The contribution of domestic tourism to the balanced regional development of Serbian province of Vojvodina

Abstract

Domestic tourism has positive effects on balanced regional development, as well as numerous non-economic effects. Domestic overnight stays amount to 59% of total overnight stays in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, which is known for diverse tourist attractions in both rural areas and urban centres, providing basis for multi ple forms of nature-based and cultural tourism. However, its share in the country’s domestic overnight stays amounts to only 13%. The aim of this research is to explore the domestic tourist turnover on a municipal level by taking into consideration the relative number of overnight stays (2017), its growth trend in the past five years (2012–2017) and the domestic-international overnight stay ratio (2017). Based on their individual share in the province’s overnight stays and their positive or negative growth trend, municipalities were classified into four categories. The analysis focused on 38 municipalities of Vojvodina, while the remaining eight were omit ted due to insufficient tourist turnover, whereby data from the official tourism statistics was used. Dominance of domestic tourism and positive growth were established in 82% and 76% of municipalities, respectively. Managerial implications of the findings are discussed.