Short biography:

Date and place of birth: October 6, 1993., Loznica

Graduated in 2016, and completed postgraduate (master’s) studies in 2018 at the Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad. Earned the PhD title in Geosciences (Tourism) in 2023 by defending a doctoral dissertation titled: “The possibility of applying the concept of slow tourism and creating a unique tourist product based on residents’ attitudes in the Western Serbia region”.

Contact:

Email: tamaraabozovic@gmail.com i tamara.bozovic@dgt.uns.ac.rs

Field of scientific research:

• Sustainable tourism and rural development
• The concept of slow tourism
• Community-based tourism
• The role of local population in tourism development
• Cultural tourism

Work positions:

• 2022. Research Assistant at Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad.
• 2026. Research Associate at Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad.

Scholarships

• Scholarship holder of Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation (2024), Breda University of Applied Sciences, Breda, Netherlands

Projects

• COST Action CA18110 Underground Built Heritage as a Catalyser for Community Valorisation
• Tourism valorisation of the natural and cultural heritage of Vojvodina “142-451-2655/2021-01/2”, funded by the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Project leader: Prof. Dr. Nemanja Tomić

Selected references:

1. Surla, T., Lunić, D., Pivac, T. (2023). Principles of Slow Food Movement as a driver of rural tourism areas development in Serbia. In book: Evolving the Perspectives on the Value of Gastronomy for Mediterranean Destination Development – Tourism Studies on the Mediterranean Region 3 (pp. 131-145). Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 978-88-386-1181-0
2. Surla, T. (2024). Koncept sporog turizma—studija slučaja Zapadna Srbija. Novi Sad: Prirodno-matematički fakultet, Departman za geografiju, turizam i hotelijerstvo, 1–136. ISBN: 978-86-7031-658-4. (na srpskom, original na ćirilici)
3. Mitas, O., Surla, T., Farkic, J., Wielenga, B., Ward, P., & Kokkinou, A. (2026). Putting Emotion on the Map: Comparing Methods at Fort Tourism Events. Tourism and Hospitality, 7(4), 98. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp7040098
4. Mitas, O., Surla, T., Wielenga, B., Farkić, J., Ward, P., Kokkinou, A., … & Bajić, M. (2025). Where is Emotion? Comparing Emotion Mapping Technologies. In 38th Bled eConference: Empowering Transformation: Shaping Digital Futures for All.. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fov.4.2025.5
5. Surla, T., Pivac, T. & Petrović, M.D. (2025). Let the voice of residents’ be heard. Factors determining support for tourism development in Western Serbia. DETUROPE-The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism, 16(2), 80-100. https://doi.org/10.32725/det.2024.021
6. Surla, T., Pivac, T., & Petrović, M. D. (2025). Local perspectives on tourism development in Western Serbia: Exploring the potential for community-based tourism. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(1), 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6010048
7. Lunić, D., Surla, T., Pivac, T., & Micera, R. (2024). Tenets of the Slow food movement as motivation for tourists to visit rural tourist households in Serbia. Teme, 207-221. https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME230619011L
8. Surla, T., Farkić, J., Pivac, T., & Petrović, M. D. (2024). Rediscovering connection: The role of slow hospitality in rural tourism. International Conference “Contemporary Trends in Tourism and Hospitality – CTTH”, Novi Sad (Serbia). 42-43. ISBN: 978-86-7031-694-2
9. Božović, T., Blešić, I., Nedeljković-Knežević, M., Đeri, L., & Pivac, T. (2021). Resilience of tourism employees to changes caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the Geographical Institute” Jovan Cvijic”, SASA, 71(2), 181-194. https://doi.org/10.2298/IJGI2102181B
10. Božović, T., Vujičić, M. D., Kovačić, S., Jovanović, T., & Pivac, T. (2022). Tourist motivation for slow travel: A case study of the Vojvodina Region, Serbia. Acta geographica Slovenica, 62(3), 33-45. https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS.10583
11. Dragin, A. S., Surla, T., Ladičorbić, M. M., Jovanović, T., Zadel, Z., Nedeljković-Knežević, M., … & Vasić, Ž. (2024). Exploring the link between openness and entrepreneurial capacity in young people: Building resilient and sustainable rural territories. Land, 13(11), 1827. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111827
12. Mijatov Ladičorbić, M., Dragin, A. S., Surla, T., Tešin, A., Amezcua-Ogáyar, J. M., Calahorro-López, A., … & Anđelković, Ž. (2024). Towards Healthy and Sustainable Human Settlement: Understanding How Local Communities Perceive and Engage with Spa Tourism Development Initiatives in Rural Areas. Land, 13(11), 1817. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111817