The President of the Croatian Tourist Guides Association, Mislav Kolak, revealed to students how guides shape the experience of a destination – A guide is more than an informant, he is the guardian of the destination’s identity

Yesterday, as part of regular professional lectures, an extremely interesting presentation was held at the “Nikola Tesla” Polytechnic in Gospić by Mislav Kolak, a member of the Polytechnic’s Advisory Council and current head of the umbrella organization that brings together tourist guide associations across Croatia, owner of the Laudon Travel agency, and an experienced licensed tourist guide with domestic and international experience.

The topic of the lecture was “Tourist Guide in Creating the Image of a Tourist Destination“, withhe Role of a T a special focus on the importance of the guide in the overall tourist experience and the influence that guides have on tourists’ perception of a destination. Kolak pointed out that a guide is not just a source of information, but a person who shapes the emotions, impression and attitude of visitors about a destination.

“A tourist guide is a visitor’s first contact with the local story, culture and identity – it shapes the perception, experience and, ultimately, the image of the destination itself,” emphasized Kolak.

In addition to the educational part, the lecture also had a strong entrepreneurial component. Kolak introduced the students to the business opportunities that are opening up in the field of tourist guiding, especially in the context of Lika-Senj County, as only Novalja and Plitvice Lakes currently have a sufficient number of active tourist guides, while other parts of the county are insufficiently covered in this segment.

This represents a significant opportunity for students considering independent business ventures in tourism, as it demonstrates a real need for qualified guides who know the locality and can offer personalized tours.

As a long-time guide and entrepreneur, Kolak shared first-hand experiences from the field – from leading tours in Lika and Croatia to international destinations – highlighting the advantages, challenges, but also the exceptional satisfaction that this job brings.

The students were extremely interested in the lecture, and many rated it as one of the most useful so far, precisely because of the direct applicability of the knowledge and the inspiring example of the lecturer.

Such lectures further confirm the importance of including experts from practice in the educational process, and the Nikola Tesla Polytechnic has once again proven itself to be a relevant platform for connecting knowledge and the real labor market in tourism.