Let the voice of residents' be heard. Factors determining support for tourism development in Western Serbia

The most essential part of a tourist destination are local residents, whose views must be understood to develop tourism sustainably. This research aims to investigate the attitudes of the local residents (n= 845) towards the development of tourism in Western Serbia. By applying the principal component exploratory factor analysis (EFA), three factors have been identified that reflect the views of the local residents on the development of tourism. Those factors are the perception of tourism benefits, support for tourism development, and attachment to the community. Also, this research aims to investigate whether the attitudes of the residents differ according to their sociodemographic characteristics. The results of the paper show that the residents have a positive attitude towards the development of tourism in Western Serbia and that their attitudes partially differ about their sociodemographic characteristics.