THE ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF GASTRONOMIC TOURISM FOR RURAL AREAS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF APATIN

The paper starts with the initial hypothesis that traditional, i.e. local food served in local restaurants (chardas) is the basis for the development of rural areas. By setting certain sub-hypotheses, we highlight the primary purpose of the paper, and thus we show that traditional food has the “strength” to change and improve rural areas. We based the research on a changed questionnaire previously used for research in the Black Sea resorts of Romania. The questionnaire comprises of 9 attributes, and we asked respondents to rank certain attributes on a three-point scale. The research was conducted among visitors who came from eight countries, including Serbia, to get the most relevant data through statistical processing, which will serve to assess the current, but also to predict the future state and development of gastronomic tourism.


Introduction
Since food and beverage are recognized as important factors in attracting tourists, we consider gastronomic tourism to be the backbone of the development of rural areas. (Hall, Mitchell, 2001;Hjalager, Richards, 2002;Charters, Pettigrew, 2005;Wolf, 2006;Petrović et al., 2017;Vuković et al., 2019;Vujko et al., 2020). Food has the "power" to attract tourists contributing to the transformation of rural areas into tourist destinations. It is well The tourist attractions in the region are the very rich fishing waters on the Danube and its branches, as well as famous hunting places, habitats of the famous Danube deer and other game animals. Apatin has long been known as a fishing center. The floodplain of the special nature reserve "Gornje Podunavlje" is a natural hatchery for about 50 species of freshwater fish, among which the most important species are: carp, pike, perch, catfish, etc. (Rudić-Vranić, 1960;Ćopić, 2016). Also, the Apatin fishing culinary tradition is well known, as well as the manifestation "Apatin Fishermen's Evenings".
The paper tries to show that food and gastronomic tourism are a powerful magnet for attracting tourists, and a mighty instrument with the help of which the invested money will return many times. Such investment directly affects the development of rural areas, which is the starting hypothesis of the paper. The primary aim of the paper is to prove that traditional food has the "strength" to change and improve rural areas, and gastronomic tourism represents the backbone of development. What we conclude is that certain items influence the overall impression which gastronomy makes on tourists. Thus, new aims of the paper emerged, i.e. to investigate whether tourists are satisfied with their stay at the destination and whether this stay fulfilled their expectations; also, to check the quality of the food that was served, as well as to check the quality of the service in chardas.

The research methodology
The survey was conducted among the guests of three well known chardas on the territory of the municipality of Apatin, "Zlatna Kruna", "Harčaš" charda, and "Kupusinska" charda from May until September 2018, and included 234 participants of different gender, age, and educational background.
The quantitative-qualitative method, which is one of the most used methods, is used in this paper because it allows great freedom in research and evaluation, and is based on the following indicators: accessibility of resources, tourist equipment, environment, resource specificity, resource significance, and artistic value. For this paper, we did the valorization of gastronomic tourism on the Danube chardas of the municipality of Apatin: Charda"Zlatna kruna" (Golden Crown), "Harčaš" charda, and "Kupusinska" We based this study on a changed questionnaire that was primarily conducted in the Black Sea resorts of Romania in August 1997 and implemented by Nield, Kozak & LeGrys (2000). According to Nield, Kozak & LeGrys (2000), the participants were asked to rate nine attributes (Value for money, Food quality, Number of dishes, Standard of food service, Variety of dishes, Food presentation, Overall traditional meal experience, Speed of service, Attractiveness of surroundings) of food service (on a three-point scale).
A three-point scale, although unusual, was employed to give unequivocal answers regarding tourists' likes and dislikes. Within the three-point scale, the item `like' refers to the respondents' favorite opinions about the food and beverage and the item `dislike' refers to their unfavorable opinions. The item `neither' was inserted for those who neither liked nor disliked an item. By applying the appropriate research instruments, the survey included variables that primarily concerned the participants' opinions of the linkage between traditional food and loyalty. The variables reflect the opinion of the participants about the food, food service, the attractiveness of surroundings, and loyalty.
The collected data was analyzed by employing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program. This data was analyzed by appropriate statistical methods which were descriptive and comparative, enabling the explication of the research results and the performing certain conclusions.
One form of the analysis of the data was the chi-square test (Pearson Chi-Square Test). It was used to determine whether a received (observed) frequency (the responses of participants compared to the origin country) deviated from the frequencies that were expected. This test aimed to check if there was a connection between these groups of participants and the probability of connection. Practice is to always start from the premise that there are certain values of the difference in responses. To detect differences in the responses measured based on statistically significant differences in the distribution of the dependent variable to an independent one, statistically significant differences are taken for those having p <0,05.
In this paper, we started from the main hypothesis H: Traditional food is the reason for the development of the rural areas. Certain lower-level hypotheses are set under the main one: h1-staying at the destination fulfilled the expectations (Table 1); h2the traditional food is presented in the right manner (Table 11); h3-the environment that surrounds the Apatin chardas (national restaurants) is attractive and improves the overall impression (Table 13, 17); h4-the food and service in the restaurants represent the product which becomes the basis of tourist loyalty ( Table 3, 5,7,9,15)   , quality of food, number of dishes, and quality of service significantly impact tourist satisfaction and thus affect the perception of gastronomic tourism and rural areas. In this sense, food positively affects satisfaction and intentions to return to a destination. Apart from this, food quality in relation to quality service directly influences the positive aspects of rural areas' development. When one talks about food quality, it is primarily about the quality of the ingredients they made a certain dish of. Organic products are ecologically grown and healthy habits are valued most.  According to Okumus et al. (2007), the sensory experience seemed to be the primary determinant of satisfaction. Thus, several gangs that are served, and also the colors of dishes that are served on the plates, matching the ingredients and spices, the smell of the dish (table 9), as well as the psychological moment i.e. the impression that something is of better quality if there is more of it. By examining tables 3 and 9, it can be concluded that a total number of 98% of participants agreed that the quality in chards is at the top level. Data in table 6 also show that there was no statistically significant difference in participants' responses depending on the country they come from (p=18.695). The number of gangs which is served at 'salash' is at the pleasure of participants and they all agreed that they ate and drank very well at 'salash'. Certain researchers concluded that traditional food is something people love and always return to (Lončarić et al., 2021), and 'salash' itself is a place where traditional dishes are served. Primarily this also means a traditional way of serving food is respected, which means several gangs (small dishes), from appetizer to dessert. The way something is served, as well as the people who are serving food also influence the guest's perception and his wish to visit the destination again (Perić et al., 2020). According to Rozin and Rozin (1981), the standard of food service represents the "ID" of the restaurant, and of the destination itself. Analyzing data from table 7, we can conclude that the respondents support this statement.    Table 10 shows that participants' responses depending on the country they come from, statistically do not defer (p=10.429), which is corresponding to the research conducted by Brankov et al., (2019), according to which the diversity itself is the key to duration, and thus is the quality. Food presentation refers to the arrangement of food on the plate in a way that fulfills all organoleptic properties. According to Björk and Kauppinen-Räisänen (2018), food was described as hedonism, and food tourism was a journey in search for taste stimulation which is more than a combination of smell, taste, which is beautiful to the eye and which is arranged and served properly. All this represents food presentation. By examining Table 11 it can be concluded that approximately a half of participants stated that food presentation in chards is done properly, while another half of participants had different statements, 18% voted for inadequate presentation and 27,5% were undecided.     By analyzing tables 3, 5, 7, 9, and 15, we can conclude that the majority of tourists positively assessed the quality of service and food in the previously mentioned chardas and that this influences a positive attitude about the development of gastronomic tourism. Furthermore, this proves the hypothesis h4-the food and service in the restaurants represent the product which becomes the basis of tourist loyalty. Agriculture, Year 68, No. 4, 2021, (pp. 1043-1059), Belgrade  It is stated for gastronomy that it might be the main reason a tourist chooses a destination (Santich, 2004), as well as the reason to stay longer at a certain destination (Kivela and Crotts, 2006). For Mak et al. (2012a) the destination is an attraction for restaurants.  Analyzing tables 13 and 17, we can conclude that the majority of tourists positively assessed the influence of the surroundings and the experience we get. This proves hypothesis h3-the environment that surrounds the Apatin chardas (national restaurants) is attractive and improves the overall impression (t 13, 17).

Economics of
Based on the valorization, it is possible to notice that from all the chardas, only the Zlatna Kruna (Golden Crown) has the best grade for artistic value, thanks to the previously mentioned excellent parameters. Immediately after this charda, the Harčaš (Harchash) charda stands out. This charda has a special significance because of the beautifully landscaped environment in an attractive location near the Danube. After the Harchash Charda, the Kupusinksa Charda stands out for its specificity, it is ideal for all those who want to enjoy the silence and beauty of nature, and also who have the opportunity to spend the night, prepare food on their own, and drink coffee made in the old way. Agriculture, Year 68, No. 4, 2021, (pp. 1043-1059), Belgrade Grades for the assessment of the gastronomy of the Apatin Chardas in tourism development, both with SWOT analysis (Table 19) and with valorization (Table 20) were: VISION -At the very beginning of the development of this type of tourism, it is first necessary to determine the tour that tourists will make. This tour should contain a series of activities that will make time spent in Apatin beautiful and fulfilling to tourists. As people today more often decide on several brief vacations during the year, this weekend tour should attract tourists to visit the chardas as well as to improve the image of the destination itself. The tour would start from the charda "Zlatna kruna" (Golden Crown), where tourists would walk along the banks of the Danube and visit the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles, after which they would return to "Zlatna kruna" where hosts would offer them a fish stew and a roes pie.

Economics of
After an afternoon meal and enjoyment along the banks of the Danube, tourists would choose whether to go by kayak with an instructor, for those who like to row alone, or by boat, for those who still prefer to feel the warm breeze on their faces. There they would be welcomed with an apéritif by their choice while listening to relaxing music of a good old tambourine. Here, tourists could enjoy some additional activities before dinner, such as cycling or, for fish lovers, fishing on the banks of the Danube and swimming in the river and for the youngest: games on the sand, skipping rope, badminton, playing marbles and other.
After enjoying additional activities, tourists could enjoy fish specialties for dinner, such as grilled fish, stuffed smoked carp; here tourists would spend the night under the starry sky in their tents to feel the true charm of nature. In the morning after breakfast, tourists would go to the last charda -Kupusinska charda, by boat or bicycle for those who love cycling, where they would all take part in preparing fish stew, so to bring with them and pass on to new generations the famous Apatin recipe.
After the meal, a fishing competition would be organized for both the older and younger population, after which prizes would be given for the first three places that tourists will take themselves as a souvenir, and for the first place the prize would be a tour of the Upper Danube special nature reserve. It would encourage revisiting the destination and enabling the development of other types of tourism. Also, the reward for children would be sweets in their weight. After laughter and fun, tourists would return by boat to the original chard where their journey begins and ends.
MISSION -The mission of this form of tourism is primarily to expand the business of chardas and establish cooperation with all relevant entities of economic and social life that are important for strengthening tourism in the Municipality of Apatin, as well as for the planning of its positioning in the market. It is necessary to enable the connection of key stakeholders who will work together to form and implement this tourist product. It is necessary to enable the branding of this area as attractive for tourists and to provide support, through regular and project activities. Furthermore, it is necessary to establish constant information and marketing support, publish printed issues and create a website. The most important is the cooperation with the Tourist Organization of the city of Apatin, which will actively present this form of tourism as well as directly raise interest in tourists towards gastronomic tourism.
AIM-The primary goal of this form of tourism is to establish cooperation with the local population so that residents gain insight into the importance of this form of tourism. Through this form of tourism, it is possible to develop the local community and raise the standard of living. Furthermore, it would enable the creation of a recognizable image of the destination as well as attract a larger number of tourists, both domestic and foreign. The development of this type of gastronomic tourism will contribute to preserving the tradition and emphasize the potentials that this city has. It is very important to fulfill all the expectations of tourists, to fulfill their wishes and requirements, to create a positive image of this type of tourism, to influence the extension of tourists' stay and their return. It is necessary to introduce modern trends in the field of marketing and communication to become visible and recognizable in the market. Some of the other goals are also the infrastructural development of the destination and the ultimate goal is to ensure the long-term competitive advantage of the destination in the market.

Conclusion
The gastronomic offer of chardas represents a great potential for further development of tourism in the territory of the Municipality of Apatin. By developing this type of tourism, Apatin, as a tourist destination on the market, could offer a new product and attract new tourists. It is important to plan, in advance and with great care, the development of this type of tourism, to get the maximum benefit for all participants, as well as the tourists themselves. The development of this type of tourism would greatly contribute to the creation of the brand and recognition of Apatin as a tourist destination. Having all this in mind, we can conclude that the main hypothesis of the paper is proved.
Food is directly or indirectly related to Apatin, as a tourist destination; according to some authors, food encourages tourists to taste, and thus experience the local cuisine. In this paper, the lower level hypothesis h1 proved to be correct, just like the lower level hypothesis h4. For something to prove to be of high quality and thus have loyal consumers, it must, additionally, provide a certain satisfaction. This is exactly the triad of factors that affect loyalty: quality, satisfaction, loyalty.
Food and beverage are a powerful means of branding a country and means of its promotion. The involvement of food in tourism marketing and management has increased significantly in the last few decades. In some destinations, food is used as an eye-catcher in brochures, recordings, and television programs. In addition, the presentation of food takes place not only on the plates but also in the chardas. Apatin chardas have many gastronomic specialties that would lead to an increase in the number of guests (consumers) in this district, not only the production and preparation of dried meat products, pork scratching, soup, cooked meat, and tomato sauce but also the preparation and presentation of strudels, floating islands, and Bundt cakes. All this confirmed two hypotheses, h2 and h3.