Development of Rural Tourism in Serbia

Rural Tourism is defined as tourism which produces a "rural environment" for visitors, by offering a combination of natural, cultural and human experiences which have typically rural character. It is the immersion of visitors in authentic, original and grassroots experiences which are the essence of rural life. Rural accommodation combines different forms of tourism that showcase rural life, art, culture and heritage in rural locations. The Tourism Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia defined four tourist clusters: Vojvodina, Belgrade, South-Eastern Serbia, and South-Western Serbia. Tourism attractors (natural, cultural, and man-made) are tourism sites or assets that are currently visited by tourists. Serbia hosts a large offer of natural resources and a great diversity of scenic landscapes, from high mountains to valleys and plains. The Danube, which runs through Serbia for 588 km, with the Sava, the Tisza and the Great Morava compose a dense river network, attractive for all water activities in summer and autumn. Biological diversity of Serbia, both the ecosystem and species, is extremely high and attractive for tourism. Rural Tourism overnights represent 27% of total tourism overnights in Serbia. Tourism in Serbia is expected to increase with 3% over the next five years. The same increase could be expected for rural tourism. Implementation of master plans should add 8% to the growth of Rural Tourism.