Significance of sustainable eco-tourism for Serbia's economic development

Abstract

Sustainable development of eco-tourism in Serbia has great prospects and opportunities for the intensification of entrepreneurship based on natural resources in rural and mountainous areas. In the world after euphoria due to staying in hotelsskyscrapers, ice hotels, boat hotels and other exotic places with Japanese, Thai, Italian and French specialties, tourists return to the gentle landscapes, primal values and ethnic food. Food producers in Serbia have potential on large areas of fertile soils and pastures, high-quality varieties of crops, good breeds of sheep, pigs, cows, goats and mangules. There is practically no general marketing and promotion of the tourist offer in our country, as well as branding of Serbian food products for placement on world markets. To attract investment, it is necessary to develop Serbian tourism brands and promote eco-tourism in mountainous and rural areas at international fairs. Hunting, fishing, hiking, trekking and horseback riding, supplemented by the consumption of ethnic food and organic food products, marked with local brands and geographical origin can make a significant contribution to the sustainability of tourism, ecotourism and other forms of entrepreneurship in Serbia.

Keywords

• eco-tourism
• diversification
• tourism portfolio
• eco-destination
• ecofarm
• ethno-food
• organic agriculture
• integrated marketing management
• economic development
• serbia