Perspectives on Rural Wellbeing Tourism in the Region of Western Serbia: Tourists’ Motivations and Expectations

In an era of increasing urbanization with people’s lives becoming faster and more stressful, there is a growing desire for relaxation and «escape» from their regular lifestyle, as well as a need for clarity of mind. The purpose of this study was to look into the potential of applying the idea of rest in a rural setting, which is driven by the development of harmony, well-being, and the prevention of different health issues that may arise as a result of people living in a stressful environment. The research focused on identifying key motivations for tourists from Serbia to visit rural areas in this country. The rural wellbeing tourism concept, which is most commonly used in Scandinavian countries, has shown to be a great model for rural tourist destinations to develop and utilize their resources for tourists seeking to improve their health. According to the findings of the study, there is interest in this concept among Serbian tourists, because their present view of vacationing in a rural setting is primarily connected to travel driven by the desire to build mental well-being, calm down and recuperate from everyday routines. As an example of a tourist region in which it would be possible to implement such a concept, the region of Western Serbia was proposed, which with its physical and geographical characteristics, but also anthropogenic resources, as well as the existing tourist tradition, has the opportunity to implement such a concept and thus further strengthen the tourist offer of this region.