DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism 2026, 18(1):4-27 | DOI: 10.32725/det.2026.001

Slow Food Image and Sustainable Rural Tourism: a Comparative Study of Serbia and Hungary

Aleksandra Vujkoa,*, Drago Cvijanovićb,, Dušica Cvijanovićb
a Singidunum University, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Danijelova 32, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
b University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, Vojvodjanska 5a, 36210 Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia.
* corresponding author

Over the last couple of years, slow food has developed as a sustainable form of tourism capable of transforming rural destinations and their development. In the hustle-bustle that everyone goes through, people are constantly looking for oases of peace and ways to restart and be well, feel healthy. The paper started from the initial hypothesis H that slow food has a direct impact on the sustainable development of rural destinations, but we wanted to get information about what kind of gastronomy affects the sustainable development of rural destinations and how it happens? The research was carried out with the guests of two traditional restaurants where local, traditional cuisine is prepared and served in a traditional way—one in Hungary and the other in Vojvodina (Serbia). A total of 493 guests from these two restaurants were interviewed so as to obtain information on what influences the creation of positive slow food images. It has been concluded that slow food concretes are influenced by some attributes as: Value for money, quality of food, quantity of dishes, variety of dishes, food presentation, and overall traditional meal experience and also the surroundings' attractiveness. High scores for these attributes confirm the positive influence of slow food on sustainable development of rural destinations.

Keywords: slow food, rural tourism, sustainable development, gastronomy, Panonian plain

Received: January 12, 2025; Revised: November 29, 2025; Accepted: May 12, 2026; Published: May 16, 2026  Show citation

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Vujko, A., Cvijanović, D., & Cvijanović, D. (2026). Slow Food Image and Sustainable Rural Tourism: a Comparative Study of Serbia and Hungary. DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism, 18(1), 4-27. doi: 10.32725/det.2026.001
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