ABSTRACT
Rural tourism in Serbia had its chance to shine with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent the quality of rural service can contribute to improving rural tourism, and predictions for the continuation of the trend in terms of increasing the number of overnight stays in rural households. The obtained results show a small number of services in the sector could be improved, but that all elements except price value can influence the future development of rural tourism and that the number of overnight stays is expected to continue to grow. The importance and innovativeness of the research is reflected in the specific methodology that was applied, and the results complement those of previous research. It has been shown that villages in Serbia can create a barrier against COVID-19 through tourism. © 2023 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
Due to the spread of COVID-19 and the closing of the borders of a large number of countries, tourists' interest in domestic tourist destinations has grown. The objective of this paper is to identify future behaviour patterns of tourists and to propose measures that would affect the interest of domestic tourists in domestic destinations after COVID-19. The study starts with an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on global tourism, then focuses on trends in the tourism market in Serbia and ends by examining citizens' attitudes towards key factors for domestic tourism development. It is estimated that tourism can benefit from an essential understanding of tourists' demands for a safe journey. Research results indicate statistically significant differences in the attitudes of respondents in relation to age, gender and education, but most respondents believe that it is necessary for the state to invest more in tourist infrastructure and to adjust pricing policy to remain competitive domestic destinations after Covid-19.