Potential of Kalemegdan complex as a tourist attraction of Belgrade

Abstract

As the site of tumultuous cultural and historic events, Belgrade is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region visited by a growing number of both national and international tourists. Kalemegdan complex, which is, as a rule, an indispensable point of tourist visits, holds a special place among tourist attractions of the city. At the same time, there is a general opinion that Kalemegdan is also the most important element of the overall attraction potential for tourism development in Belgrade, which is otherwise relatively modest compared to other European capitals. In this paper, an attempt has been made to assess the tourist value of Kalemegdan by using the combined qualitative and quantitative method. In contrast to the usual surveys of international tourists whose views do not necessarily reflect the 'attractiveness' and even less the fair value of attraction, the authors have opted for expert opinion in several profiles relevant to the case study. Tourism experts, travel guides, landscape architects, architects and environmentalists assessed the value of Kalemegdan as a tourist attraction, expressed through several distinctive indicators. Average values for each set of indicators, obtained by combining these marks, have led to the conclusion that the Kalemegdan Park with Belgrade Fortress has a relatively high tourism value in the level of national importance. The research has also showed the need for additional activities aimed at improving presentation and interpretation of the Belgrade's famous tourist attractions.

Keywords

• Kalemegdan
• Belgrade fortress
• tourism
• cultural heritage