The Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management has renewed the UN Tourism TedQual certificate for the period from 2025 to 2029, thus confirming the long-term continuity of high quality studies Business Economics in Tourism and Hospitality, as well as significant integration into the destination environment. The study is taking place in Opatija, where the Faculty has been operating for over 60 years, but also in the Study Centre Zabok where the Faculty is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The Faculty has been the proud holder of the UN Tourism TedQual certificate since 2020, which proves its recognition and continuity in higher education and tourism development worldwide.
Dean of the Faculty Prof Marko Perić, PhD, proudly points out: “The UN Tourism TedQual certificate for the period from 2025 to 2029 is a confirmation of our continuous work and the high quality of our education not only in the undergraduate study programme Business Economics in Tourism and Hospitality, but also of our activities with all stakeholders in the Kvarner region and Croatia. We thank first and foremost our students from undergraduate to doctoral studies who have recognized the Faculty as a centre of excellence, and then all stakeholders and partners who recognize the Faculty as an important player in the development of tourism, hospitality and sustainable development of the Republic of Croatia. This certificate is also a commitment to further improve our studies and develop partnerships with stakeholders from the business environment.”
From 2 to 6 December 2024, auditors from the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism, formerly UN WTO) visited the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management and assessed not only the quality of the programme of the higher education institution, but also the integration into the wider destination environment, its connection with stakeholders and its visibility and importance for tourism development today and in the future. The UN Tourism TedQual delegation consisted of representatives from UN Tourism – George Ubbelohde, Edith Szias, and Pay Facio, accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and tourism higher education development consultants from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
The Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management is the holder of the UN Tourism TedQual quality certificate for all courses of undergraduate studies Business Economics in Tourism and Hospitality: Tourism Management, Hospitality Management and Hospitality Management (study in English). The Faculty is an example of good practice and the first institution to undergo the innovative approach of the UN Tourism – TedQual Academy quality assessment, while also serving as a training centre for future World Tourism Organization auditors.
Within five days, the Faculty representatives gave the UN Tourism delegation a real “Kvarner effect” and familiarised them with the contents of Opatija and Kvarner. They also visited all the key stakeholders in the region with whom the Faculty continuously cooperates in order to get a complete impression of the approach to tourism development in the Republic of Croatia, which is based on the joint work of all groups of stakeholders in the destination. The City of Opatija, Tourist Board of the City of Opatija, Tourist Board Kvarner, Rectorate of the University of Rijeka, Croatian Museum of Tourism, Hilton Costabella Beach Resort & Spa, Boutique & Design Hotel Navis and Hotel Kvarner are just some of the indispensable partners of the Faculty in the education of personnel in the fields of tourism, hospitality and sustainable development, on the basis of which the Faculty continues to be a leader in higher education, scientific and professional research in these fields.
