The power of fears in the travel decision – covid-19 against lack of money

Purpose – During the pandemic, two types of fear were identified that occur significantly in all groups or profiles of people. The aim of this paper is to determine which of the two types of fears exist in certain psychological groups, and which of the fears strongly influence the decision to travel. Design/methodology/approach – The VALS 2 method and standardized questionnaire were used for the segmentation of the tourist market or for the determination of the psychographic profiles of the consumers, and three additional questions were joined to it as they were vital for the research of the type of fear and its impact on the decision for traveling. When the reliability of the questionnaire and the validity of the sample were determined, the data were further processed using a computer program package IMB AMOS SPSS 21.00, and then, based on the theoretical suppositions and hypotheses, the SEM structural model was created. Findings – The paper indicates the existence of established types of fears in humans, when it comes to pandemics and similar crisis situations. People are most afraid of infection during travel, and lack of funds and job loss during the critical period of the pandemic. The research conducted confirms that all groups of people, who are determined by the psychological technique VALS 2, react with a certain dose of fear and make decisions under the pressure of fears. Research limitations/implications – The research had limitations in terms of contact with people and conducting live surveys. The measures during the pandemic, which were carried out by the state, included social distance and limited movement of people. Practical implications – The work can contribute to the community, along with similar research. The results of the research will be available, and it will be possible to see the behavior of people during crisis situations, and the impact of fears on making decisions, both travel decisions and decisions related to other areas of life. Originality/value – The paper provides research results on a large sample of respondents, and can serve as a basis for further research in the field of tourism, psychology and similar fields. It is crucial to consider the type of fears, and the strength of the impact of these fears on the decision to travel, during crisis situations

How Can Tufa Deposits Contribute to the Geotourism Offer? The Outcomes from the First UNESCO Global Geopark in Serbia

The study focuses on the present state and the assessments of geotourism development of the two most representative tufa deposits in the Djerdap National Park—the first UNESCO Global Geopark in Serbia. The findings were designated through implementing the freshly upgraded methodology—M-GAM-1-2 based on an early modified geosites assessment model (M-GAM). To overcome the limitations of the previous model, the authors implemented additional enhancements and involved members of the local community (residents and authorities) in the study to comprehensively evaluate the observed sites. The outcomes revealed that the attitudes of all stakeholders should be taken into consideration in order to develop geotourism properly, additionally attract visitors, and preserve tufa deposits for future generations of locals and visitors. Moreover, geotourism at the observed sites can be one of the vital activities of the population, as well as a type of compensation for various limitations in the development, which are imposed by the regimes of natural and cultural heritage protection within the recently established UNESCO Global Geopark

A Case Study on the Danube Limes in Serbia: Valorisation and Cartographic Analyses of Selected Tourism Products

Cultural assets in the area of the Danube Limes in Serbia are an integral part of the world heritage “Roman Empire Borders”. The research presented in this paper includes the tourist and cartographic visualization of 19 Roman sites in the Danube Limes region of Golubac–Radujevac, to determine the real possibilities of tourism development in this area. The historical and cultural heritage of this area is among the most attractive tourist destinations in Serbia, Djerdap National Park and Djerdap Geopark. Despite its diverse cultural and historical values and the specific and unique natural environment, this area is not sufficiently used for tourism. The research included the evaluation of localities, which may serve as the basis to establish which activities should be undertaken in order to plan, use, preserve, and protect such important cultural assets, under the principles of sustainable tourism development. Information based on spatially referenced data in the research process requires cartographic support, in order to understand the geospatial relations of the site significance. Cartographic visualization enabled efficiently systematized data organization, spatial identification, presentation, and the use of complex information from the mapped area in the data analysis in this paper

Risky Travel? Subjective vs. Objective Perceived Risks in Travel Behaviour—Influence of Hydro-Meteorological Hazards in South-Eastern Europe on Serbian Tourists

In terms of climate related security risks, the region of South-Eastern Europe (SEE) can be identified as one of the world’s hot spots. As weather-related hazards continue to increase in num-bers and spatial distribution, risk perception in the tourism industry becomes even more important. Additionally, people’s perception of natural hazards is one of the key elements in their decision-making process when choosing a travel destination. Although a vast number of studies have exam-ined aspects of risk perception, an integrated approach which considers both objective and subjec-tive factors related to the tourism industry and hydro-meteorological hazards remains relatively scarce. This pioneering study inspects the causality between objective perceived risks, as well as subjective risk factors. A methodological approach and the obtained results present a certain nov-elty since the previous conceptualized Psychological Preparedness for Disaster Threat Scale (PPDTS) was applied for the first time in the tourism industry. The obtained results reveal the pres-ence of a statistically significant relationship between objective risks and certain subjective risk fac-tors (gender, age, education, prior experience, anticipation, and awareness). Therefore, this study may offer a conceptual platform for both theoretical and practical implications for enhanced ap-proaches oriented toward more qualitative risk management at a given travel destination, in regions prone to hydro-meteorological hazards

Possibilities of Turning Passive Rural Areas into Tourist Attractions Through Attained Service Quality

This paper gives an overview of the quality of tourism service in rural areas of the South Bačka District, one of the most economically developed parts of Serbia. The main objective of the research is to determine the correlation between the expected and perceived values of the quality of service by collecting and processing data. The modified SERVQUAL questionnaire was applied in the study, and all obtained data were analyzed in the SPSS software 23.00. As a result of the survey, it was found that tourists had significantly higher expectations than perceived service. The results obtained can serve for broader thematic research and contribute to the definition of appropriate corrective actions to improve the quality of tourism services in the selected rural area. Moreover, these are the key propositions to start an initiative for the improvement of tourism services in any undeveloped rural setting with a tourism offer. The results provide tourism organizers and local authorities with important visitors’ perpceptions pertaining to the quality of rural tourism service

How Can Tufa Deposits Contribute to the Geotourism Offer? The Outcomes from the First UNESCO Global Geopark in Serbia

The study focuses on the present state and the assessments of geotourism development of the two most representative tufa deposits in the Djerdap National Park—the first UNESCO Global Geopark in Serbia. The findings were designated through implementing the freshly upgraded methodology—M-GAM-1-2 based on an early modified geosites assessment model (M-GAM). To overcome the limitations of the previous model, the authors implemented additional enhancements and involved members of the local community (residents and authorities) in the study to comprehensively evaluate the observed sites. The outcomes revealed that the attitudes of all stakeholders should be taken into consideration in order to develop geotourism properly, additionally attract visitors, and preserve tufa deposits for future generations of locals and visitors. Moreover, geotourism at the observed sites can be one of the vital activities of the population, as well as a type of compensation for various limitations in the development, which are imposed by the regimes of natural and cultural heritage protection within the recently established UNESCO Global Geopark

Risky Travel? Subjective vs. Objective Perceived Risks in Travel Behaviour—Influence of Hydro-Meteorological Hazards in South-Eastern Europe on Serbian Tourists

In terms of climate related security risks, the region of South-Eastern Europe (SEE) can be identified as one of the world’s hot spots. As weather-related hazards continue to increase in numbers and spatial distribution, risk perception in the tourism industry becomes even more important. Additionally, people’s perception of natural hazards is one of the key elements in their decision-making process when choosing a travel destination. Although a vast number of studies have examined aspects of risk perception, an integrated approach which considers both objective and subjective factors related to the tourism industry and hydro-meteorological hazards remains relatively scarce. This pioneering study inspects the causality between objective perceived risks, as well as subjective risk factors. A methodological approach and the obtained results present a certain novelty since the previous conceptualized Psychological Preparedness for Disaster Threat Scale (PPDTS) was applied for the first time in the tourism industry. The obtained results reveal the presence of a statistically significant relationship between objective risks and certain subjective risk factors (gender, age, education, prior experience, anticipation, and awareness). Therefore, this study may offer a conceptual platform for both theoretical and practical implications for enhanced approaches oriented toward more qualitative risk management at a given travel destination, in regions prone to hydro-meteorological hazards