Sustainable Tourism to the Part of Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve “Mura-Drava-Danube”. A Case of Serbia, Croatia and Hungary

Abstract

Biosphere reserves are protected areas vital for the preservation of living and inanimate nature, including the protection of anthropogenic values and cultural heritage. The basins of the Mura, Drava, and Danube rivers stretch through Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Hungary, and Serbia and form a unique spatial unity. The Biosphere Reserve concept defines about 300,000 hectares of core and buffer zones and around 700,000 hectares of transition zones. This large, primarily marshy area is rich in natural and cultural heritage. This area is called “the Amazon of Europe” and represents the world’s first Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, “Mura-Drava-Danube,” among five countries. This biosphere reserve is important for the preservation of the natural and cultural values of the entire region. Especially rare plant and animal representatives live in this unique geographical unity. Some species inhabit only this area. A total of 900,000 people living around this reserve have a rich cultural tradition and heritage that needs to be protected. The objective of the research is to examine the function that the selected protected areas have in the sustainable development of tourism. Quantitative methodology was used in the research. An analysis of the conducted questionnaire was performed using the SPSS v.21 software, as well as a comparative analysis of the attitudes of 1295 residents from three countries. Residents’ attitudes refer to the level of ecological, economic, socio-cultural, and institutional sustainability of this biosphere reserve as a tourist destination. The research results indicate that the four dimensions of sustainability have significant values and that the selected areas have an important function in the sustainable development of tourism.

1. Introduction

Protected areas are characterized by a variety of natural and anthropogenic values [1]. Very rare and endangered plant and animal species, diverse biocoenosis, geological forms, and soil features are present there, together creating a unique and specific ecosystem. Usually, the protected areas are inhabited by a large population whose role is particularly significant for their protection and management [2,3,4]. Residents possess rich traditions and heritages, which, together with natural values, represent a significant potential for defining the status of the UNESCO protection program. Such protected areas are important tourist destinations because the whole of humanity is interested in them. It is necessary to develop tourism that promotes and encourages the protection of these areas and species and that improves the natural and cultural values of these tourist destinations [1]. Unplanned tourism development results in numerous impacts on space and the protected values of the local communities. Concerning negative impacts include space degradation, unplanned construction, pollution, and devastation, as well as the influence on flora and fauna, the culture of residents, and other values [3]. The positive effects of tourism are related to the improvement of all values in these protected areas as tourist destinations. Sustainable tourism development is a model of preserving the natural and cultural values of a destination [3,4]. When we examine the impact of sustainable tourism development on protected areas with natural and cultural heritage, we must take into consideration the attitudes about residents’ satisfaction [2] with the current condition and the impacts of tourism within the protected areas [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11].

The research’s aim is to examine the function that the selected protected areas have in the sustainable development of tourism. The examination of this function can be done with the help of the attitudes of the residents. Residents have an important role in the sustainable development of tourism. This role is realized through planned protection of the area, the development of tourism, the promotion of tourist values, and the control of the protection of the area [4,5,12,13,14,15]. Therefore, it is important to examine the attitudes of residents regarding the state of sustainable tourism in one part of the Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve “Mura-Drava-Danube.”

In this paper, the objective of the research is to investigate the function of one part of the Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, “Mura-Drava-Danube,” in sustainable tourism development [15]. This will be examined using quantitative methodology. Significant results will be related to the state of sustainable tourism development in three selected protected areas (Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary), which represent an exceptional part of the unique UNESCO Transboundary Biosphere Reserve “Mura-Drava-Danube.” This large wetland abounds in a wealth of plant and animal species, rare geological phenomena, numerous canals, ponds, marshes, and lakes, and a wealth of cultural and historical heritage from the large population living along this protected belt. Tourism can be an important economic activity and a catalyst for the development of this area, local communities, and region [14]. Suppose there are positive impacts on natural and anthropogenic elements of the tourist destinations, improvement of the area protection, satisfaction of residents and visitors, and the state as a whole. In that case, it is considered sustainable tourism development because of tourism activities [12,13,14,15].

The perceived attitudes about the satisfaction of residents with sustainable tourism development [12,13,14,15,16] can serve in researching the state and importance of sustainable tourism [17,18,19].

The results of the study will be used to plan the development of tourism in the nature reserves of the region and worldwide, as well as in future research on the importance of protected areas for sustainable tourism development.

2. Literature Review

Proper tourism development in the protected areas can contribute to various benefits for visitors and residents. The overall condition of sustainable tourism is measured by the individual state of ecological, socio-cultural, economic, and institutional sustainability [12,13,14,15].

The reasons why certain areas are protected are [20,21]:

• protection of endangered flora and fauna from anthropogenic and natural influences;
• prevention of environmental pollution by solid and liquid waste and wastewater;
• prevention of negligent behavior by space users;
• suppression of unplanned construction;
• prevention of unauthorized and unsustainable use of resources;
• poor tourist use of the area, and others [22,23].

Protected areas can be important destinations for sustainable tourism development because they contribute to the overall benefits [24,25], which is essential in tourism planning and development [26,27].

It is crucial to point out the research conducted by Fennell [28] in which sustainability and tourism development are viewed exclusively through the implementation of ecotourism and other forms of nature-based tourism in almost all protected areas of the world. The author also observed destinations with the most sensitive ecosystems, such as wetland and mangrove habitats, dunes, desert terrains, and destinations under constant ice and snow. In the evaluation, the author concluded that tourism in these areas is precisely the catalyst for protection. This postulate is the basis of research conducted by Holden [29], who also investigated the planning of other forms of tourism that have positive socio-cultural impacts on participants in tourism movements and members of the local community in addition to ecotourism. Modica [30] examined the link between environmental and socio-cultural influences. The research highlights income from tourist spending in protected areas as a significant link to their sustainability. At the same time, the quality of space and the environment directly conditions tourism, which is why this link is symbiotic [10,31,32]. Any change in the quality of the environment very quickly leads to the loss of attractiveness of a tourist destination [27].

Trišić et al. [32] analyzed in their previous work the function that Deliblato Sands Special Nature Reserve has in the sustainable development of tourism. This research examined the attitudes of residents towards sustainable tourism development through four dimensions of sustainability. The results of the study indicated that ecological and socio-cultural sustainability have the highest values. Economic and institutional sustainability contribute significantly less to the sustainable development of tourism.

Sustainable tourism development implies the planning and implementation of various activities for the protection of sensitive areas [33,34] with the essential objective to improve the principles of sustainable tourism development [5,35,36,37]. Asmelash and Kumar [38] point out that the function of protected areas in sustainable tourism development can be considered from the aspect of four dimensions of sustainability. Important activities within the protected area as a tourist destination of sustainable tourism are the protection of flora, fauna, and geological phenomena, the controlled use of space [6], carrying capacity [39], application of codes of ethics, strengthening the role of residents in planning, controlling tourism development [40], strengthening socio-cultural relationships among residents and visitors, strengthening the contribution of tourism to the local economy, and promoting culture [3,5,6,11,12,13,14,15,41,42,43,44,45].

For the development of tourism within protected areas, Eagles [46] emphasized the importance of the following tourism factors: ecosystem, land, vegetation, water, air, and wildlife. These are the resources with which proper management and monitoring can preserve territory and species [47], improve protection systems and models of protection, and with which the development of sustainable tourism can be planned within these destinations with sensitive ecosystems [6,48,49].

Buckley [50] emphasized the importance of developing tourism in eco-destinations with sensitive natural and cultural resources. The author stated that only the proper development of tourism based on natural and anthropogenic motives has positive [51,52,53,54,55] tourism effects. In protected areas, it is necessary to develop those nature-based forms of tourism that accelerate the strengthening of the area protection system, build a destination, and bring benefits to residents and visitors [36,56,57].

The positive ecological dimension is achieved through acceptable tourism impacts on nature within protected areas [58,59,60]. Economic sustainability refers to the residents’ earnings from tourist spending through various tourist activities carried out by visitors [61,62]. The money gained from such tourism activities directly increases the employment of residents, strengthens local products/services, and makes the role of local people in planning and controlling tourism development stronger [32,53,63]. Socio-cultural sustainability is achieved through acceptable influences of tourism on the attitudes regarding the satisfaction of the local population and tourists with the state of tourism within protected areas as tourist destinations and their mutual positive interaction [51,52].

There are many areas around the world where research and the monitoring of biodiversity or geodiversity are important activities [64]. Due to a large number of visitors, there are a lot of natural and social factors which condition the development of various forms of tourist activities in these areas. For the protection of all values, UNESCO’s Natural Science Sector has constituted two programs that deal with the designation and protection of sites with significant international values. These two programs are the International Geoscience and Geoparks Program and the Man and Biosphere (MAB) Program. They provide designations internationally, such as the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and Global Geopark [64]. Due to the great interest of the public and the significant number of visitors, UNESCO sites have a notable role in the development of tourism.

3. Research Area

UNESCO designated the Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, “Mura-Drava-Danube,” the largest protected water reserve in Europe, on the 15 September 2021. It covers the territories of five countries: Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, and Serbia. This reserve has been named “the Amazon of Europe,” and it spreads over 700 km of the Mura, Drava, and Danube rivers [65]. The protected area covers about 930,000 hectares and includes 13 different separated protected areas. The Biosphere Reserve concept defines ca 300,000 ha of core and buffer zones (existing protected area network) and about 700,000 ha of transition zones [66]. It contains very rare flora and fauna [67], rare geological forms, and many ponds and marshes. Over 250,000 bird species inhabit the reserve area. These species include over 150 pairs of White-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) and other endangered species such as Black storks (Ciconia nigra), Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), and two endangered sturgeon species—Ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris) and Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) [65,66]. The water system of the reserve is a habitat for a large number of fish and pond insects. From a social point of view, about 900,000 people live on the reserve territory. The settlements in which they live are rich in ethno-social motives, cultural heritage, and historical sites [68].

In this study, three protected areas were selected (out of 13) in three border countries—Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary. They are the Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje,” the Nature Park “Kopački Rit,” and the National Park “Danube-Drava.” These three protected areas were randomly identified to test the function of sustainable tourism development. They are part of the Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve “Mura-Drava-Danube.”

The Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” is located in Vojvodina (northwestern Serbia). The reserve covers an area of 19,648 ha; it is 64 km long, and it includes the cities of Apatin (17,000 inhabitants) and Sombor (47,000 inhabitants). These smaller towns represent a contractive tourism zone [14,15]. Besides these two cities, settlements Bezdan, Bački Monoštor, Kupusina, and Sonta are in the wider reserve area. The inhabitants of these settlements use reserve resources for life or, to some extent, depend on tourism development [69]. The smaller towns and settlements in which this research was conducted were selected using a random sample in Serbia in the Bačko Podunavlje Biosphere Reserve (established 2017) and in five protected areas. The areas include Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, Tikvara Nature Park, Karađorđevo Special Nature Reserve, protected area Šuma Junaković, and Bukinski Hrastik [15]. The Upper Danube Special Nature Reserve, which is part of the Bačka Danube Biosphere Reserve, was chosen for the research of sustainable tourism by the method of a random sample, as previously emphasized.

The Nature Park “Kopački Rit” is a protected area located in the northeast of the Republic of Croatia. The park area covers 23,126.3 ha [69]. It is rich in endangered representatives of flora and fauna, which are exclusively associated with wetlands [70,71,72,73]. This territory includes numerous settlements, including Bilje, Kopačevo, Vardarac, Lug, Grabovac, Kneževi Vinogradi, Suza, Zmajevac, Batina, Zlatna Greda, and the city of Osijek (about 100,000 inhabitants), which represents territory from which tourists come to visit.

The National Park Danube-Drava is located in southwestern Hungary. The total area of this territory is 490 km². Much of the national park is located in the floodplain of the Danube. It has a lot of rare flora and fauna, many of which are endemic [74]. The marsh habitat is inhabited by a large number of marsh birds, fish, reptiles, insects, and mammals [66]. The largest settlements near the park are Baja (about 34,000 inhabitants) and Mohách (about 18,000 inhabitants), whose residents largely depend on this protected area. Other smaller settlements around the park are: Kölked, Homorúd, Hercegszántó, Újmohács etc.

The study areas can be seen in Figure 1.

4. Materials and Methods

It should be emphasized that all surveys of residents were conducted using the random sampling method. Residents living in the vicinity of the selected protected areas and with significant connections to the reserves (in which sustainable tourism development was examined) were the target group in the research. We used a survey as the technique, and the research instrument was a questionnaire. The questionnaire used in the study was taken from the studies of Trišić et al. [32], Cottrell et al. [51], and Huayhuaca et al. [53], and was adapted to fit this study.

The questionnaire defined 17 statements grouped into four examined dimensions of sustainability and four separate questions concerning residents’ satisfaction with the state of sustainable tourism development [12,13,14,15,32,51,53].

Residents expressed their views with the help of a five-point Likert scale (1—absolute disagreement, 5—absolute agreement, while a score of 3 represented a neutral position) [32,75,76,77,78,79,80,81]. The research was conducted in the field with the help of social networks. The social networks (internet social groups) selected for the survey also covered the tourism of these selected protected areas and had a large number of members. In this case, the survey was conducted by random sampling. The survey was conducted from March 2020 to February 2022. Quantitative methodology was used in the research, while the collected data were analyzed and presented using the Statistical Package for the Social Science software (SPSS v.21), (IBM, NY, USA).

Reliability analyses of the sustainability dimensions were applied to test the reliability of the samples and variables to measure all four dimensions of sustainability as well as the satisfaction of the population with sustainable tourism development [12,13,14,15,32,51,53]. The research included an examination of sustainable tourism as a dependent variable and the impact of four dimensions of sustainability as an independent variable. Therefore, multiple regression analysis was used to examine the degree of residents’ satisfaction with four sustainability dimensions [51]. We applied the comparative method of the obtained results for all the selected protected areas we examined.

5. Reliability Analyses of Sustainability Dimensions

The total sample included 1295 residents, selected by the random sampling method, out of which 41.15% were from Serbia, 37.15% from Croatia, and 21.70% from Hungary. In the Republic of Serbia, respondents were surveyed in Sombor, Apatin, Bački Monoštor, and Bezdan. In the Republic of Croatia, examiners conducted surveys in Osijek, Kopačevo, and Bilje. Baja, Mohách, Kölked, and Homorúd were the settlements in which residents responded in Hungary. We used social networks to distribute online questionnaires, while the survey with written questionnaires was carried out in person. A total of 450 residents were interviewed in person, while 845 residents were surveyed online. All completed questionnaires were valid for our analysis. Out of the total number of respondents, women were the majority (52%). The average age was 38 (18 to 78). Most respondents possessed secondary education, 59%; a total of 22% had primary education; 16% completed college or higher education, while 3% owned a master’s or doctoral degree.

The reliability study of variables was carried out to examine the dimensions of sustainability and satisfaction of residents with sustainable tourism development in the protected areas [32]. The indices were computed as variable means comprising each dimension (independent variables) [51]. A regression analysis revealed the predictive power of each of the four dimensions of sustainability for satisfaction. The results of the regression analysis application indicated a significant level of satisfaction with four dimensions of sustainability (independent variables). The obtained values were relatively identical for all three examined protected areas. Sustainability dimensions in the National Park Danube-Drava had slightly higher values. The Cronbach Alpha scores were 0.59, 0.60, and 0.61 (

Table 1. Respondents’ perceptions of the dimensions of sustainable tourism (n = 1295).

Items	Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” (n = 533)		Nature Park “Kopački Rit” (n = 481)		National Park “Danube-Drava” (n = 281)
Dimensions of Sustainable Tourism	α	Mean	α	Mean	α	Mean
Institutional Dimension	0.598	3.16	0.603	3.39	0.612	3.99
Visitors are guided through the protected area by trained guides and representatives of the local community		3.01		3.42		4.01
Visitors in the protected area can see the local brands (wineries, ethno houses, handicrafts, local enterprises, etc.)		3.41		3.30		4.02
In the protected area, the manager’s instructions on nature protection and visitors activities are followed		3.02		3.41		4.11
Visitors are provided with information that reflects the history of the reserve, population, and settlements		3.21		3.43		3.85
Ecological Dimension	0.711	3.76	0.755	4.15	0.719	3.81
There are the joint role of visitors and residents in protecting the area		3.33		3.55		3.20
There are facilities, services, and activities available to visitors and the local community in the protected area		3.85		4.31		4.01
There are tourist facilities without impacts on the environment		4.11		4.61		4.22
Economic Dimension	0.619	3.45	0.633	3.73	0.719	4.00
Tourism of the protected area benefits the local community		2.69		3.14		4.03
Tourism of the protected area supports the local economy		3.01		3.62		4.02
Tourism in the protected area contributes to the employment of the local population		3.17		2.88		3.27
Local products are available to visitors		4.38		4.55		4.66
Visitors support the payment of tickets to the protected area		4.02		4.47		4.04
Socio-Cultural Dimension	0.755	4.23	0.661	3.83	0.777	4.16
Visitors are interested in home products and crafts		4.31		4.11		4.09
Visitors are in contact with residents		3.61		3.42		4.56
Visitors are interested in local traditions and customs		4.21		3.47		4.61
Visitors visit local cultural facilities and events		4.49		4.32		3.61
Visitors are interested in historical sites		4.52		3.82		3.96

Items measured on a five-point Likert agreement scale. A—Cronbach Alpha Reliability.

) for the Institutional Dimension (4 items). This indicates very low values and a low limit of acceptability of the Institutional Dimension of Sustainability (Special Nature Reserve “Upper Danube” and Nature Park “Kopački Rit”). An alpha score of 0.7 or higher was the desired reliability, while 0.6 or higher was an acceptable reliability coefficient, according to Nunnally & Bernstein [82]. Cronbach Alpha scores were 0.71, 0.75, and 0.72 for the Ecological Dimension (3 items), 0.62, 0.63, and 0.72 for the Economic Dimension (5 items), 0.75, 0.66, and 0.77 for the Socio-Cultural Dimension (5 items), and 0.60, 0.69, and 0.74 for the satisfaction index for all three observed protected areas (

Table 2. Scale items for the satisfaction index (n = 1295).

Index	Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” (n = 533)		Nature Park “Kopački Rit” (n = 481)		National Park “Danube-Drava” (n = 281)
	α	Mean	α	Mean	α	Mean
	0.603	3.77	0.687	4.11	0.744	4.32
Tourism in the protected area is a benefit for me and my family		3.01		3.55		4.01
It is important to me that we have sustainable tourism in this region		4.01		4.26		4.44
In my opinion, the attractiveness of this area has increased due to tourism		4.66		4.54		4.71
The quality of my life and that of my family has improved due to tourism in this area		3.42		4.11		4.14

). The Institutional Dimension in the Special Nature Reserve “Gronje Podunavlje” was relatively less reliable. Cotrel et al. [83,84] and Trišić et al. [32] point out that the “α” of 0.60 can be accepted as reliable in studies where there are six or fewer items examined.

The analysis of the obtained average values (Mean) led to the conclusion that the Socio-Cultural Dimension had a relatively higher value in all three protected areas compared to other dimensions of sustainability (4.23, 3.83, and 4.16). This was followed by the values of the Environmental Dimension (3.76, 4.15, and 3.81) and the Economic Dimension of Sustainability (3.45, 3.73, and 4.00). The Institutional Dimension of sustainability (3.16, 3.39, and 3.99) had relatively lower values in all three protected areas. This dimension of sustainability had the lowest value in the Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje.” In the research of Trišić et al. [32] and Obradović et al. [12], the institutional and economic dimensions of sustainability had significantly lower values, which coincides with the values obtained in this research. Additionally, the ecological and socio-cultural dimensions had significantly higher values. Research by Cottrell et al. [51] and Huayhuaca et al. [53] indicates that all four dimensions of sustainability have equal impacts on sustainable tourism development within the examined protected areas. The total mean values of satisfaction with the development of sustainable tourism in the observed areas were 3.77, 4.11, and 4.32 (Table 2). The highest mean value of satisfaction was obtained in the National Park “Danube-Drava.”

By applying multiple regression analysis, it can be determined whether each dimension of sustainability contributes to the satisfaction of residents with sustainable tourism development [12,13,14,15,32,53,83,84,85,86]. The assumption was supported by all four-dimensional scores being significant predictors of resident satisfaction with tourism [12,13,14,15,53], accounting for 34% (Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje“), 36% (the Nature Park “Kopački Rit”), and 38% (the National Park “Danube-Drava”) of the variances explained (R₁² = 0.339, R₂² = 0.361, and R₃² = 0.379) (

Table 3. Regression analysis of each protected natural area on resident satisfaction (n = 1295).

Satisfaction with Tourism Items	Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje“ (n = 533)		Nature Park “Kopački Rit” (n = 481)		National Park “Danube-Drava” (n = 281)
	β 1	p-Value	β 1	p-Value	β 1	p-Value
Institutional Dimension	0.156	0.002	0.172	0.001	0.174	0.003
Ecological Dimension	0.203	0.002	0.216	0.001	0.219	0.011
Economic Dimension	0.177	0.004	0.211	0.002	0.212	0.021
Socio-Cultural Dimension	0.156	0.011	0.176	0.015	0.222	0.012

¹ Standardised β value used R₁² = 0.339, R₂² = 0.361, R₃² = 0.379.

).

Analyzing the data in Table 3, we can conclude that the obtained data indicate that each dimension of sustainability significantly contributes to the residents’ satisfaction with sustainable tourism development in all three observed protected areas. Slightly greater satisfaction with sustainable development was present among residents living in the immediate vicinity of the Nature Park “Kopački Rit” and the National Park “Danube-Drava.” By analyzing the data in Table 3, it can be concluded that sustainable tourism development is extremely significant to residents in all three protected areas. Tourist activities and facilities within the protected areas are important factors in the development of tourism. A bit lower average values were recorded in the responses of residents regarding the Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje.” This could be explained by the fact that tourism development is in a time of relative expansion because the original activities in this area are exclusively related to protection, management, and monitoring. Through comparative analysis of the obtained values, it can be said that proper tourism development in all three areas could contribute to improving sustainable tourism in the whole region. In the research of Obradović et al. [12] and Trišić et al. [32], the institutional and economic dimensions of sustainability had significantly lower values, which coincides with the values obtained in this research. In addition, the ecological and socio-cultural dimensions have significantly higher values. By analyzing all the natural and social values of this reserve, it can be deduced that this part of the European Amazon could be a significant world tourist destination where all values can be improved through proper tourism development [68]. The highest values are obtained by measuring residents’ perception and their satisfaction with sustainable tourism in the National Park “Danube-Drava”. Relatively lower values are achieved in Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje”, where the original primary activities are aimed at protecting the area and improving its natural values. The importance of the local population for understanding the value of protected areas is immeasurable. Therefore, the results of this research are extremely important for the local communities of the observed areas.

6. Conclusions

Significant results were obtained through the research, namely, that the observed protected areas are important destinations for sustainable tourism. This conclusion was reached through measuring the perception and satisfaction of residents with the institutional, environmental, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions of sustainability. By analyzing the individual dimensions of sustainability, we can see that in all three observed protected areas, there is a significant impact of sustainable tourism development on tourism activities within the reserve and that tourism affects different residents’ lifestyles and behavior. These results are extremely important for local communities and their further planning of tourism development in these areas. Accordingly, projections of tourism development can be made according to the needs of tourists and the local population.

By examining the residents’ answers and by comparative analysis of all obtained values, it can be concluded that the Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve “Mura-Drava-Danube” has a significant function in sustainable tourism development. The results obtained by the comparative analysis of these three protected areas indicate the importance of sustainable tourism development in the region. This was the objective of the research in this paper. In analyzing all areas from the three selected countries, it can be concluded that all three observed protected areas could function as a separate entity or a single protected area. This is important for planning the protection regime, development, and implementation of tourism as important activities through which significant environmental, economic, socio-cultural, and institutional benefits can be achieved. National and international development strategies can benefit from these significant results. Additionally, due to all the above, this study can be used in planning the tourism development of other UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.

As with most interpretive quantitative-driven studies, our goal was not to generalize but to serve as a source of ideas for readers. Our conceptualizations are exclusive to our sample; hence, readers need to be attentive to this fact when adopting and forming interpretations. In addition, we kindly note that three countries were chosen as the sole area of investigation in the current research. Other such protected areas known for their importance may be considered for future studies to explore the potential (dis)similarities in content value and knowledge sharing.

The authors had obstacles in the research due to the COVID-19 epidemic, which made personal contact with residents and surveying difficult. The obtained research results can be used to develop strategies for planning and developing tourism within the protected areas for both the region and Europe, as well as for the development of tourism in protected areas worldwide.

The authors will focus their future research on examining the function of the wider area of the Transboundary UNESCO Biosphere Reserve “Mura-Drava-Danube” in sustainable tourism development. At the same time, the research of this function will include the examination of the satisfaction of tourists with a visit to these protected areas. The results of the research can be used for planning the development of tourism in these protected areas and management processes that would properly implement the development of tourism without adverse effects on the area.