ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AS A DETERMINANT OF THE COMPETITIVENESS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECOTOURISM IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Tourism is more dependent on the environment than any other economic activity. Modern tourism requires the use of vast areas of the environment, untouched or well-protected, because only in such areas can it hope to develop so as to be of economic and social benefit. Having in mind the great impact of tourism on the environment, its development needs to harmonise with the concept of sustainability. Ecotourism is one of the selective forms of tourism based on natural resources and their use over time, and it is characterised by tourist offers with unique values. Accordingly, the research subject of this paper is ecotourism, which aims to enable the tourism industry to operate while preserving the environment. The aim of this paper is to analyse the achieved level of environmental quality as the basis for the development of ecotourism, and as a component of the competitiveness of the Republic of Serbia’s tourism.