The Importance of the Internet in Rural Tourism Development of Serbia

The Internet presents one of the most important media in data transferring and its use is in the continuous growth. Almost 40% of the Serbian population uses the Internet and more than 3 million inhabitants have active profiles on Facebook. Serbia has been registered on the Internet since 1996. According to the great number of research, tourism, just like a Serbian tourist offer, is a part of that service category whose presentation, distribution and purchase are greatly carried out on the Internet. At the early beginning of the rural tourism development a limited number of households were involved in this type of tourism and later it has grown massively due to the Internet and tourism associations advancement. During the 2014, Serbia made 2200 overnight stays showing its position in the first phase of the rural tourism development. The National Tourism Organisation of Serbia has included this type of tourism, which has been neglected for over the past fifty years, giving it priority in its programme. Due to the website www.selo.rs, National Association of Rural Tourism of Serbia has become an active representative in the European Federation of Rural Tourism Development. Today, many social networks have great importance promoting tourist services.