THE IMPORTANCE OF RURAL AREAS IN THE CREATION OF TOURISM OFFERS DUE TO COVID-19 EXPANSION

The Covid-19 virus pandemic has so far affected all aspects of human life and activity around the planet in an extremely invasive way. What has significantly attracted the attention of the general public is the impact of Covid-19 on the tourism sector, which, last year, suffered daily immeasurable losses. During the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, areas with relatively low population density came to the forefront in the domain of creating a tourism offer. In times of crisis, rural areas with open, unpolluted spaces, such as protected natural areas, become very attractive and sought after. Bearing in mind that, rural areas are those parts of the territory that has a relatively low population density, but may also have certain characteristics in terms of natural, geographical, and climate specifics, also in terms of the economy, etc. The research part of this paper will deal with the ratio of tourist arrivals and overnight stays, and indexes of tourist demand in 2020 in comparison to 2019, as well as the analysis of the frequency of visitation of tourist spots in Serbia.