RESIDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE IMPACT OF MATERIAL HERITAGE IN UNDEVELOPED AREAS: ZENICA-DOBOJ CANTON CASE STUDY

Purpose – This paper will explore the importance of material cultural heritage as a factor of an area’s tourism development. Zenica-Doboj Canton is located in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Canton's development of its tourist offer could be based on its material cultural and historical heritage and tourism in that area could take place throughout the year if other offers of services and products enabled it. This paper has a theoretical and an empirical value since both quantitative and qualitative methods will be used. Methodology – In addition to this, desk research of the existing literature will be carried out and the secondary data will be used to analyze the current state of tourism. Furthermore, authors will conduct an empirical research using qualitative methods of analysis. The empirical research is based on a structured questionnaire. More precisely, the local population of the Zenica-Doboj Canton will be questioned by using a sampling method in order to determine their role and importance in the product of cultural tourism. Based on the conducted survey through the SWOT analysis, the advantages and disadvantages of cultural tourism will be determined. Findings – The positive conclusion of the survey is that residents see cultural tourism as the most representative form of tourism in the Zenica-Doboj Canton whose development could significantly improve the economic situation of this particular area. A model for a product development will be presented in this paper on the basis of the obtained results. Contribution – It is concluded that the population's interest opens up the possibility of adapting the offer to tourists. Therefore, it is necessary to include the local population in the product formation because they are part of the product.