ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

PhD Sanja Kovačić

sanja.bozic@dgt.uns.ac.rs

Short biography:

Date and place of birth: July 3, 1989, Novi Sad. Graduated in 2012, and completed postgraduate (master’s) studies in 2013 at the Department of Geography, Tourism, and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad. Earned the PhD title in Geosciences (Tourism) in 2016 by defending a doctoral dissertation titled: “The Influence of Tourists’ Personality on Destination Brand and Tourist Behavior: A Case Study of the Cultural Route Site.”

Contact:

Phone: +381 21 485 2843
Email: sanja.bozic@dgt.uns.ac.rs / sanja.bozic.89@gmail.com
Consultations: Monday 9-10h, Friday 9-10h, office No. 8.

Work positions:

  • Doctoral student engaged in teaching (2013-2017)
  • Research associate (2016-2017)
  • Assistant Professor (2017-2022)
  • Associate Professor since 2022.

Area of expertise:

  • Psychology in Tourism
  • Destination Branding in Tourism
  • Marketing in Tourism
  • Cultural Tourism and Cultural Heritage
  • Application of Statistical-Mathematical Methods in Tourism

Subjects:

Bachelor:

  • Psychology in Tourism
  • Transportation in Tourism
  • Culture and Communication in Tourism
  • Cultural Assets in Tourism

Master:

  • Product Development and Branding Strategies
  • Intercultural Communication
  • Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Cultural Tourism
  • Marketing Research in Tourism
  • Factors in the Development of Urban Tourism
  • Management of Cultural Events

PhD:

  • Decision-making process in tourism
  • Advanced qualitative and quantitative methods in tourism

Foreign languages:

  • English, Russian, Spanish

Awards and scholarships:

  • Award for the best young scientist in 2019
  • Award for the best student of the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in the academic year 2012/2013.
  • Exceptional award of the University of Novi Sad for achievement (10.00) in the 2009/2010, 2010/2011, and 2011/2012 school years.
  • Scholarship holder of the Fund for Young Talents of the Government of the Republic of Serbia (Ministry of Youth and Sports) in 2010/2011 and 2012/2013
  • Scholarship holder of the Fund for Scholarships for Gifted Students of the University of Novi Sad in 2011/2012.
  • Scholarship holder of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (2013-2016)

Projects:

  • Project manager: Adaptation and promotion of the content of cultural institutions in Vojvodina to sensitive social groups, project financed by the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development of Vojvodina, 2022.
  • SMARTOUR – SMART Tourism Skills Initiative, ERASMUS KA2 – Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, from 2022
  • Competitiveness of the tourist destination—evaluation model for Serbia—TOURCOMSERBIA, Project number 7739076, Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia.
  • From 2019, ERASMUS+ KA2 Strategic Partnership for Sector Youth, “Digitisation and Culture for new generations (DiCultYouth)”, 2018-2-CY02-KA205-001362
  • Since 2016 – Erasmus + K2, Strengthening capacity for changes in tourism in the Western Balkans, Building competences for managing the quality of cultural heritage and cultural tourism (CULTURWB)
  • Ethnic groups in Vojvodina in the 21st century, current state and perspectives of sustainability No. 114-451-2539/2016-02 115/5000, financed by the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development of Vojvodina, Serbia.
  • Intergenerational connection and solidarity as a population measure in the sustainable development of Vojvodina, No.142-451-2795/2018-01, financed by the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development of Vojvodina, Serbia.
  • Transformation of geospace in Serbia – past, contemporary problems and proposed solutions. Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Project number: 176020.

Selected references:

  1. Kovačić, S., Cimbaljević, M., Tretyakova, T. N., Syromiatnikova, Y. A., García Henche, B., Petrović, M. D., … & Gajić, T. (2023). How Has COVID-19 Changed the Way We Travel? Exploring Tourist Personality, Reactions to the Perceived Risk and Change in Travel Behavior. Sustainability, 15(3), 1951
  2. Kovačić, S., Pivac, T., Akkar Ercan, M., Kimic, K., Ivanova-Radovanova, P., Gorica, K., & Tolica, E. K. (2023). Exploring the Image, Perceived Authenticity, and Perceived Value of Underground Built Heritage (UBH) and Its Role in Motivation to Visit: A Case Study of Five Different Countries. Sustainability, 15(15), 11696.
  3. Kovačić, S., Jovanović, T., Vujičić, M. D., Morrison, A. M., & Kennell, J. (2022). What shapes activity preferences? The role of tourist personality, destination personality and destination image: evidence from Serbia. Sustainability, 14(3), 1803.
  4. Kovačić, S., Knežević, M. N., & Jovanović, T. (2021). The effect of employees’ personality on customer focus in the hotel industry: the role of work motivation–Personality, customer focus and motivation in the hotel industry. JEEMS Journal of East European Management Studies, 26(2), 243-274.
  5. Tešin A., Kovačić S., Obradović S. (2023). The experience I will remember: the role of tourist personality, motivation, and destination personality. Journal of Vacation Marketing
  6. Mărgărint, M. C., Kovačić, S., Albulescu, A. C., & Miljković, Đ. (2023). Natural multi-hazard risk perception and educational insights among Geography and Tourism students and graduates amid the Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 86, 103549.
  7. Vujičić, M. D., Stankov, U., Pavluković, V., Štajner-Papuga, I., Kovačić, S., Čikić, J., … & Zelenović Vasiljević, T. (2023). Prepare for Impact! A Methodological Approach for Comprehensive Impact Evaluation of European Capital of Culture: The Case of Novi Sad 2022. Social Indicators Research, 165(2), 715-736.
  8. Kovačić, S., Jovanović, T., & Dinić, B. M. (2020). Development and validation of a new measure of travel destination personality. Psihologija, 53(1), 65-85.
  9. Kovačić, S., Jovanović, T, Miljković, D., Lukić, T., Marković, S.B., Vasiljević, D.A., Vujičić, M.D., Ivkov, M. (2019). Are Serbian tourists worried? The effect of psychological factors on tourists’ behavior based on the perceived risk. Open Geosciences, 11/1, 273-287.
  10. Ivkov, M., Blešić, I., Janićević, S., Kovačić S., Miljković Đ., Lukić T., Sakulski D. (2019). Natural Disasters vs Hotel Industry Resilience: An Exploratory Study among Hotel Managers from Europe. Open Geosciences, 11(1), pp. 378-390.
  11. Jovanović, T., Božić, S., Bodroža, B., & Stankov, U. (2019). Influence of users’ psychosocial traits on Facebook travel–related behavior patterns. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 25(2), 252-263.
  12. Božić, S., Jovanović, T., Tomić, N., Vasiljević, D.A. (2017). An analytical scale for domestic tourism motivation and constraints at multi-attraction destinations: The case study of Serbia’s Lower and Middle Danube region. Tourism Management Perspectives 23, 97-111.
  13. Ivkov, M., Božić, S., & Blešić, I. (2019). The effect of service staff’s verbalized hospitality towards group diner’s additional purchases and tipping behaviour. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 19(1), 82-94.
  14. Vasiljević, D.A., Vujičić, M.D., Božić, S., Jovanović, T., Marković, S.B., Basarin, B., Lukić, T., Carkadcić, J. (2018) Trying to underline geotourist profile of National park visitors: Case study of NP Fruška Gora, Serbia (Typology of potential geotourists at NP Fruška Gora). Open Geosciences 10/1, 222-233.
  15. Miljković, D., Božić, S., Miljković, L., Marković, S.B., Lukić, T., Jovanović, M., Bjelajac, D., Vasiljevć, D.A., Vujičić, M.D., Ristanović, B. (2018) Geosite Assessment Using Three Different Methods; A Comparative Study of the Krupaja and the Žagubica Springs-Hydrological Heritage of Serbia. Open Geosciences 10/1, 192-208.