SITCON 2017 SITCON 2017 RELIGIOUS TOURISM AND THE CONTEMPORARY TOURISM MARKET ВЕРСКИ ТУРИЗАМ И САВРЕМЕНО ТУРИСТИЧКО ТРЖИШТЕ 169 Nikica Radović 1 , Marina Savković 1 , Nataša Stanišić 1 , Dragan Vukić 2 1 Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia 2 PA Dobročinstvo Correspondence: Nikica Radović e-mail: nradovic@singidunum.ac.rs SPECIFICS OF EMPLOYEE COMPETENCIES IN RELIGIOUS TOURISM SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT / СПЕЦИФИЧНИ АСПЕКТИ РАЗВОЈА ВЕРСКОГ ТУРИЗМА Abstract: Employee competencies are the key to success in all economic activities, par- ticularly in the service sector. Numerous studies of elements and models of employee competency in different sectors, including the tourism sector, sup- port this conclusion. However, little attention has been directed to the specific competencies of employees working in specialised forms of tourism, i.e. the so-called thematic tourism, including religious tourism. In this paper, we at- tempt to highlight these specificities and propose an employee competency model in the field of religious tourism. The developed framework may serve as a starting point for further research. Likewise, the proposed solution may become an integral element of policies in the field of promotion and develop- ment of religious tourism in Serbia and abroad. Keywords: employee competencies, religious tourism. Sitcon 2017 www.sitcon.singidunum.ac.rs DOI: 10.15308/Sitcon-2017-169-173 INTRODUCTION Te development and trends in the international tourism market are predominantly based on mass tourism forms, i.e. the most common types of tourism, the tourism of “sun and sea”. However, the circumstances and interests of tourists in the tourism market have been gradually changing, becoming increasingly more focused on frequent and shorter tours based on alternative concepts. Tese tours are based on diferent requirements and interests of tourists, as well as specifc activities and topics, thus con- stituting a new type of tourism, the so-called thematic tourism. According to Jovanović (2015), these changes are caused by diferent ways of life and work, and as a result, the concept of vacation and total tourism has been changing and adapting to the specifc interests of tourists. Te special interest tourism has been defned by Rabotić (2012) as a form of tourism that includes users of tourism services whose travel choices are driven by specifc motivations and whose level of satisfaction determines the overall travelling experience. Te thematic tourism trends include: health (medical) tourism, ur- ban tourism, business tourism, spa tourism, rural tourism, eco-tourism, nautical tourism, sport tourism, educational tourism, cultural tourism and religious tourism. Te main objective of this paper is to analyse the bases for the development of religious tourism through the development