Digital literacy of farmers in the context of rural tourism services provision in Serbia

Purpose - Digital transformation in the sector of rural tourism, along with the digital literacy of farmers, is increasingly becoming an imperative for the successful operation of rural tourist households. However, research in this field is scarce in Serbia, which motivated the authors to explore it in more detail. The aim of the research was to examine the awareness of the members of rural tourist households of the need and importance of possessing digital literacy for managing the tourist offer, as well as to study the factors affecting this awareness. Methodology - We used online survey research and a semi-structured questionnaire designed for these needs. The sample involved 131 rural tourist households. Conclusions were drawn using descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistical technique for comparing groups Kruskal-Wallis test. Findings - Members of rural tourist households in Serbia are highly aware of the need and importance of digital literacy for performing tasks in the field of rural tourism. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that only the respondents' attitude towards the importance of marketing for rural tourism development had a statistically significant effect on these attitudes (p=0.000). Implications - Despite the subjectivity inherent in this research, the obtained results enrich scientific knowledge in this field and provide useful information for practitioners and policymakers in the areas of rural development and rural tourism.