The significance of protected natural areas for tourism in the Vojvodina province (Northern Serbia) - analysis of sustainable tourism development

Abstract

This paper presents experimental research into the attitudes of tourists towards the significance of protected areas with regard to tourism in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, in the northern part of the Republic of Serbia. It is an area with significant rare plant and animal resources, as well as w?tlands, ecosystems, and hilly and mountainous areas. Several research methods have been used in the paper. The first method is to collect data using a written questionnaire that was completed by 215 visitors to different protected areas in AP Vojvodina. Their answers revealed their attitudes toward sustainable tourism in selected protected areas. After examining the differences in the answers using the Kruskal-Wallis test, the results of the survey conducted by the authors were examined by means of two comparative analyses of identical, related, and similar answers in selected case studies. Based on the results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test, it can be concluded that there is a statistically significant difference in the assessments of the importance of activities and the forms of tourism chosen when visiting protected areas. The most important forms of tourism are ecotourism and adventure tourism. Tourists also identified hiking, cycling, and wildlife watching as the most important activities.