Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
issues of gender and tourism in the Balkans are
yet to be fully explored. Family businesses and
properties are inherited down the male line:
when women marry it is generally expected that
they will move into their husbands' houses. In
such a living space the extended family makes
rules and creates certain expectations of what is
the proper behaviour of 'a good wife, mother
and daughter-in-law'.
In a masculine culture where many domes-
ticated responsibilities are considered to be
beneath male dignity, activities such as making
beds and cooking for guests are traditionally
regarded as a 'natural' extension of women's
domestic role. In contrast, their husbands main-
tain financial control and the male role generally
involves the broader orientation of the business
based around male social networks, and any
technical and maintenance requirements.
As well as local and personal politics the
structure of the industry and economy is very
much enmeshed in the wider dynamics of party
politics. During the socialist era membership of
the Communist Party would secure power for
individuals and, similarly, the significance of the
Nationalist Party during the 1990s prevailed. It
should be noted that despite the oscillations of
politics, the relationships and often the roles of
individuals within political structures have
remained relatively consistent. The widespread
practice of
mito
(
baksheesh
) represents a trans-
parent form of 'taxation' involving favours and
preferential treatment not only for services, but
for all facets of social, political and economic
interactions, such as securing a job or a child-
care place. These forms of exchange are based
on personal economies and social networks,
usually formed around extended family rela-
tions, geographic and ethnic connections. The
social skills and resourcefulness required for
economic survival in this environment are a key
characteristic of the cultural context of entrepre-
neurship, and is not only apparent in political
dealings but prevail in most managerial and
operational activities. The nature of current
product diversification in tourism, for example,
reflects socio-cultural resourcefulness, since
local entrepreneurs generally remain uncon-
vinced about the value of state assistance and
support. In this context, increasingly rigorous
government regulation, privatization and the
shift towards EU and the Western systems of
free trade, taxation, formalized relationships
and transparency are widely perceived as a
potential threat, an economic 'other'.
Conclusion
The description and interpretation of Croatian
tourism and its entrepreneurial characteristics
over the last 45 years reveals a complex web of
structural and social/agency elements, which
condition and shape the nature of the industry.
On the basis of the descriptive account of eco-
nomic indicators in the first part we could easily
conclude that EU regulations and the conformity
necessary for accessing the enlarged European
Community are bringing positive changes to
Croatian tourism. Emerging product and spatial
diversification suggest that Croatia is at the
turning point of its tourism development. Yet, we
also illustrate the role of local culture as the prin-
ciple regulator of the economic, which simulta-
neously reveals elements and practices in which
the cultural manifests as materialization of the
economic (see Crang and Malbon, 1996). The
cultural context described here through the use
of insider perspectives reveals a rationality
through which social structures, politics and
economy are maintained and advanced despite
the last decade of political instability, upheaval
and war. Horvat (1999) identifies the Croatian
entrepreneurial culture as suffering from
post-war stress, yet it is still grounded in tradi-
tional values and orientations to family and
community networks. She suggests that culturally
specific attitudes to work and lifestyle provide
stability, while at the same time providing initia-
tive and motivation for entrepreneurs at the local
level. So, when speaking about the implications
of the potential access of Croatia to the EU it
becomes clear that political and socio-cultural
elements represent key ingredients which can
explain the speculations of how well (or not)
Croatia will conform to the 'EU embrace'. The
fact that the delivery of the claimed war criminal
General Gotovina (locally a hero) to the Hague
tribunal jeopardized inauguration of EU acces-
sion
negotiations,
derives
from
an
intricate
geo-political history
entangled with issues of
tradition and identity.
We have tried to reflect how social and
cultural identity has been perpetuated in its
