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Wetlands provide extensive ecological services for life on Earth, but they are facing rapid global disappearance under the influence of human activities and climate change. Therefore, it is of great importance to ensure the wise use of wetlands. Local residents' attitudes toward sustainable tourism in wetlands are essential to the sustainable management and wise use of this resource. This study examined the attitudes of local communities towards sustainable wetland tourism in three wetland areas in Northern Serbia. The survey was implemented to 1078 households randomly selected from seven communes (20 settlements) adjacent to chosen Ramsar sites. Using SPSS 25, the data was subsequently processed, assessed, and explained. In addition to descriptive statistics, a correlation was used to determine the factors that affect locals' attitudes toward the development of sustainable wetland tourism. The study shows that local residents generally hold positive attitudes towards sustainable wetland tourism. Age, length of residency, gender, employment, education and income are observed to be significantly impacting attitudes toward sustainable wetland tourism. Although there is a high level of awareness of the risks to wetlands, there is doubt regarding their understanding of the state of wetlands' protection and the particular issues they face. On the other hand, there is no doubt that locals are ready to protect wetlands for upcoming generations. For sustainable wetland tourism, management, and conservation, it is crucial to connect management organizations, tourism representatives, and people. In this matter, it is important to improve communication and connection between the mentioned stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to explore the attitudes of the local community towards sustainable tourism development in the protected area River Gradac and examine the effectiveness of the sustainable tourism attitude scale. Sustainable tourism attitude scale (SUS-TAS) is used for analyzing local residents' attitudes towards sustainable tourism development. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was implemented to determine the dimensions of the sustainable tourism attitude scale. The findings of this study support a seven-dimension SUS-TAS model using 28 items that maintained construct validity and internal consistency. The survey's results indicate that Gradac River gorge has a really good community to support sustainable tourism activities in each area considered. Research on residents' attitudes toward tourism development suggests that the support of local residents to be highly important if a community's tourism industry is to be successful and sustainable in the long-term. The results of this overall research study provided essential management implications for tourism planning of the Gradac River gorge in Serbia including the need to incorporate residents' attitudes into tourism planning efforts and decision-making. Through understanding residents' attitudes toward sustainable tourism, it is possible to prioritize management strategies while respecting the needs and rights of the local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores local community attitudes toward ecotourism as a form of sustainable tourism in the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve in Serbia using the Sustainable Tourism Attitude Scale (SUSTAS). Residents of the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve acknowledge the sociocultural and economic benefits of ecotourism development while recognizing the negative impacts of development on the natural environment. Low awareness of non-charismatic species among residents contrasts with strong awareness of them among large communities of scientists and naturalists in Serbia. This study shows the importance of local community support for ecotourism and conservation development. Moreover, the study revealed that the SUS-TAS scale can be successfully applied in ecotourism research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]