. We enter the new academic year with the DOIT Centre, new activities within the Young Talents in Tourism initiative, new equipment for teaching and research, as well as a renewed identity for our facilities and lecture rooms. All these developments share the same goal: to create an environment where you can connect knowledge with experience, professional practice and the opportunities that await you in tourism.

Turistica is a community of students, teachers, researchers and professional staff. Its quality depends not only on its programmes and lecture rooms, but above all on the people who make it what it is. I therefore hope that in the new academic year we will continue to be an open, connected and inclusive academic community – one in which we know how to work together, listen to one another and seek good solutions together.

To all our students, I wish you every success in your studies, courage in facing new challenges, and enough curiosity to explore paths you may not yet know exist. To all my colleagues, thank you for the knowledge, energy and dedication with which you contribute to Turistica every day.

May the 2026/2027 academic year be successful, creative and filled with great stories.

Welcome to Turistica!