Local residents’ attitudes towards tourism events: A case study of the Carnival of Vrnjci, Serbia

Abstract

Elements of the tourism destination offer such as manifestations contributing to economic prosperity and creating a positive image of the destination may create pressure on the natural and cultural resources of the destination. Since active support of the local residents is crucial for the future planning and development of tourism, it is necessary to evaluate the tourism events by considering their impact on the quality of life of the local residents. This paper analyzes the residents` attitudes towards the event that has been taking place in Vrnjačka Banja for 14 years - the Carnival of Vrnjci. The applied method is a survey, which was conducted on a sample of 300 local residents. Research shows that the Carnival of Vrnjci has a positive impact on the quality of life of the local residents. In addition, the results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference between the attitudes of residents of different socio-demographic characteristics about the effects of Carnival of Vrnjci on their quality of life.