As one of the first European cases of the introduction of COVID-19 certificates, the Serbian Government initiated the measure of limited working hours of restaurants for unvaccinated visitors. Due to ...such actions and frequent bans on working during the pandemic, many restaurants in Serbia had to lay off workers or close. At the end of October 2021, the certificate for entering restaurants and all catering facilities for all the visitors became mandatory. It is interesting to note that earlier findings suggested that some personality characteristics determine the specific behaviors during the pandemic, but there is still a small number of results related to restaurants’ visitors. This study aimed to investigate the predictive strength of the Big Five Factors (BFF) to attitudes toward visits to restaurants in Serbia during the pandemic, depending on the attitudes toward accepting COVID-19 certificates. A survey was conducted on a total sample of 953 visitors of restaurants in three major cities in Serbia. The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that Openness and Extraversion positively predict attitudes toward visits to facilities during a pandemic, while Conscientiousness and Neuroticism were negative predictors. However, in the second step of hierarchical regression analysis, attitudes toward a COVID-19 certificate as a mediator variable significantly reduced the negative effect of Neuroticism on the attitudes toward visits. It seems that, by obtaining the certificate, the fear of unsafe stays in restaurants can be reduced, and that making decisions about (no) visiting restaurants during the pandemic does not necessarily have to be compromised by emotional lability.
One of the key elements for the development of an agro-tourism destination can be specific gastronomy. In this context, research and understanding of the motivation of tourists who visit those ...destinations can influence the development of the concept of their sustainability, which was the goal of this research. The research was conducted during 2022 on a total sample of 607 respondents who stayed in agro-tourism destinations in the Republic of Serbia. The paper presents motivational factors that potentially influence the frequency of gastronomic tourists to try local gastronomic specialties and food in agro-tourism destinations. The results indicate that the cultural experience dimension, excitement dimension, interpersonal, relation dimension, and sensory appeal dimension show a significant influence on the visitation of agro-tourism destinations by gastronomic tourists, while the health concern dimension factor does not show statistical significance. The results undoubtedly indicate that certain socio-demographic characteristics of gastro-tourists have an impact on the development of an agro-tourism destination, in the direction that the more educated as well as women have more positive attitudes towards the influence of motivational factors on the development of an agro-tourism destination.
The aim of the study was to investigate whether different elements of the work environment (manifested by job demands, job control, and social support) and personal resources were linked to ...employees' well-being at work. Based on data gathered from 574 employees in the hospitality industry in Serbia, it was also tested if personal resources, expressed through self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience, could moderate the relationship between work environment and employees' well-being at work. Correlation analyses showed that high job demands had negative effects on employees' well-being, causing negative emotional reactions to their job, while job control and social support developed positive relationships with positive employees' well-being. The moderating effect analysis found that personal resources can fully moderate the relationship between job demands and well-being at work, and job control and well-being at work. On the other side, personal resources were not a significant moderator in the relationship between social support and well-being at work, indicating that even when employees have adequate personal resources, they are not enough to decrease the negative effects of lack of social support on employees' well-being at work. This shows how important the support of supervisors and colleagues is for employees in hospitality.
The manuscript is devoted to the study of the scientific problem of space-temporal systematization of information on cultural landscapes in geoportals and spatial data infrastructures for the purpose ...of tourist and recreational development of the region. The paper emphasizes that the processes of integration, refinement and structuring of information on cultural landscapes can be optimized with the coordinated development of a regional problem-oriented GIS, a remote sensing data processing and analysis system, and a web-based geoportal. The authors give an example of the visualization of information resources about cultural landscapes through the development of the geoportal "Natural and Cultural Heritage of Mordovia", available at tourismportal.net. The functioning of the project is based on the provision that the process of researching national landscapes should be based on a spatio-temporal systematization and comparative analysis of large volumes of information in order to form an idea of the harmonization of the interaction of nature and society at different hierarchical levels of ethno-geographical space.
Local producers constitute a crucial segment of the local economy, playing a pivotal role in driving rural development and the progress of tourism. Their avenues for showcasing products extend beyond ...markets, bazaars, or food events, often being integrated into a destination’s tourism offerings. Moreover, they contribute to the culinary progress within tourism. Originating from wider rural areas or nearby villages, local producers significantly impact everyday migrations, services, and financial transactions in relationships spanning suburban–urban, village–town, and cross-border cooperation. This study aims to scrutinize the social facets of the organization and work of local producers, offering insights into contemporary market processes. It also serves to illustrate cross-border cooperation and the role of culinary tourism in local business. Through qualitative data processing, we will delve into the outcomes of cross-border projects, emphasizing ethical and sustainable values rooted in territory, landscape, local culture, authenticity, and the application of culinary elements in tourism. The results will shed light on the economic, social, and cultural ramifications on markets in border regions, influencing daily life and the economy. This study will define key aspects of rural development. These research findings can inform local governments, the economy, and communities in future strategic planning for developing this market segment. Tourism, especially in hospitality, will empower rural communities to enhance financial inflow and create local employment opportunities, such as roles for vineyard tour guides or local chefs. Simultaneously, it will bolster other sectors of the local economy, such as agriculture.
Abstract Introduction Education about food safety is important for public health, and the best place to provide it is a university environment. The aim of the research was to assess food safety ...knowledge and self-reported food handling practices among students in Serbia. Methods The research was performed from October to December 2020, using an electronic survey among students at the University of Belgrade, University of Niš, and University of Novi Sad. Results The average students’ age was 21 (SD=1.7), and genderwise the proportion was 54% women and 46% men. The average score for self-reported food handling practices was 45.7% (SD=15.7), and for food safety knowledge 57.9% (SD=15.7). The results showed that students whose field of study is health-related (e.g. nutrition, chemistry, biology, medicine and pharmacy) had the highest score for self-reported food handling practices (48.8%) and for food safety knowledge (57.7%). As for age, the senior students showed the highest score for food safety (57.2%), followed by third-year students (53.8%), second-year (51.9%), and first-year students (49.9%). Conclusions The first-year students and those whose field of the study was not health-related showed the lowest score in the answers to the questions about food handling practices and food safety knowledge. However, the longer students study, the more knowledge they have, which is not the case for those whose studies are non-health-related.
This study aims to explore the use of the social-ecological system (SES) in tourism of a mountain area. Authors examined residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts on four SES aspects: ecosystems, ...local knowledge, people and technology and property rights institutions. The aim is to find area that will be a “common ground” for community and area that can be a source of conflict and will require additional work to solve the differences. Second objective was to examine residents’ perception towards future local development tourism policies (winter tourism, seasonality and environment and culture) and how those policies can affect natural, socio-economic and cultural aspects of mountain area. Residents’ perceptions of sustainable tourism development potential, perceived tourism impacts, analysis of community attachment and employment sector of stakeholder were involved in this study. The authors applied the Q-methodology, as one SES-allied approach, in a small mountain community of Kopaonik, the Republic of Serbia. The results revealed that residents’ agreement/disagreement is connected with two aspects: ecosystem and property rights and that ecosystem can be significantly influenced by all three development policies. Findings suggest that development of future natural conservation plans and new cultural attractions can have positive effects on all parts of social-ecological system. Some practical implications of those findings for tourism planning and development are also discussed.
This study aims to research differences in socio-demographic characteristics of foreign tourists in consumption of local food in the city centres Belgrade and Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia. The ...research was conducted on a sample of 673 respondents. The results of this study point out the importance of socio-demographic variables in research of local gastronomy as a significant component of tourism product. The research included the determining of the impact of the city the tourists stayed at. The differences were examined via two-factor ANOVA analysis of variance. The obtained results indicate that there are differences between age groups, in the level of education, monthly income and countries that foreign tourists come from, whereas there is no difference between genders in relation to the perception of local gastronomy. At the same time, the findings indicate that there are no differences in the perception of local gastronomy between the cities of Novi Sad and Belgrade. The results confirm previous studies and point out the significance of socio-demographic characteristics of foreign tourists in their perception of local gastronomy and adapting it to the visitors, regardless of the city they visited.
The aim of this paper is to examine the image of Serbian local gastronomy from the perspective of foreign tourists in cities of Belgrade and Novi Sad in the Republic of Serbia. The starting ...hypothesis is: There is a positive image of local gastronomy in Serbia from the perspective of foreign tourists. The survey was conducted on a sample of 673 respondents. The findings of this study indicate that foreign tourists have described local gastronomy as 'delicious', the offer being rich in meat dishes and that the price is acceptable (reasonable price), regardless of the city they visited. The results obtained in this survey show which attributes are to be used independently or in combination with food, drinks or the nutrition culture, as a promotional tool in promoting tourist destinations, national and regional gastronomy or local restaurants. This paper presents a practical contribution that can be of use to employees in the tourism industry, particularly to the tourist organization, whose primary consumers are foreign tourists, as well as retailers of local food and drink and marketing experts of the area as a means of promoting the destination.
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