No abstract

One of the key factors for success of sustainable tourism industry in all areas, including rural, is the support of community members. The paper aims to analyze how rural residents’ perceptions of sustainable tourism development (expressed through economic, social, environmental, and physical benefits) can affect residents’ intentions to support tourism. The second aim was to determine if attachment to the particular community and perceived quality of life can have influence on attitudes towards sustainable development of tourism in rural communities. Using a sample of 881 residents living in rural areas of the Republic of Serbia, the results highlighted that perceived values of tourism were important for evaluating how tourism is developed, if it is sustainable for a community, and how it affects quality of residents’ life. The study provided better understanding of factors that can have impact on residents’ attitudes in relation to tourism and highlighted the importance of paying attention to local community as significant player for tourism development, especially in those regions that want to boost its economy by developing sustainable tourism.

The research involved a comparison of two case studies dealing with the perceptions of the local population to tourism. The effects and the control of tourism development were analyzed, as well as the availability of information on sustainable tourism and impact on the community in two national parks (NPs) in Serbia. The survey method was applied on a sample of 227 (NP Đerdap) and 210 (NP Tara) respondents. The survey results identified the strong positive perception of the presence of tourists among the two categories of respondents and also certain differences regarding economic benefits of tourism. Research also recognized a poor impact of tourism on the local community in terms of their knowledge and personal involvement. Education and employment in tourism industry were found to be strong factors affecting the residents’ perceptions. Some independent variables significantly predicted the level of local population’s support for tourism in both national parks (tourism impact on job creation, tourism impact on fostering a local culture, etc.). This comparative analysis provides inputs for directing future tourism programmes and devising a development policies adjusted to the needs of the local community.

No abstract

This paper gives an overview of the quality of tourism service in rural areas of the South Bačka District, one of the most economically developed parts of Serbia. The main objective of the research is to determine the correlation between the expected and perceived values of the quality of service by collecting and processing data. The modified SERVQUAL questionnaire was applied in the study, and all obtained data were analyzed in the SPSS software 23.00. As a result of the survey, it was found that tourists had significantly higher expectations than perceived service. The results obtained can serve for broader thematic research and contribute to the definition of appropriate corrective actions to improve the quality of tourism services in the selected rural area. Moreover, these are the key propositions to start an initiative for the improvement of tourism services in any undeveloped rural setting with a tourism offer. The results provide tourism organizers and local authorities with important visitors’ perpceptions pertaining to the quality of rural tourism service.