Development of the Tourist Potential in Serbia in the Light of Tourist Frequency and Accommodation Capacities

Abstract

In the last several decades, tourism registers continuous growth on the global level. The subject of analysis of this paper is the ratio of the number of arrivals and overnight stays of tourists in general, as well as the number of arrivals and overnight stays of tourists by regions for the chosen three-year period 2017-2019. Also, this paper establishes and analyses both the total and quantitative indicators of the accommodation capacities by regions, also for the chosen reference three-year period. The last analysis refers to the survey of accommodation capacities by types of tourist resorts and facilities in the year 2019. This paper is methodologically based on the theoretical analysis of the relevant contemporary standpoints in theory, normative analysis of legislative sources and quantitative analysis of statistical indicators in the field of the subject of research. The research is based on official statistical data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. The goal of the presented analyses and conclusions regarding the obtained results, and in the light of the frequency of tourist and accommodation capacities, is the emphasis on the importance of the tourist turnover at a certain tourist destination, which is one of the basic components of the development of the tourist potential.

Characteristics of Tourists and Frequency of Travel in Serbia

“…In one study conducted on a sample of 320 elderly respondents in Serbia, it was shown that the favorite travel destinations are spas and mountains and that the main motive is rest and improving health, while proximity to the destination and travel costs are the most important factors in the process of choosing a destination (Spasojević and Božić, 2016). When it comes to domestic tourists, the most visited destinations are Šumadija and Western Serbia, while the most visited destination for foreign tourists is the Belgrade city (Počuča and Matijašević, 2020). Certainly, the pandemic of Covid-19 had a meaningful influence when it comes to choosing destinations because the large number of tourists from Serbia turned to domestic destinations due to the uncertainty of the situation.…”