The Impact of Sustainable Tourism of Forest Ecosystems on the Satisfaction of Tourists and Residents—An Example of a Protected Area, Vojvodina Province (Northern Serbia)

The importance of forest ecosystems in tourism and recreation to sustainable tourism (SUT) in protected areas (PARs) has been the subject of research in numerous studies. People are increasingly turning to nature and its values. To prevent impacts on forest ecosystems, protected area managers plan for SUT and recreation use. The SUT in the PARs is based on four main pillars of sustainability: ecological, economic, sociocultural, and institutional dimensions. In this study, the authors examined the significance of social and ecological elements in the evolution of sustainable tourism for residents and visitors of the Karadjordjevo Special Nature Reserve (Karadjordjevo), where the primary resource is the forest ecosystem. The aim of this research was to examine the state and prospects for the development of sustainable tourism in the nature reserve by observing the dimensions of sustainability. In addition, the aim was to determine whether sustainable tourism affects the satisfaction of residents and visitors of this nature reserve. The research employs a quantitative methodology and applies the Prism of Sustainability model, continuing the authors’ previous research of nature-based tourism on the Balkan Peninsula. Based on the analysis of 1240 replies, it may be inferred that the four facets of sustainability significantly influence the state of tourism and that SUT greatly affects respondents’ sentiments. The new insights from this research indicate that the respondents recognized the importance of sustainable tourism, although not all significant destination factors exist that can impact the protection of nature on the one hand and the development of tourism with no adverse environmental consequences on the other. The research results are important for the various SUT plans and documents related to the management of destinations with forest ecosystems.