Residents' Perceptions Of And Satisfaction With Tourism Development: A Case Study Of The Uvac Special Nature Reserve, Serbia

One of the core elements of tourism development is to encourage local communities' participation, as this is crucial to the sustainability of tourism industry. This study seeks to explore the perception of and satisfaction with tourism development in the Uvac Special Nature Reserve among local communities. The paper examines the relationships among the four dimensions of sustainability (ecological, economic, institutional and socio-cultural) and perceptions of tourism development held by the residents of the communities in the Uvac Special Nature Reserve in southwestern Serbia. A survey has been conducted among 152 residents. Building on previous studies, the hypothesis that ratings for the four dimensions of sustainability would contribute to resident satisfaction has been put forward. Regression analyses reveal that all of four dimensions of sustainability are significant predictors of residents' satisfaction with tourism development in the Uvac Special Nature Reserve. The findings reveal that local communities want to be involved in tourism development in order to ensure that their needs are addressed. This confirms that successful and sustainable development of tourism is impossible without taking into account local residents' needs and this is in accordance with the tourism development strategy guidelines in Serbia, which are compliant with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.