{"id":92212,"date":"2024-12-05T10:18:38","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T10:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/odrzivi-razvoj-katuna-cuvanje-tradicije-za-buducnost\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T10:28:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:28:16","slug":"sustainable-development-of-katuns-preserving-tradition-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/sustainable-development-of-katuns-preserving-tradition-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable Development of Katuns: Preserving Tradition for the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"3\">During the recently held <b data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"25\">Tourism Think Tank<\/b>, Jelena Kriv\u010devi\u0107 (RRA BKP) and Klaus Ehrlich (Ruraltour) shared key insights into the future of rural tourism in northern Montenegro, with a special focus on the mountain katuns of the Bjelasica, Komovi, and Prokletije regions.<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"4\">Katuns \u2013 The Heart of Montenegrin Identity<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"5\">Katuns are not merely a tourist attraction; they are the core of our people\u2019s tradition, culture, and identity. However, research data from RRA BKP indicates an alarming trend:<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"6\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"6,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Historical data:<\/b> Previously, there were over <b data-path-to-node=\"6,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"45\">1,200 active katuns<\/b> in these regions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"6,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Current state:<\/b> Today, only about <b data-path-to-node=\"6,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"33\">400 katuns<\/b> remain active.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\">This decline reflects decades of depopulation, but tourism offers an opportunity for a turnaround. The goal is not to halt development, but to ensure <b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"150\">careful and thoughtful progress<\/b> that preserves key values while providing modern comfort for the people living and working in the katuns.<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"8\">Authenticity as the Greatest Advantage<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"9\">In the international tourism market, the Balkans are positioned through adventure, untouched nature, and living traditions. Our advantage is that we do not have to &#8220;invent&#8221; attractions \u2013 it is enough to stop destroying what we already have.<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"10\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"10,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Against &#8220;Disneyfication&#8221;:<\/b> Rural tourism must not become a &#8220;Heidi installation&#8221; or an artificial theme park. It must remain real, accessible, and authentic.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"10,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Ecological balance:<\/b> Mountain agriculture plays a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystems, preventing natural disasters such as erosion and the reforestation of pastures.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"11\">Future and Year-Round Tourism<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12\">Although the climate crisis is felt even in our mountains, the potential for development remains significant.<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"13\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Winter tourism:<\/b> Instead of focusing exclusively on large infrastructure and ski centers, the solution lies in developing models like <b data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"133\">backcountry skiing<\/b> (ski touring), which requires minimal intervention in the landscape.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"13,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">The village as a starting point:<\/b> The development of the tourist offer should begin from mountain villages that are more easily accessible, gradually integrating katuns into an offer that lasts throughout the year.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"14\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"15\">Our vision is a Montenegro that leads in Europe precisely because it has managed to preserve its original values. Tourism in katuns is a model of truly sustainable development that brings income to the local population and offers visitors an unforgettable experience of &#8220;traveling back in time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jelena Krivcevic and Klaus Ehrlich: Sustainable Development of Katuns\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kOlI_TEEu_4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During the recently held Tourism Think Tank, Jelena Kriv\u010devi\u0107 (RRA BKP) and Klaus Ehrlich (Ruraltour) shared key insights into the future of rural tourism in northern Montenegro, with a special focus on the mountain katuns of the Bjelasica, Komovi, and Prokletije regions. Katuns \u2013 The Heart of Montenegrin Identity Katuns are not merely a tourist&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[156],"tags":[217],"class_list":["post-92212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media","tag-jelena-krivcevic-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92212"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93199,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92212\/revisions\/93199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}