BULLETIN OF GEOGRAPHY. SOCIO–ECONOMIC SERIES 07_vujadinovic

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Bulletin o Geography. Socio–economic Series No. 19 (2013): 99–111

BULLEIN OF GEOGRAPHY. SOCIO–ECONOMIC SERIES

journal homepages:

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Possibilities for mountain-based adventure tourism: the case of Serbia

Snežana Vujadinović 1, CDFMR , Dejan Šabić 2, CDFMR , Marko Joksimović 3, CDFMR , Rajko Golić 4, CDFMR ,Mirjana Gajić 5, CDFMR , Ljiljana Živković 6, CDFMR , Miroljub Milinčić 7, CDFMR

University o Belgrade, Faculty o Geography, Studentski trg 3/3, 11.000 Belgrade, Serbia; phone: +381 641 156 199, e-mail:1 [email protected], [email protected] (corresponding author ), [email protected], [email protected],[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract. Adventure tourism is a specic type o tourism that has been increas-ingly popular in Serbia in recent years. In this regard, the paper identies the basiccharacteristics o adventure tourism, its development in Serbia, with a great em-phasis placed on high mountain areas that, owing to their physical and geographic

characteristics, possess huge potential. Te paper aims, among other things, toidentiy actors encouraging or limiting development o adventure tourism inSerbia, analysing the practice, dening potential destinations and suggesting ap-propriate measures in order to promote it.

© 2013 Nicolaus Copernicus University Press. All rights reserved.

Article details:Received: 11 May 2012

Revised: 17 September 2012Accepted: 23 November 2012

Key words:Serbia, adventure tourism, extreme

sports, high mountain areas.

Contents:

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 992. Teoretical background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

3. Material and research methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1014. Results and ndings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1025. Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Reerences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110


Vujadinović, S., Šabić, D, Joksimović, M., Golić, R., Gajić, M., Živković, L. and Milinčić, M., 2013: Possibilities or mountain-basedadventure tourism: the case o Serbia. In: Szymańska, D. and Biegańska, J. editors, Bulletin o Geography. Socio-economic Series,No. 19, oruń: Nicolaus Copernicus University Press, pp. 99–111, DOI: 10.2478/bog-2013-0007

1. Introduction

In recent decades the development o tourism in various areas has displayed a number o charac-teristics that have come to be seen as symptomatic

o change and which mark the start o a new stagein the history o this key economic and socialphenomenon. New trends in the tourism markethave inuenced the appearance o specic types o tourism (special interest tourism), dierent rom



100 S. Vujadinović, D. Šabić, M. Joksimović, R. Golić, M. Gajić, L. Živković, M. Milinčić / Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series 19 (2013): 99–111

the traditional ones. New or alternative tourism isbased, because o the changes in tourist demand,on the concept o sustainable development and re-sponsible exchange o all participants, because it is

mutually benecial both to tourists and the localcommunity. One o the important characteristicso tourist demand is a desire to stay in an unpol-luted, protected environment. Potential touristsare willing to pay more i it provides them witha stay at a tourist destination the characteristics o which are compliant with their desires, needs andexpectations.

According to the research o Ewert andJamieson (2003) and Swarbrooke et al. (2003) ad-

venture tourism is one o the sectors o tourism

that has rapidly developed in the world or the lasttwo or three decades. Te oundation o adventuretourism is adventure, and it brings large revenuesto the world economy, with tendencies o urthergrowth. Te armation o adventure tourism wasinuenced by the internet as a revolution in mar-keting, as well as by extensive use o adventurephotographs in promoting a destination (Buckley,2003; Swarbrooke et al., 2003).

An adventure in tourism is a well-conceived

experience that is ‘or sale’. A tourist adventure cansometimes be riskier than a real one in which pro-essionals participate, whereas tourists are mainly amateurs with signicantly lower skills and abili-ties to respond to challenges. According to Čomićand Davidovic (2003), what distinguishes every-day lie rom an adventure is more related to theintensity o inner experience than to the changeo scenery. An adventure has the power to com-pensate or boredom and lack o excitement ineveryday lie. It breaks the stereotype o living en

route between work and home, where time keepsmonotonously repeating. It involves a certain doseo ear or the presence o a real danger, a consciousexposure to ear and threat, but with a belie ina happy and sae outcome. An adventure inter-rupts the continuity and repetition o the sameevents and introduces new events to lie that areseemingly ‘beyond time’. As an escape rom theeveryday, adventure destinations are most ofenar rom very populated areas, which make themunknown and mystical.

2. Teoretical background

Notwithstanding its growing popularity in theworld, there is not a uniorm denition o adven-ture tourism (Buckley, 2000; Bentley, Page, 2001;Weber, 2001: 374; Neirotti, 2003; Swarbrooke et al.,2003; Page et al., 2005: 382; Shephard, Evans, 2005),which points to the complexity o this tourist phe-nomenon. Tis is a consequence o the ollowingactors: numerous activities o adventure tourism,dierent perceptions by participants (adventuresare experienced in dierent ways by dierentparticipants), and the overlapping o the contents

o adventure tourism and adventure recreation.Te biggest problem in dening adventure tour-ism is that most types o tourism entail a certainorm o recreation, in terms o resources, acilities,and impact on the environment (Hall, Page, 2002;Williams, 2003). What clearly distinguishes adven-ture tourism rom adventure is that this type o tourism is a commercialised adventure in which theactivities are organised and directed beorehand.In a real adventure, a participant is responsible or

creating an adventure, whereas a tour operator isresponsible or a tourist adventure.Some researchers underline the importance o

motivation as driving orce elements in the analysiso adventure tourism (Veal, 2006). ourists, whenasked about the motives or taking part in an ad-

venture, state that they want to orget their joband everyday lie, and become part o somethingcompletely dierent, orget about responsibili-ties and their surroundings (Wickens, 2002: 843).Several motivating actors or tourists in adventure

tourism can be distinguished: (a) un and inde-pendence; (b) vacation; (c) health and recovery;(d) wanderlust; (e) nature (Dey, Sarma, 2010: 343).Depending on the region where an activity takesplace, some o the aorementioned actors willprevail. Some participants are more motivated by a desire or new knowledge than by risk, althoughadventure involves both. Te nal outcomes o ad-

ventures are most requently overcoming dangersand risks, with development o personal skills andtheir application in a certain situation and learn-

ing based on experience and achievement (Pageet al., 2005: 382). Other authors mostly studied



S. Vujadinović, D. Šabić, M. Joksimović, R. Golić, M. Gajić, L. Živković, M. Milinčić / Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series 19 (2013): 99–111 101

the characteristics o adventures, experiences andperceptions by participants (Sung et al., 2001; Sung,2004; rauer, 2006). Te structure and compositiono adventure tours were described in some stud-

ies: rafing (Fluker, urner, 2000), mountaineering(Beedie, 2003; Pomret, 2006), adventure tourismmore generally (Foley et al., 2001; Weber, 2001;Cloutier, 2003), etc.

Adventure sports promise challenges (Mortlock,2000), excitement, stimulation (omlinson, 2001),risk, uncertainty, and novelty (Swarbrooke et al.,2003). An activity can be classied as an adventurei it possesses the ollowing characteristics: (a) un-certain outcomes; (b) some element o danger andrisk; (c) challenge; (d) anticipated rewards; (e) nov-

elty; () stimulation and excitement; (g) escapismand separation; (h) exploration and discovery;(i) absorption and ocus, and (j) contrasting emo-tions (Swarbrooke et al., 2003). Te commondenominators o adventure tourism are risk anduncertainty o outcomes (Weber, 2001: 361‒363;Swarbrooke et al., 2003; Shephard, Evans, 2005).

Adventure tourism is maniested mostly asa short-term holiday in which a tourist gains certainexperience and skills (Buckley, 2003). Generally,

adventure tourism entails organised perormanceo a commercial tour, in which the main attractionsare activities related to the physical and geographiccharacteristics o the terrain. Tis type o tourismrequires specialised equipment. During an adven-ture tour, the participants can have various emo-tions, experiences and expectations. ‘ourism isa commercial industry as well as a social phenom-enon. our providers package and sell commercialproducts to retail clients. Te dynamics o the in-dustry, the behaviour o the people involved, their

destinations and impacts are all intimately linkedwith the structure o these products’ (Buckley,2007: 1428).

Adventure tourism is a complex and dynamictourism phenomenon. Tere are avourable physi-cal and geographic conditions in Serbia or the de-

velopment o specic types o adventure tourism.Tis particularly reers to the mountainous area o Serbia, which is suciently ar rom the leading ur-ban centres and suciently unknown to local andoreign participants o adventure tourism trends.

Te aorementioned studies are the theoreticaloundations o our study.

Development o adventure tourism in Serbiarequires the establishment o the existing trends ina macro environment and in all its domains (eco-nomic, social, technological, etc.), identication o

opportunities and threats (on the local and oreignmarket) and perormance o a detailed analysiso internal resources (strengths and weaknesses)in accordance with the changes, tendencies andtrends in tourism.

3. Material and research methods

In this paper we used methods o human geogra-

phy and tourism, which combine methods o scien-tic research with the methods o communicatingthe achieved results. Tese two standpoints deter-mined the methodology in our research, in den-ing and communicating results. Te complexity o the subject matter required the application o sci-entic methods suitable or setting up hypotheses,proving attitudes, as well as veriying and ormingconclusions. Te spatial organisation o tourist ac-tivities in mountain areas has been studied on the

basis o theoretical models and spatial plans. In thispaper the study is limited to the our mountainzones (clusters) which include 16 tourism centres:I Carpathian and Balkan Mountains, II Mountainso Stari Vlah and Raška, III Mountains o Ibar-Kopaonik region and IV Valjevo Mountains (seeFig. 2). Te area was chosen due to its high quality inormation base, availability o sources o docu-mentary material, statistical data and the concen-tration o tourists. By comparing and interpretingthe data, we have tried to point to the importance

o tourist ows in mountain areas as well as to theconcentration o tourists around the adventuretourism spots. Te ideas and assumptions havebeen presented by the statistical and cartographicmethod.

Adjustments to the tourist demand, apart rommonitoring the number o tourists and overnights,include amiliarity with qualitative eatures: ageand educational structure, origin, spending habitsand previous experience with travel. Lack o thisinormation in adventure tourism research leaves

a gap which makes it dicult to dene the direc-tions o tourism development. Te subject o the




analysis in this paper includes the indicators o tourist ows (accommodation capacity, arrivals o oreign and domestic tourists, overnights, and sea-sonality o the turnover) in our mountain areas, in

the period between 1999 and 2010. Te data usedwas obtained rom primary sources: statistical andmunicipal almanacs, analyses, statements, docu-mentary material and rom authorized statisticalwebsites.

Te minimum annual number o overnightsby bed, the index, should be at least 120 or theestablishment to operate with prot in the case o Serbia. By using the method o calculating the in-dex o sustainable tourism management (SMi) in16 tourist centres, we tried to point to the changes

in the way o tourist business during the transitionperiod and the diusion o tourism outside city centres. Based on the number o beds and tourists,an index o capacity utilisation can be determined,that is, o the economic sustainability o the touristbusiness. A simple ormula is calculated accordingto the equation,

SMi = /B

in which stands or the number o tourists and B

or the total number o beds.When talking about the analysis o resourcesand identication o opportunities and threatsto tourism rom the surroundings, we used theconcept o SWO analysis. Te SWO analysis isa method o recognising and identiying the key development potentials and limitations, there-ore a basis or creating a vision and dening theguidelines or the development o adventure tour-ism. Te task o the SWO analysis o adventuretourism in Serbia is to distinguish between those

actors that represent development strengths anddevelopment weaknesses, and afer considering thetrends in broader surroundings, to point to the ba-sic development opportunities, i.e. threats resultingrom the analysis.

Te SWОТ analysis is a simple, well-known andrecognised way o prospecting and identiying thekey internal and external actors (characteristics),relevant in dierent conditions and with dierentcharacteristics and intensities, o particular im-portance or the estimation o potential develop-

ment eects. Te answer to this question involvesidentiying and classiying our groups o actors:

S – strengths, W – weaknesses, О – opportunitiesand Т – threats. Although ast, ecient and re-quently applied, it does not provide specic andclear answers, and thereore gives no ready-made

solutions, not unlike the majority o analyses inthe eld o management. Consequently, it is, inparticular, a way o ecient prospecting, invento-rying and organising acts (inormation and sensi-tive characteristics) as a oundation or buildingthe strategy and operation plans. Te perormedSWОТ analysis showed a wide scope o strengths,weaknesses, opportunities and threats and, basedon them, a number o specic consequent and/orcausative activities and priorities.

4. Results and fndings

According to their origin and geological struc-ture, their morphological characteristics and thedirections in which they extend, the mountains o Serbia can be divided into three groups. Te rstgroup includes the Serbian-Macedonian Mass withthe mountains extending on both sides o South

Morava and the Great Morava (mounts: Juhor,Jastrebac, Čemernik, Besna Kobila, Dukat, andothers). Te eastern part o the country consists o the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains (mounts:Stara, Suva, Ozren, Rtanj, Homoljske, Deli Jovan,and others). Te third group includes the DinaricMountains. Tis is a mountain range mostly in thewestern part o Serbia (mounts: Kopaonik, ara,Zlatibor, Golija, Zlatar, and the Valjevo mountains,and others). Naturally, not all the mountains inSerbia are attractive destinations or adventure

tourism. Te high mountains o western and east-ern Serbia are the most signicant (see Fig. 2).

Te mountains o Serbia are natural touristresources with distinct recreational, aesthetic andexceptional eatures. In the conditions o urbanisa-tion and globalisation, the importance and attrac-tiveness o mountains, as oases o preserved nature,is growing. Te types o adventure tourism that canbe rst developed in the mountains o Serbia arehiking, mountaineering and cycling.

Hiking and trekking are very popular activities in

the world. Tey involve hiking in the countryside,along the already established paths and carrying




appropriate equipment. Although hiking tourismis one o the most widespread types o tourism inthe world, it is not the case in Serbia. On almost allthe bigger mountains in Serbia (Kopaonik, Stara,

Golija, the Valjevo mountains, Rudnik, Homoljske,ara), there are walking paths appropriate or hik-ing, and their diculty is determined by their length(approximately 20‒30 km) and altitude. Most walk-ing paths are easy to ollow. Hiking is excellent orrelaxing emotionally and enjoying nature, but alsoor getting t. It does not require special equipmentor preparations, and it is appropriate or a widerscope o participants.

Mountaineering has a long tradition in Serbia,but this activity has not been widespread as regards

adventure tourism. Mountaineering expeditions areorganised by mountaineering societies within theMountaineering Association o Serbia. Participantsare accommodated in mountain homes, used by mountaineering societies.

Cycle tourism is developing slowly, althoughnumerous European cycling tour operators in-clude Serbia within their routes. Tere are eightcycle routes in Serbia. Te international cyclingrace ‘Trough Serbia’ is o high importance, as it

has taken place since 1939 and about 300 oreigncontestants take part in it.Cyclists rom Europe become acquainted with

Serbia on the Danube Cycle Route, which is a parto the international route Euro Velo 6 (rom theAtlantic Ocean to the Black Sea). Te route stretch-es through the valley o the river Danube, rom theHungarian border at Bački Breg to the border withBulgaria at Negotin. It passes through the plainsand hilly and mountainous areas, connectingprominent tourist locations, as well as Belgrade and

Novi Sad, the two largest cities in Serbia. Te routecontains three categories o roads: the main route(asphalt, macadamised and earth roads), alterna-tive routes (asphalt) and detours (suggested ridesoutside the Danube area). At the border cross-ings, there are inormation boards about the route.Te whole route is marked by a system o roadsigns and signposts that acilitate map navigationand spatial orientation.

Mountain biking is important in adventuretourism and it starts where the asphalt ends. Tere

are several mountain biking clubs in Serbia, andthere are recreationists as well who travel on bikes

on their own, publishing inormation about theirtravels and routes on websites. Tere are numer-ous routes or mountain biking and they can beound on mounts Stara, ara, Zlatibor, Mokra

Gora, Valjevo, Homoljske, Beljanica, Kučaj, andothers. Mountain biking enthusiasts preer excite-ment and strenuous rides on the mountain trails.Mountain biking is ofen a combination o cycling,mountaineering and being outdoors. Te mostamous routes are (Vučković, 2008): Užice –Bioska – Kremna – Šargan – Mokra Gora – Dobrun(Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Višegrad (Bosniaand Herzegovina) – Zaovine (ara) – Mitrovac –Kremna – Užice; Užice – Djetinja Canyon – Stapari –Dam at Vrutci – Užice, Jablanica (Zlatibor) – Vardište

(Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Kotroman – MokraGora – Šargan – ara (Zborište) – Lake Zaovine –Canyon o the Beli Rzav – Kotroman – MokraGora – Šargan – Kremna – Bioska – Divljačkastena – Užice and Belgrade – Valjevo – DebeloBrdo – Bajina Bašta – ara – Dobrun (Bosnia andHerzegovina) – Sopotnica – Prijepolje (see Fig. 2).

Cycling is most requently a component o a holiday, i.e. a journey. A mild adventure o cycletourism involves a slower ride, sightseeing and

meeting local people. It is connected with thrillseeking, testing one’s strength and ability, but it alsohas a strong environmental dimension. It can becombined with other types o tourism, most ofenwith rural tourism. Since cycle tourism entails reeactivities in which keeping t is an additional sat-isaction but not the main goal, it is dierent romcycling and bicycle racing.

able 1. Protected areas and resources o our mountain

clusters o adventure tourism

A B C D E

I 0 6 10 27

II 1 9 7 4

III 1 0 1 0

IV 0 2 2 2

otal: 2 17 20 33

Explanation: A – cluster; B – national park; C – naturepark & area o exceptional importance; D – nature reserve;

D – monument o natureSource: Institute or Nature Conservation o Serbia




Adventure tourism is closely associated withextreme sports. Participants’ motives or extremesports have to do with enjoyment caused by raisingadrenalin in the encounter with danger, and dem-

onstrating certain skills, but they are also a reec-tion o the need or an insight into the unknown.Extreme sports in Serbia are in their initial stageo development despite the presence o a numbero clubs promoting this orm o activities. In ex-treme sports, the key elements o experience arechallenges oered by specic surroundings andrisk (Morpeth, 2001). Certain extreme sports canbe part o what adventure tourism has to oerin Serbia. Tese are mostly rafing, paragliding,speleological explorations and ree climbing, and

the destinations o the aorementioned sports aremostly associated with the mountainous part o the country. Adventure sports involve risk, whichcan be reduced to a minimum by competent train-ing, sae equipment and personal attitudes o theparticipants.

Rafing has been increasingly ashionable inSerbia in recent years. Climate conditions allow participants to stay on the rivers without specialequipment between May and October. Te rivers onwhich rafing is organised are the Lim, Ibar, Drina,

Nišava, and Uvac. Tere are about a dozen rafingclubs within the Rafing Association o Serbia.

Free climbing appeared as an organised activ-ity in the late 1980s, and the mountaineeringsociety ‘Avala’ opened its rst climbing section in1990 (Hudeludis, 1998). Tere are several climbing

clubs that are members o the Alpinist-ClimbingAssociation o Serbia. Te best known natural rocksor ree climbing in Serbia are Borski Stol, Gornjak,Jelašnica, Ovčar and Kablar, and Sićevo.

Paragliding has been gaining importance sincethe 1990s as the youngest aeronautical sport, whichdoes not require large nancial resources. Tis typeo adventure oers its participants experience andchallenge, and several paragliding clubs organisetraining or interested participants. Te best knowntake-o sites in Serbia are: Sićevo, Rajac, Golija,

and Suva.Te mountainous area o Serbia is amous or

its numerous caves and pits. Te presence o karstterrain creates suitable conditions or the develop-ment o speleotourism – caving . We dierentiatebetween classical and sports speleotours (Genov,2008). In classical speleotours, caves are preparedor tourists’ visits: they have lighting, paths areclearly marked, and tourists walk. ours are guidedby expert guides and no previous preparations orequipment are necessary. In sports speleotours,

good physical tness is needed as well as the es-cort o a speleologist, because the caves are not

Fig. 1. Seasonality o average number o overnights per tourist in mountain tourist resorts in 2001 and 2011

Source: Statistical Oce o the Republic o Serbia




prepared or visits (no lighting or paths). Due to

physical strain and challenges, sports speleotoursare ofen called underground alpinism. Te bestknown caves prepared or tourists in Serbia areResavska (near Despotovac), Zlot caves (near Bor),Rajkova (near Majdanpek), Potpećka (near Užice),Bogovinska (near Bor), and Stopića cave (Zlatibor)(see Fig. 2). Tere are some partially prepared cavesor caves that used to be open to tourists, but havebeen devastated in the meantime, such as Potpećka,Prekonoška and Petnička cave. Visits are allowed tothese caves only in the presence o an expert guide

and with appropriate equipment.Te stay o tourists in the mountains aects the

quality and quantity o protected areas. Four clus-ters o mountain-based adventure tourism includetwo national parks and a number o natural areasand preserved sites that have been prepared or theactivities o tourists.

Adjustments to the market caused an increasein the number o accommodation acilities, butalso a decrease in the number o beds. Large hotelso the middle category (2‒3 stars) with over 200

beds have been replaced by smaller hotels o a highcategory (4‒5 stars), with a capacity o 100 or ewer

beds, and small private accommodation (2 stars).

In 2010 the total capacity o selected mountainareas were 21,755 beds (Statistical Oce o theRepublic o Serbia – SORS).

Regarding the number o tourist arrivals, themountains in Serbia are in third place, afer cit-ies and spas. In 2001 mountain tourism centresrecorded 18.1% o all arrivals and 29.1% o totalovernights in Serbia. In 2011 mountains attracted402,221 tourists (19.4% o total), who made1,590,016 overnights (23.9% o total Serbia over-nights). Te same year, the average stay was 4.0

overnights per tourist, suggesting the stationary character o mountain tourism.

Four potential clusters o mountain-basedadventure tourism attracted 342,233 tourists in2010. our operators estimate that out o thatnumber 20% participated in some orm o adven-ture tourism. Te average share o oreign touristswas 12.0%.

Climate characteristics o mountains sig-nicantly inuence the seasonal movement o adventure tourists. Average annual temperatures

range rom 3.6 C° Kopaonik mountain (station at1,710 m, 43°17’ N, 20°48’ E) to 11.6 C° at Valjevo

able 2. Basic indicators o capacities and tourist ows at cluster and tourism centre levels

A B CD

E Fa b

I

Kučevo 108 3,832 1,597 27.0 7.2

Despotovac 176 1,837 1,645 27.8 7.7Bor 880 14,707 5,429 17.9 17.6Boljevac 265 1,346 3,401 25.7 15.6Knjaževac 177 2,208 4,727 81.1 12.3Sokobanja 2523 60,323 48,837 117.0 2.5Pirot 394 6,765 7,223 30.6 35.8

II

Nova Varoš 753 16,066 7,087 41.3 10.1Prijepolje 477 4,457 2,785 11.9 21.0Čajetina 4099 86,508 110,990 104.7 15.7Ivanjica 915 17,354 17,380 96.4 6.3ara 1823 45,444 7,016 24.5 9.0

III Raška 4686 82,799 65,310 58.3 8.3Brus 1387 30,200 16,001 47.3 7.1

IVValjevo 2558 49,243 38,708 54.6 11.6Rajac 534 786 2,766 19.4 2.6

Explanation: A – cluster; B – tourist centre; C – beds; D – arrivals; E – occupancy (SM i) in 2010; F – share o oreigntourists (%); a – 2001; b – 2010

Source: Statistical Oce o the Republic o Serbia




station (176 m, 44°19’ N, 19°55’ E). Average annualprecipitation ranges rom 624 mm at Dimitrovgrad(450 m, 43°01’ N, 22°45’ E) to 1,017 mm at Zlatibormountain (1,028 m, 43°44’N, 19°43’ E). Insolation

has little variation and annual averages are around2000 hours o sun (Zlatibor and Kopaonik moun-tains are considered to be the sunniest mountainsin Serbia). Te number o average overnights pertourist by month shows two distinct seasons: win-ter and summer (see Fig. 1).

5. Discussion

Te ourism Development Strategy o the Republico Serbia also includes adventure tourism amongthe promising types o tourism. Several actors in-uence such a perception o the importance o thistype o tourism: during the last decades, adventuretourism has recorded very rapid development,Serbia as a mountainous country has avourablenatural prerequisites or this type o tourism, toname but two. Te success o Serbia as a new des-tination o adventure tourism depends mainly on

a well-conceived development strategy based onan analysis o all segments o tourist demand anda range o activities relevant to adventure tourism.

Adventure tourism in Serbia is accompanied by poor marketing and is badly positioned comparedto other countries in the region, and its organisedpromotion is yet to take place. Tis is supported by the act that ew agencies in Serbia have adventurepackages on oer. One o them is the Cycling andMountaineering Centre, specialised or adventurepackages in South-East Europe and the Balkans.

Te agency promotes sustainable and adventuretourism, primarily cycling and hiking. Besides thatone, there are several more agencies that oer raf-ing, hiking and other activities. Te organisation‘Wild Serbia’ organises individual and group one-day tours o adventure tourism, and the price is, de-pending on the adventure, between 20 and 80 eurosper person. Among adventure tours we distinguishbetween speleo adventures (visits to undiscoveredcaves without lighting or paths), canyoning (ex-

ploring canyons and climbing down river alls using

a rope), kayak tours, abseiling (abseiling – descentdown steep rocks using a rope), paragliding, ree

climbing and so on. So ar, the greatest importancein the promotion o adventure tourism in the localmarket belongs to mountaineering societies, sportsclubs (rafing, paragliding, cycling, speleological,

alpinist), and student youth organisations. For mostinhabitants o Serbia, organised adventure activitiesare unknown and not very accessible, not so muchdue to nancial obstacles, but because o the poorawareness. A small percentage o the populationhas tried adventure activities. Diusional spread-ing o popular adventure activities has been presentin Serbia in recent years, so the young have beenshowing growing anity or adventure tourism.

Adventure recreation in nature is a distinctiveorm o adventure tourism. Te natural character-

istics and topography o certain parts o Serbia havebeen especially conducive to this type o tourism.Te high mountainous area o Serbia has the high-est potential, due to rich natural resources, but ad-

venture tourism can also be developed in the otherparts o the country.

Carpathian and the Balkan Mountains o Eastern Serbia (mounts Stara 2,169 m, Suva1,808 m, Svrljiške 1,334 m, Kučaj 1,243 m, Rtanj1,560 m, Beljanica 1,336 m) with numerous gorges

(Jelašnička, Sićevačka), canyons and caves are inter-esting destinations o adventure tourism, especially or hiking, ree climbing, paragliding, mountainbiking and others. Participants interested in cultureand tradition have an opportunity to learn aboutthe rich cultural heritage o this part o Serbia anddiscover natural resources in the orm o numerousthermal and mineral springs.

In southwestern Serbia, mountains in the areao Stari Vlah and Raška (Zlatibor 1,496 m, Zlatar1,627, Golija 1,833 m and ara 1,544 m) and in the

Ibar and Kopaonik area (Kopaonik, 2,017 m, Željin1,785 m) are interesting and potential destina-tions o adventure tourism. Tat reers primarily to hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking (ara,Zlatibor and Kopaonik), paragliding (Kopaonik,Golija), speleotourism (Ušačka cave, Ledena caveand ubić cave), while the rivers are suitable orrafing (Lim, Uvac and Ibar). Kopaonik is the high-est mountain in Serbia and a national park. Long-lasting snow cover (November – May) and substan-tial insolation (about 200 sunny days a year) mark

this mountain as one o the most convenient onesor the development o adventure tourism.




Fig. 2. Potential clusters o mountain-based adventure tourism in Serbia

Explanation: I cluster – Carpathian and the Balkan Mountains ; II cluster – Mountains o Stari Vlah and Raška;

III cluster – Mountains o Ibar-Kopaonik region; IV cluster – Valjevo MountainsSource: Map is made on the Global Mapper v.11 basis (digital application) by the authors




able 3. SWO analysis o adventure tourism in Serbia

Strengths Weaknesses

• Complementaryphysicalandgeographicandanthropogeographic tourist values

• Favourabletrendsinthetouristdemand,• ‘New’destinationsintheinternationaltourismmarketin

the area o adventure tourism,• Positivedevelopmentofthepoliticalsituation(Convergence

and membership candidacy o the European Union),• AvailabilityoftheEuropeanUnionfundsfordevelopment

projects in the tourism area,• ImprovingtheimageofSerbiaasa touristdestination,• Attractingforeigninvestmenttodevelopmentoftourist

inrastructure,• Regionalandinternationalconnecting(cross-border

cooperation),• e useofmoderninformationtechnologyforpromotion

and marketing (e-marketing),• Highqualityandeducatedprofessionalstaininstitutions

involved with development o new orms o tourism inSerbia, with emphasis on adventure tourism,

• Initiatedformsofintersectionalconnectingintheeldoftourism, ecology and sustainable development,

• Positiveexperiencesandexamplesofgoodpracticesregarding development o adventure tourism in the SEEregion.

• e publicisnotfamiliarenoughwiththeadvantagesofadventure tourism,

• Incompleteinfrastructurefordevelopmentofadventuretourism (small number o viewpoints and rest areas). Besidescycling and mountaineering paths, there are no appropriatepossibilities or overnight stays or stops with an appropriaterange o ood and drinks on oer,

• Smallnumberofroadsigns,• Unstablepoliticalsituation(thelocalmarket),• Insucientsupportfortourismdevelopment(thelocal

market),• Insucientcooperationbetweenthestakeholders,• Damageofthenaturalattractiveness,• A smallnumberoftouristagenciesarmingadventure

tourism,• Possiblepoliticalinstability,whichcanjeopardisestrategiesof

sustainable development o Serbia,• Lackofthesharedvisionoftourismdevelopment,• Weakcooperationbetweenthepublicandprivatesectors,• Poorroadinfrastructureinsomelocations,• A smallnumberofaccommodationfacilities,• Lackofaccommodationfacilitiesthatmeettheinternational

standards o quality,• Obsoleteaccommodationcapacityandlowutilisation,• Lackofstandardisationandcategorisation,• Undevelopedtourismbrand,• Undevelopedbrandimage,• Unsuitableandinsucientpresentationofattractionsfor

tourists,• Disorganisationofoerproviders,• Insucientcreativityandinnovation,• Moderatepromotionalactivities,• Stillpresentmistrustandlackofunderstandingofcitizens

regarding clean environment and tourism,• Lackofcitizeninitiativeregardingdevelopmentofadventure

tourism,• Unplannedconstruction,PR and advertising promise more than can realistically beachieved. Exaggeration, even in the construction phase, burdensthe image which is in its initial phase, and consequently theprospects o development o adventure tourism.

Opportunities Treats

• Favourablegeographicposition,• Favourableclimatecharacteristics,• Naturalattractions,

• Preservednaturalresources(nationalpark,protectednatural resources),• Richoraandfauna,• Hospitabilityofpopulationandpositiveattitudetowards

tourists,• Richculturalandhistoricheritage,• Recreationalcontent,• Intendedandplannedbuildingofpanoramicpathsthat

connect settlements with mountainous surroundings• Formingclustersofadventuretourismaccordingto

geographic criteria and unique and high-value attractivenessactor (natural attractiveness)

• Creatingtouristproductsthatwillnotexistintheclosedorm or will not exist at all,

• Possibilitiesofincludingthelocaleconomyindevelopment

o adventure tourism• Exchangeofexperienceandexamplesofgoodpracticesinthe countries o the European Union.

• CompetitionfromotherSouthEasternEuropecounties,• TourisminSerbiadependsonexternaleventsandglobal

market changes,

• UndevelopedtouristimageofSerbia.• Lackofforeignandinwarddirectinvestmentsaremajorthreats. Without adequate unding, projects planned oradventure tourism cannot be expected to come to ruition.

• Sensitivityoftheenvironment.




Adventure tourism in this part o Serbia can bealigned with cultural tourism (numerous medievalmonasteries and churches – Studenica, Mileševa,Sopoćani, Žiča and others), spa and rural tour-

ism. Apart rom the aorementioned mountains,the Valjevo Mountains must be mentioned as well(Povlen 1,346 m, Jablanik 1,274 m, Medvednik 1,247and Maljen 1,103 m), as part o the Peripannonian rim o Serbia. Te mountains are characterised by numerous speleological orms, and dissection o relie (canyons), so they are suitable or speleotour-ism, ree climbing, paragliding, mountain biking,kayaking (the Drina) and other activities.

Te previous analysis enables the determiningo the widest context o activities in order to im-

prove adventure tourism in Serbia and to developcompetitive advantages. Te perormed SWOanalysis aims to point to internal weaknesses, sothe process o changing them should immediately be initiated. At the same time, it points to strengthsthat also need specic activities intended to keepthem at the existing level, i.e. or urther improvingo adventure tourism in Serbia. Te general aim o the SWO analysis o adventure tourism in Serbiais to minimise weaknesses along with a simultane-

ous increase o strengths, and to use, as well as pos-sible, the chances to diminish the threats rom thesurroundings.

6. Conclusions

Adventure tourism is an important part o the tour-ism market in the world because more and morepeople want an active holiday. Adventure sports

can be developed throughout Serbia, but the mostsuitable destinations are the mountains o eastern,southwestern and western Serbia.

According to the ourism DevelopmentStrategy o Serbia, the segment o adventure tour-ism is included in the combination o special in-terests, identied as one o the tourist products o priority that Serbia should invest in, because withregard to the natural resources o Serbia, there isexcellent potential or development o this touristproduct. Unortunately, development o adventure

tourism does not draw much attention – it is noteven mentioned in the Law on ourism o the

Republic o Serbia. Few agencies have adventurepackages on oer. Adventure activities are usually organised by rafing clubs and youth organisations,which is contrary to the law.

In order to promote and develop adventuretourism, it is necessary to establish a rmer unc-tional link between the Sector or ourism o theMinistry o Economy and Regional Developmentand the ourist Organisation o Serbia and localtourist agencies. Mountaineering societies, sportsclubs and non-governmental organisations shouldbe supported in promoting this type o tourism.Te identication o the key sites that would rep-resent the real backbone o adventure tourismdevelopment in Serbia is necessary in the coming

period. One o the main obstacles to developmentis the lack o accommodation capacity (primarily hostels and camps). An extenuating circumstanceis that there are numerous rural households in themountainous area o Serbia that can direct their ca-pacity towards tourism development. Te remain-ing limiting actors reer to the poor cooperationo the public and private sector, the state and thelocal authorities, insucient education o the localcommunity about the importance o tourism, and

adventure tourism in this case. Adequate market-ing is missing. Te main marketing in the utureshould be on the internet, i.e. web portals o adven-ture tourism.

Serbia has rich natural tourist potential. Witha avourable trac and geographic position, thereis a good basis or development o adventure tour-ism, especially since this type o tourism does notrequire large investments. Apart rom the employ-ment eects and tourism development in the innerand mountainous parts o Serbia, adventure tour-

ism would be highly important or the promotiono Serbia in the world. Development o this type o tourism would make other creative entrepreneursinterested in using the natural resources that havebeen completely unused so ar.

Note

(1) Te paper resulted rom work on the researchproject 176008, nancially supported by the

Ministry o Education and Science o theRepublic o Serbia between 2011 and 2015.




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