The strategic planning of rural development is focused on both economic growth and sustainable development. Sustainable rural development is essential for conserving and improving resources, while economic growth contributes to a better standard of living. The aim of the research is to determine, using the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methodology on the example of the village of Zlakusa, the economic activities developed in the village, the importance of rural tourism, and the scope of sustainable development taken into account in rural development. The results of the research show that the success of the rural community depends on: diversification of economic activities, which is accompanied by cohesion of the population through association and organization; organized activities aimed at local or republican authorities; activation of human and social capital; and initiating activities involving marginalized groups. Educating the population outside formal education improves the sustainable and economic development of the village and enables rural tourism to become an important part of economic activities and a channel for the commercialization of natural and cultural contents.

This research deals with the evaluation of tourist attractions in selected protected areas (PAs) in Serbia for the purpose of developing ecotourism. Using the integral AHP-SWOT method, two authentic mountain areas were analyzed—Stara Planina Nature Park and Suva Planina Special Nature Reserve. The results confirmed the presence of numerous natural and, to a lesser extent, anthropogenic resources that represent the basis for the future ecotourism activities. However, significant weaknesses were also registered, which are reflected in overall poverty, underdeveloped infrastructure and depopulation. The analysis also showed that the highest rated factors for the development of ecotourism are local products that should be offered on the regional market, as well as the use of the geographical position of both areas (near the state border) through the use of donor funds (IPA funds). The application of the AHP-SWOT method enabled the definition and prioritization of several development strategies, of which the ones with the greatest weight are based on the use of the variegated biodiversity of both PAs. This research advances knowledge about strategic decision-making in PAs and could be beneficial to destination managers for the creation of successful strategic plans. Results suggest that future actions should be aimed at maximizing the detected advantages, which means creating an appropriate development policy, drafting legislation, encouraging social mobilization activities and determining the institutional elements for the development and management of ecotourism.

This study aims to investigate the level of satisfaction of foreign tourists, specifically millennials, based on different dimensions of destination image and the quality of the tourist services in Belgrade, the capital of the Republic of Serbia, as an emerging destination. Despite the tarnished image attached to the city after the Yugoslav Wars and the economic crisis in the 1990s, this emerging destination is becoming more popular among foreign visitors. A sample of 359 international tourists was surveyed. Structural equation modelling was used to test the relationships between the constructs. The results confirmed the positive effects of image and quality on satisfaction as well as a positive and direct effect of image on quality. Moreover, there was a partial mediation of quality between image and satisfaction. The findings have significant marketing and management implications for destination stakeholders. They provide useful insights for choosing effective strategies and an appropriate business tourism model in emerging destinations that can further help them to become more competitive.

Seasonality of tourist demand imposes a number of issues related to the destination?s carrying capacity and business activities of the individual service providers in tourism. As one indicator of seasonal fluctuation of tourist demand, the Gini index is identified in order to establish monthly concentration of tourists. In this study, the Gini index was calculated for four spa tourism destinations in Serbia (Vrnjacka Banja, Sokobanja, Niska Banja, and Prolom Banja), in order to establish variability in the seasonality. The research took into consideration the period 2010-2019. Research results indicate that Niska Banja Spa has the lowest values of the Gini index, while Vrnjacka Banja Spa and Sokobanja Spa have the highest values, whereby no values are higher that .45 (mostly between .30 and .39). Given that the theoretically lowest value of the Gini index is 0 (smallest seasonal concentration) and the highest is 1 (biggest concentration), the selected spas still do not have particularly high degree of seasonal concentration of tourists. Possibilities for reduction of tourist demand seasonality are pointed out, given its impact on tourism planning and its economic effects.

Vloga sezonskosti v trajnostnem razvoju turizma je večplastna in kompleksna. Povezava med sezonskostjo in trajnostnostjo je še bolj zapletena, ko gre za zavarovana območja. To povezavo smo proučili na primerih izbranih zavarovanih gorskih območij v Srbiji ‒ narodnih parkov Kopaonik in Tara ter naravnih parkov Stara planina in Zlatibor. Za merjenje sezonskosti in prikaz neuravnoteženosti mesečne porazdelitve števila turističnih prenočitev v omenjenih destinacijah v obdobju 2013‒2021 smo uporabili Ginijev indeks. Rezultati raziskave kažejo, da imajo analizirana zavarovana gorska območja v Srbiji različne vrednosti Ginijevega indeksa, kar je pogojeno z njihovimi naravnimi predispozicijami za razvoj turizma (npr. nadmorska višina in trajanje snežne odeje), hkrati pa tudi stopnje turistične razvitosti območja. Da bi zmanjšali vplive sezonskosti, v vsaki izmed obravnavanih destinacij izvajajo alternativne oblike turizma in aktivnosti.