Potentials for the development of Goc mountain as a rural tourist destination

Abstract

Rural areas represent a significant potential for tourism development. Rural tourism includes visits to rural areas by tourists who want to establish contact with nature, get to know the culture and the tradition of the place they stay at, and also participate in everyday activities of the rural population. Serbia is a country that has numerous villages and remarkable potentials for the development of rural tourism. Despite that, rural tourism in Serbia is not developed enough. A great example for this issue in our country is the mountain of Goč. Despite the attraction factor, tourism is not adequately developed there. The subject of this paper is the analysis of resources for tourism development on the mountain of Goč, with the aim to identify crucial potentials for rural tourism development. We will also try to give a special contribution with this paper in terms of directions for the future development of Goč as a destination of rural tourism. Rural tourism on Goč might contribute to the environment protection in rural areas and to the preservation of natural and cultural heritage, but it could also give a financial incentive for rural population to stay in their villages. Besides that, rural tourism would present a meaningful factor of sustainable village development. Special emphasis in the paper is placed on the cooperation between public and private sector, as a key factor in rural tourism development.