IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jtourh/v6y2025i1p48-d1613735.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Local Perspectives on Tourism Development in Western Serbia: Exploring the Potential for Community-Based Tourism

Author

Listed:
  • Tamara Surla

    (Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia)

  • Tatjana Pivac

    (Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia)

  • Marko D. Petrović

    (Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić”, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA), 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
    Department of Physical and Economic Geography, Faculty of Sciences, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, 010008 Astana, Kazakhstan)

Abstract

This study investigates the attitudes of local communities in Western Serbia toward tourism development, with a focus on the potential for implementing community-based tourism (CBT) as a sustainable model. CBT emphasizes local community involvement in tourism planning and benefits, fostering inclusivity and enhancing socio-economic well-being. By surveying 845 residents in Western Serbia, this research examines their perceptions of tourism’s social, environmental, and economic impacts, as well as their level of support for tourism growth and their sense of attachment to the community. Using statistical methods such as correlation, regression, and descriptive analysis with SPSS 23, this study identifies positive correlations between residents’ attitudes, support for tourism, and attachment to their communities. The findings reveal that local residents generally view tourism growth favorably, with a strong preference for economic benefits over social and environmental ones. Furthermore, community attachment plays a significant role in motivating residents to support future tourism initiatives. These insights suggest that aligning tourism development strategies with the residents’ priorities, particularly economic benefits and community attachment, is essential for promoting sustainable and harmonious tourism growth in Western Serbia. The research highlights the potential of CBT in fostering long-term socio-economic benefits for local communities while minimizing adverse impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Tamara Surla & Tatjana Pivac & Marko D. Petrović, 2025. "Local Perspectives on Tourism Development in Western Serbia: Exploring the Potential for Community-Based Tourism," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-19, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jtourh:v:6:y:2025:i:1:p:48-:d:1613735
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/1/48/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/1/48/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stylidis, Dimitrios & Biran, Avital & Sit, Jason & Szivas, Edith M., 2014. "Residents' support for tourism development: The role of residents' place image and perceived tourism impacts," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 260-274.
    2. Lee, Tsung Hung, 2013. "Influence analysis of community resident support for sustainable tourism development," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 37-46.
    3. Woo, Eunju & Kim, Hyelin & Uysal, Muzaffer, 2015. "Life satisfaction and support for tourism development," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 84-97.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Salvatore Bimonte & Antonella D’Agostino, 2021. "Tourism development and residents’ well-being: Comparing two seaside destinations in Italy," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(7), pages 1508-1525, November.
    2. Bimonte, Salvatore & Faralla, Valeria, 2016. "Does residents' perceived life satisfaction vary with tourist season? A two-step survey in a Mediterranean destination," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 199-208.
    3. María Ángeles Plaza-Mejía & Nuria Porras-Bueno & David Flores-Ruiz, 2020. "The Jungle of Support: What Do We Really Mean When We Say “Residents’ Support”?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-27, September.
    4. Khan Zaibunnisa & Masood Fazeelat & Khan Mubashir Ali, 2021. "Tourism Impact Dimensions, Residents’ Quality of Life and Support for Tourism in Hunza Valley, Pakistan," European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation, Sciendo, vol. 11(2), pages 195-209, December.
    5. Qian Chen & Fei Jiang & Yingzhi Guo & Raj Kush Shrestha & Qingchuo Zhang, 2025. "Community Attachment, Emotional Solidarity, and Sustainable Tourism Support: Evidence From Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 4492-4510, June.
    6. Lin, Zhibin & Chen, Ye & Filieri, Raffaele, 2017. "Resident-tourist value co-creation: The role of residents' perceived tourism impacts and life satisfaction," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 436-442.
    7. Shamsa Kanwal & Abdul Hameed Pitafi & Muhammad Yousaf Malik & Naseer Abbas Khan & Rao Muhammad Rashid, 2020. "Local Pakistani Citizens’ Benefits and Attitudes Toward China–Pakistan Economic Corridor Projects," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(3), pages 21582440209, July.
    8. Jaffar Aman & Jaffar Abbas & Shahid Mahmood & Mohammad Nurunnabi & Shaher Bano, 2019. "The Influence of Islamic Religiosity on the Perceived Socio-Cultural Impact of Sustainable Tourism Development in Pakistan: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-27, May.
    9. Eva María Sánchez-Teba & María Dolores Benítez-Márquez & Teresa Romero-Navas, 2019. "Residents’ Negative Perceptions towards Tourism, Loyalty and Happiness: The Case of Fuengirola, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-19, December.
    10. Brankov Jovana & Glavonjić Tamara Jojić & Pešić Ana Milanović & Petrović Marko D. & Tretiakova Tatiana N., 2019. "Residents’ Perceptions of Tourism Impact on Community in National Parks in Serbia," European Countryside, Sciendo, vol. 11(1), pages 124-142, March.
    11. Lidija Lalicic & Irem Önder, 2018. "Residents’ Involvement in Urban Tourism Planning: Opportunities from a Smart City Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, June.
    12. Dunja Demirović Bajrami & Adriana Radosavac & Marija Cimbaljević & Tatiana N. Tretiakova & Yulia A. Syromiatnikova, 2020. "Determinants of Residents’ Support for Sustainable Tourism Development: Implications for Rural Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-16, November.
    13. Esteban Pérez-Calderón & Jorge Manuel Prieto-Ballester & Vanessa Miguel-Barrado & Patricia Milanés-Montero, 2020. "Perception of Sustainability of Spanish National Parks: Public Use, Tourism and Rural Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-14, February.
    14. Maria Francisca Blasco López & Nuria Recuero Virto & José Figueiredo, 2020. "Determinants of Residents’ Word-of-Mouth Behaviour and Support for Tourism," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-14, August.
    15. Taya Robert & Ana Isabel Renda & Patrícia Pinto, 2022. "Residents' Perceptions on Tourism Impacts and Quality of Life: The Case of Faro," Journal of Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, Cinturs - Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, University of Algarve, vol. 10(1), pages 39-57.
    16. Eunmie Jang & Duk-Byeong Park, 2024. "How can community support be maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 1415-1433, January.
    17. Sajad Ebrahimi Meimand & Zainab Khalifah & Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas & Abbas Mardani & Amir Abbas Najafipour & Ungku Norulkamar Ungku Ahmad, 2017. "Residents’ Attitude toward Tourism Development: A Sociocultural Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-29, July.
    18. Lee, Choong-Ki & (Sunny) Kim, Jungsun & Kim, Jinok Susanna, 2018. "Impact of a gaming company's CSR on residents' perceived benefits, quality of life, and support," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 281-290.
    19. Liu, Jing & Lin, Hua & Hu, Bing & Zhou, Zixiong & Agyeiwaah, Elizabeth & Xu, Ye, 2022. "Advancing the understanding of the resident pro-tourism behavior scale: An integration of item response theory and classical test theory," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 113-125.
    20. Scarpi, Daniele & Confente, Ilenia & Russo, Ivan, 2022. "The impact of tourism on residents' intention to stay. A qualitative comparative analysis," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jtourh:v:6:y:2025:i:1:p:48-:d:1613735. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.