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
The problem of excessive tourismhas overnight become an ideology and a part of the past. With the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic, the flow of tourist movements was abruptly interrupted, and thus the visits to restaurants. The aim of the research was to determine whether the fear of the users of the pandemic infection affects the intention to visit restaurants. The total number of respondents was 508, in 27 restaurants in the Republic of Serbia. The authors used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and multiple regression analysis with mediation for data processing. The research concluded that the perceived fears of the respondents may influence the decision to visit restaurants. The importance of research is reflected in the application of results in theory and practice, in order to facilitate business during the pandemic.