GASTRONOMY AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR RURAL PROSPERITY - EVIDENCE FROM RURAL SETTLEMENTS IN REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Food and gastronomy certainly occupy a special position in rural promotion. The aim of the research was to determine to what extent the local population believes that the gastronomic offer affects rural prosperity. The results show that all the factors of the tourist offer are of satisfactory quality and have a significant influence in predicting the rural development of countryside in Serbia, and that respondents in the middle age category believe that gastronomy determines rural prosperity. Material status has no statistical significance in the difference in the perception of the impact of gastronomy on rural development, but in relation to the age category, results show a statistically significant difference. The research has an obvious importance in the theoretical and applied aspect, as a complement to the existing literature, as well as an aid in the strategic planning of the development of rural settlements in Serbia.