Marko D. Petrović

“Urban geosites” as an alternative geotourism destination - evidence from Belgrade

Abstract The research aimed at testing the combination of GAM/M-GAM models (Geosite Assessment Model/Modified Geosite Assessment Model) on selected geoheritage sites (geosites) of great scientific significance and geotourism potential. Testing was done on eight sites in the City of Belgrade (Serbian capital), an area which has significant potential for geotourism development in typical urban conditions. For this purpose, an assessment scale was used to highlight differences and similarities between main and additional values of the observed geosites. The modification of the original GAM model is based on the inclusion of visitors’ opinions regarding the importance of indicators in the assessment process. The assessment was done by using both GAM/M-GAM and its results were analyzed and compared afterwards. The analysis has successfully identified locations and features of geosites that require action for maintaining or increasing their overall value and function. Moreover, the principal aim of the paper was to analyze the relevance of each sub-indicator for the assessment process by introducing the importance factor in the modified model. The authors were able to point out those values of principal importance for geosite visitors, as well as to attach a different relevance to sub-indicators, which can influence the position of the geosites in the GAM/M-GAM matrices.

AN EXAMINATION OF COMPETITIVENESS OF RURAL DESTINATIONS FROM THE SUPPLY SIDE PERSPECTIVE

Tourist destinations are now faced with increased competition at the market and holders of tourist policy and offers have realized that understanding the factors that contribute to a better positioning in the market place, and therefore the competitiveness, is of crucial importance for further development. The aim of this paper is to determine how much Vojvodina is competitive as a rural tourism destination, and to assess the current state of all the factors that affect/could affect the competitiveness of rural tourism destinations in Vojvodina Province (Northern Serbia). The total of 136 tourism experts were interviewed, and we concluded that the key resources and attraction of rural areas in Vojvodina are rated better than the macro and industry-related factors. This suggests that a rural development strategy should have a special bond with resources and attractions of the destination, that priority should be given to maintaining all aspects of safety and security, continuous improvement of services, diversity of culinary products, as well as the application of the principles of sustainability in environmental management. The work of national and provincial institutions should have the aim to ensure that the destination has a clear idea of where it is going and what it takes to become successful in the long term.

Land degradation analysis of mine-impacted zone of Kolubara in Serbia

This paper presents the effect of land-use changes on land degradation by utilization of remote sensing methods and the Gavrilović erosion potential method, due to surface mining activities in the period 2001–2011. Studied area includes the zone of influence of the Rudarski basen Kolubara, which covers the exploitation area of the Kolubara coal basin in the Republic of Serbia. The analysis is based on the processing of Landsat 5 satellite images from 2001 and 2011. In the analysis of satellite images, the supervised classification method was used. The results suggest that the observed spatial–temporal area is exposed to erosion as a result of land-use changes. Preliminary conclusion is that the dominant anthropogenic factor, responsible for changes in land use, is pronounced through the mining activity, industrialization, construction as well as agricultural activities. Very small changes in land use that occurred in the period 2001–2010 have led to relatively small amount of change from the aspect of land degradation. Also, due to the planned exploitation of the mine which included into account the sustainability of ecosystems, primarily through appropriate conservation measures, RB Kolubara is not in danger of a possible erosion processes that could undermine the stability of the basin.

An Overview of Agritourism Development in Serbia and European Union Countries

The paper presents the status and potential development of agritourism in Serbia and in some countries of the European Union. The authors have analyzed the villages where the agritourism is the most developed, providing an overview of the number of registered agritourism units and the number of beds in four tourist clusters (91 municipalities) in Serbia. At the European Union level, the authors represented the LEADER program, which aims to connect rural economy and development activities in rural areas in the EU Member States. The paper also deals with the basic data and characteristics of agritourism development in countries where this type of tourism is highly developed (United Kingdom, France, Benelux states, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Hungary).

Modelling of carrying capacity in National Park - Fruška Gora (Serbia) case study

Abstract Negative effects of tourism development in a destination are usually the consequence of the high concentration of tourists, accommodation facilities and the activities that are practiced in a relatively restricted area. One of the most important measures to protect the areas is to calculate the maximum number of tourists that can simultaneously reside in a region, i.e. the determination of the carrying capacity. This paper outlines a method for determining carrying capacity based on zoning of environmental resources and zoning within a region. The paper argues for a return to the idea of identifying maximum appropriate number of users. The main hypothesis of the paper is based on the statement that the development of tourism in Fruška Gora (Mountain) National Park in Northern Serbia must be in accordance with the basic principles of sustainability, including the determination of carrying capacity. The main research goal was to show the opinion of local residents about the uncontrolled development of tourism, and to determine the carrying capacity in four sports and recreational zones of the mountain. The carrying capacity of the area is calculated by Lavery and Stanev formulas.

THE EXAMINATION OF THE RESIDENTS’ ACTIVITIES AND DEDICATION TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY — AN AGRITOURISM ACCESS TO THE SUBJECT

The paper deals with conceptual guidelines, basic aspects and spatial frameworks of the development of agritourism. The holistic approach, in this regard, includes the integrated and the comprehensive aspects of tourist stays in the countryside. The authors define the impact of agritourism on rural surroundings and analyze the influence of spending leisure time outside urban areas and consuming agritourism activities. Understanding the many components of agritourism is essential for future planning, management, business decisions and strategies. For success in agritourism, knowledge is necessary in many economic fields, including organization, management and marketing, among others. In addition, this article emphasizes products and services in agritourism and provides insight into the facilities and opportunities that are offered to tourists in rural areas. The research findings represent a useful tool for obtaining information about many elements of agritourism development and can serve as a relevant instrument in travel industry research or in academic investigation.

Geography and environment: Analysis of indicators of sustainable development of tourism

National parks as the most complex category of protected resources are provided for the overall sustainable development, and coordination of geography, tourism and nature conservation is a basic development orientation of these areas in the future. In order to analyze the state of environment, but also the impact of tourism on nature, the method of indicators of sustainable development of tourism of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is applied in the paper in the case of the National Park Tara (Western Serbia). The study included analysis and evaluation of indicators related to the ecological value of the area and direct impact of tourism activity on the protection of nature.

Guest loyalty in hospitality industry

The continuous growth of competition in the hospitality sector has created the need to retain guests and prevent them from switching company due to better offer or saturation. Loyal customers are a valuable asset for catering companies, not only because of the awareness of the effects of customer loyalty. They tend to spread word-of-mouth advertising, more tolerant to price changes, as well as they casually create a linkage to their friends, relatives, colleagues, and other probable consumers and thus enable businesses to uphold a guests base. By recognizing loyalty guests importance, the global hospitality industry created monetary and non-monetary rewards for loyal visitors, delayed gratification (points collection) and immediate rewards, as well as numerous other reward systems that try to keep them. To win customer loyalty, together with all benefits arising from it, caterers need to become familiar with factors, which determine guests loyalty. The paper will show the results of research regarding the impact of the service quality and guests satisfaction to their loyalty. Many authors have confirmed that employees satisfaction affected customers satisfaction, so this paper will give an answer does it influence on customers loyalty as well.

Why Should Internet Utilization in Travel Industry Really Matter? Case of Serbia

uf020 Abstract—In todays world, leisure time is supposed to be a happy, satisfactory time when one fulfills their needs. Traveling is an especially significant aspect of leisure time. The aim of this study is to identify the basic ways of spending leisure time of Serbian residents, with a focus on their traveling habits, on a sample of 257 respondents. The task of the study is to examine the level of Internet utilization when inquiring about tourist destination, tourist organizations and accommodation capacities and to determine the significance of Internet in making decisions when traveling. The research results have shown that lack of funds is the limiting factor in satisfying the need for traveling for Serbian residents. The Republic of Serbia is a country rich with natural and anthropogenic resources and tourism development in Serbia would enhance spending leisure time and satisfying peoples needs to travel. Considering the research results which show that Internet content and the tourist, travel organizers and accommodation capacity offer affect choosing a specific tourist offer. In order to advertise its tourism in the future, The Republic of Serbia should improve its offer by using the advantages of the information technology, primarily Internet. Index Terms—Internet, leisure time, Serbia, travel habits. Serbia? Since the official advent of Internet in Serbia in 1996, the number of Internet users increases every day. According to data from the Statistical office from 2010, 41.2% households in Serbia in connected to Internet, and 44.4% have users have used Internet during last year, and 31% of households use Internet every day. With the expansion of Internet utilization in Serbia, there has been an increase in the significance of Internet for the purpose of tourism, which would provide access to useful and current tourist information and facilitate it to them. The study will determine o what extent Serbian residents use Internet when choosing travel destinations or assessing the quality of the tourist product and services.