Characteristics of Rural Tourism Supply in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Possible Perspectives Based on the Demand Model

Abstract

Abstract: Rural tourism has become increasingly popular, due to a new perception of travel. It has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth and social change because of its complementary with other economic activities. Local and national governments have found that rural tourism can benefit communities by increasing business, employment and income. Most rural areas around the world, and also in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are facing population decline and changes brought about by industrialization and urbanization. Rural tourism is recognized as a significant factor in the recovery and preservation of nature, landscapes, historical sites and traditional lifestyles.The most important consequence of the development of rural tourism in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the progress of rural communities and rural tourism supply, and also the improvement of the socioeconomic status of the rural population.The aim is attracting more tourists who will be satisfied with rural tourism supply.

That's why the following hypothesis is put in the paper: "The development of rural tourism has a statistically significant effect on the level of satisfaction of tourists in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina." The  questionnaire research technique was used to collect data for both the dependent and independent variable of the defined hypothesis. For both variables, the survey question was asked in the form of a Likert scale with five levels. Considering the above data, both the dependent and independent variables of this hypothesis are were of a quantitative nature, so the statistical method of least squares, the linear regression method, was used to test the hypothesis. The results of the conducted research show that the development of rural tourism affects the satisfaction of tourists in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (correlation and determination show a connection of medium strength, and the model is significant at level 1 % statistical significance, p=0.001). So, it can be concluded, regarding the results, that the development of rural tourism has a significant effect on the level of satisfaction of tourists in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.