Population dynamics of rural settlements and tourism development in the Stara planina mountain area (Serbia)

Abstract

The process of depopulation represents one of the biggest development problems in Serbia, whereby it is particularly present in its peripheral, mountainous and rural areas, characterized by economic underdevelopment. Given the fact that such areas often possess preserved natural assets, development of tourism industry has been recognized by the decision-makers as an instrument for stimulation of their socio-economic and demographic development. The aim of this paper is to consider the potential influence of tourism on improvement of demographic features of rural settlements, as well as to explore the human resources constraints for tourism development in the subject area. The research encompasses the Stara planina area in the south-eastern part of Serbia, representing not only an example of a mountainous area with a particularly large population decline, but also an example of a tourist destination pointed out by the state authorities as a tourism development priority. The largest part of the area has been protected as a nature park with numerous natural tourist attractions, as well as infrastructure for recreational activities. Starting with the 1960s, due to industrialization in urban centres, this area has been affected by mass rural-urban migrations, which caused depopulation, demographic emptying and changes in vital characteristics and population structures of rural settlements, even their spontaneous termination. The research focused on 50 rural settlements in the area, belonging to four municipalities – Zaječar, Knjaževac, Dimitrovgrad and Pirot, whereby 22 of these settlements already possess accommodation facilities which provide services in tourism. Demographic analysis was used to present the population dynamics of each settlement in the period from 2002 to 2011, whereby the population census data were utilized. In addition, as important indicators of the demographic development of settlements, age and economic structures of the population were also considered. In less than a decade, this area lost one third of its population, whereby negative tendencies were observed in the majority of settlements. Elderly households are predominant in the majority of settlements, with average age of residents being 62.8 years, posing an extremely serious constraint for future economic activity. Regarding the economic structure, the dominance of the primary sector was established (64.0% of residents). Joint analysis of the three utilized indicators (total population and its age and economic structure) suggests that several settlements have more favorable demographic features, indicating them as potential local sources of tourism workforce in the future.