At the beginning of the third millennium, human civilization faces a paradox of significant proportions: on one hand, industrial and technological growth is causing extensive environmental degradation, threatening both current and future generations. On the other hand, the acceleration of industrial and technological development is essential, requiring a profound transformation of society as the only viable solution. With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and shifts in the economy, especially regarding sustainability, the process of transformative tourism becomes crucial. Transformative tourism not only aligns with sustainable principles but also fosters a deeper connection between economic development and the preservation of natural resources, ensuring that progress benefits both humanity and the planet. The goal of this research is to identify how the key factors of Industry 4.0 can contribute to the development of sustainable and transformative tourism. The methodological approach of this study uses a systematic literature review (SLR), which allows for a detailed analysis of existing scientific papers and the identification of key trends and challenges in this field. The literature review included scientific papers published between 2013 and 2025, applying predefined criteria of relevance, quality, and focus on sustainability and digitalization in tourism. The key findings of the research indicate that digitalization and automation contribute to improving tourist experiences, optimizing destination management and reducing the ecological footprint of tourism. This research analyses how changes prompted by the Fourth Industrial Revolution can contribute to the sustainability of tourism as the fastest-growing global economic activity. The findings of this paper stem from a literature review that focuses closely on the key aspects of Industry 4.0, including digitization, automation, and the use of innovative technologies in tourism. The results indicate that the benefits arising from the Fourth Industrial Revolution include improvements in tourist experiences, the enhancement of management and marketing activities in tourism, and implications through the ecological impacts of tourism. The paper provides an overview of how the effects of Industry 4.0 are transforming tourism, enabling it to become more resilient and sustainable in the face of the challenges posed by the modern world.

The area of Southern Serbia is the most undeveloped tourist area and is marginalized in relation to the total tourist traffic of Serbia. With the purpose of health tourism development, special attention in this paper is focused on five spas and four mountain tourist destinations of South Serbia. The interaction of climatic elements is key for outdoor tourist activities, thus the potential of health tourism is presented through the results of the tourism climate comfort index (TCCI). According to TCCI values calculated for one climatological period 1991–2020, the spa tourist destinations of South Serbia are generally favorable during May, June and September. Four studied mountain destinations have favorable TCCI values generally during June, July and August. Spatio-temporal analysis utilizing ESRI ArcMap software showed that the most favorable conditions for health tourism development occur during spring and autumn for spas (May and June) and during summer for mountain destinations (July and August), which coincides with the ideal TCCI values. MatLab software through linear regression showed that in the period of 2010–2020, a negative tendency of tourists’ number in Vranjska banja spa and Niška banja spa is noticed, and a positive tendency for Prolom banja spa and Sijarinska banja spa. The paper also highlights the perspectives of other tourism forms of development in South Serbia.

This paper applies Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to investigate potential satisfaction or dissatisfaction with service quality at the internationally recognized Nisville Jazz Festival. The research was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20, including the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, factor analysis, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation for data analysis. The study involved 250 festival attendees, focusing on their motivation and identification of both tangible and intangible attributes of the festival, with 227 providing valid responses to the survey questionnaire. The Service Quality Model (SERVQUAL) was used to identify quality factors. The results indicate that cultural content and hospitality are the most important factors significantly contributing to visitor satisfaction and positively influencing recommendations and repeat visits to the festival. Another important factor in the study is accessibility, while comfort, amenities, safety, and cleanliness require improvement to enhance the overall visitor experience. The findings provide concrete guidelines for the further development of the festival and the enhancement of the tourism offerings in Nis.

This research analyzes the factors that influence tourist experiences in the mountainous protected areas of southeastern Serbia. Tourism encompasses all aspects of a destination that can attract visitors and affect their satisfaction during their stay. The study examines the demographic characteristics of visitors, their preferences, the quality of infrastructure, and the tourist resources that the regions offer. A total of 570 visitors were surveyed, of whom 526 completed valid questionnaires that focused on the mountain areas of southeastern Serbia, particularly the foothills of Vlasina. The questionnaire placed particular emphasis on specific elements that affect tourist satisfaction. Key findings indicate positive correlations between elements essential for sustainable tourism, determined using Spearman's correlation. A chi-square test showed that environmental awareness and local community engagement were strongly associated with higher levels of overall tourist satisfaction, and a Kruskal–Wallis test revealed that older visitors, on average, expressed a greater level of satisfaction with infrastructure elements compared with younger groups. By focusing on the mountainous protected areas of southeastern Serbia, this research provides valuable insights for managers aiming to enhance visitor satisfaction and improve the quality of future experiences in the region.

The material basis of a tourist destination is one of the most important factors of the tourist offer, which can affect the entire tourist traffic. The paper deals with the area of Pčinja district as an area with exceptional natural and anthropogenic tourist values. However, the Pčinja district is completely marginalized in terms of tourism and out of the mass tourist flows, which is a consequence of the insufficient and outdated material basis. Therefore, the paper analyzes the material basis of the Pčinja district in order to provide a basis for further strategic planning of the tourism development. Pčinja district has great potential for the development of several forms of tourism: sports - recreational, mountain, spa, hunting and fishing, excursions, and transit ones. However, without sufficient accommodation capacities, developed tourist infrastructure and suprastructure, any tourist development is not possible, regardless of the exceptional tourist values. If a new material base were built in the Pčinja district and the already existing tourist development of this area was reconstructed, it would take a positive course in the future.