Is There any Place for Yugoslav Memorials in the Current Serbian Tourist Offer?

Abstract

Cultural tourism is a very important tourism segment, which has been recording constant growth. The core of cultural tourism is a willingness to become familiar with other nations, cultures, and customs. Visiting monuments and memorials are the most common way to learn about foreign history and art. The monuments built during the existence of the Social Federative Republic of Yugoslavia represent prominent heritage, but also unique artistic achievements in European architecture from XX century. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the heritage from the mentioned period, to compare the current state with the “golden” Yugoslav period and to propose strategies for the future tourism development. During the Yugoslav period, these monuments and memorials had commemorative, educative, and propaganda purpose. The major memorials were visited yearly by millions of people, so they also became important tourist attractions. After the disintegration of SFR Yugoslavia, these monuments were forgotten and neglected due to new political order. They became an unwanted legacy unknown for the visitors out of the territory of the former state union. Observing the global tourism demand, these memorials could be valorized through several forms of tourist activities (thematic routes, dark tourism, events, etc.). Furthermore, the transnational cooperation with the former Yugoslav republics could enable creating regional tours, which would be recognizable at the international level.