Residential tourism as a nucleus of massive tourism: Zlatibor

Abstract

The affirmation of Zlatibor as a tourist destination dates back to ancient times, so Zlatibor can be proud of its tradition of over 150 years. The turning point in the development of Zlatibor tourism is the visit of the Serbian sovereign Alexander I Obrenović. In 1893, two important tourist settlements were located on the mountain and residential objects were built. Therefore, the previously mentioned year is considered to be the beginning of organized tourism on Zlatibor. The second turning point in the development was the construction of a modern road that connected Užice with Kraljeva Voda, at the time when the interest of tourists exceeded the accommodation capacities. At the beginning of the 1930s due to the numerous values of Zlatibor, its favorable position and good transport connections with all parts of Serbia and neighboring countries, tourism on Zlatibor started to develop. The Zlatibor Resort, on the mountain of the same name, annually receives over one million overnight stays, mainly by domestic tourists, making it one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Republic of Serbia. The types of tourist services are sports, recreational, health and Congress tourism, and in recent years, tourist offers for children and youth have become more important. Accordingly, Zlatibor, as a tourist center, has no significant competition in Serbia or in the region. With further development and investment in tourism, Zlatibor will carry for a long time the epithet of the most visited and most attractive tourist destination of Serbia, despite its obvious shortcomings.