Abandoned mines can pose a major environmental hazard. At the beginning of the 21st century, significant steps were taken all around the world in order to protect these historically valuable complexes, and the mining heritage was recognized as a potential for the development of alternative tourism. This exploration covers mines in the Kopaonik Mountain area. Mining on this mountain began in ancient times. It has developed throughout history, and today only one mine is active. Three abandoned (Gvozdac, Suvo Rudište and Raičeva Gora) and one active mine (Belo Brdo-Zaplanina) are the subject of research. The basic aim of the research is twofold. The estimation of geo-tourist values was performed using the Geosite Assessment Model (GAM), and the ecological status assessment WAS performed according to the standard model based on negative and positive values. Based on the applied methods, it was concluded that mines (geosites) have a high level of natural characteristics, and that differences between geosites are evident in tourist values. The reason for this is insufficient tourist affirmation and the insufficient availability of tourist infrastructure. With the ecological status, positive values were observed on the geosites, which also differ from one (Raičeva Gora) to 15 points (Gvozdac). In the end, the results obtained are of great scientific importance, and their direct application is in the development of the Tourism Development Strategy in the Kopaonik area.
The aim of this study is to determine and highlight the tourism potentials of the Ibar cultural tourism zone monasteries, which is located in the southwest part of Serbia. In the assessment of tourism potential, a quantitative model consisting of two groups of indicators (resource values and state of development) conceived of seven sub-indicators that were ranked and evaluated by respondents in the field, was applied. The results of the study show that the total tourist potential of the Ibar cultural tourism zone is 0.756, which classifies it as an area with high potential. A substantial difference in grading can be noticed by comparing two groups of indicators. The value of the resource is 0.812, and the value of the development state is 0.700. The main value of the study is that for the first time, a model based on quantitative calculations is applied in order to determine the tourist potential of the Ibar cultural tourism zone monasteries. The study also highlights the advantages and disadvantages and contributes to better promotion and development of this area.
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