Changes in Traditional Activities of Industrial Area toward Sustainable Tourism Development

Milena Nedeljković Knežević,Marko D Petrović,Slađana Nedeljković,Miroslav Škoda,Mirjana Gajić,Milan M Radovanović,Maja Mijatov

doi:10.3390/su11226189

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential for restructuring industrial areas toward tourism development within local communities, with a special emphasis on the socio-cultural determinants of residents, as well as their attitudes regarding the sustainable development of tourism. The research is also oriented toward the interests of local communities with respect to entrepreneurial activities in the field of tourism within regions relying on traditional industries, in this case, one of the largest open-pit mining surfaces in Europe (near the Serbian town of Lazarevac). The survey was conducted on a sample of 273 respondents. The research results point to the residents’ attitudes regarding the acceptability of tourism development options, as well as their attitudes toward tourism development, with the aim of providing the conditions for a successful transition from a typical heavy industrial setting toward sustainable tourism development.

Highlights

One of the main characteristics of traditional industrial regions is their high degree of agglomeration, or, more precisely, the intensive concentration of production structures, which, in the long period of development of these regions, was considered to be one of the most important advantages in achieving business success [1]
Contemporary global changes in the trends related to tourism demand could provide different opportunities for tourists to acquire new knowledge and to support tourism development in Lazarevac
Investment policy should be a function of tourism development, as it is often neglected, and it should help domestic entrepreneurs in the form of providing favorable loans with longer repayment periods, which could encourage potential entrepreneurs to participate in entrepreneurial activities

Summary

Introduction

One of the main characteristics of traditional industrial regions is their high degree of agglomeration, or, more precisely, the intensive concentration of production structures, which, in the long period of development of these regions, was considered to be one of the most important advantages in achieving business success [1]. Residents’ attitudes are important, considering the fact that members of the local community could be less supportive of tourism if it decreases their quality of life [15]. This approach to the process of planning tourism development is based on the well-known stakeholder approach in strategic management (which indicates the necessity of balancing the interests of various stakeholders in the local community), as well as on sociological theories of social exchange [16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25]. According to the research conducted by Peric, Đurkin, and Wise [26], in cases where local community members represent the majority of the event’s active and passive participants, the fostering of business networking may be able to enhance the involvement of local businesses in playing an important role in ensuring that there is a sense of cohesion among community and stakeholders

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion