Contribution to the study of the development and significance of rural tourism in Šestanovac municipality

This paper examined the possibilities of tourism development in the Šestanovac Municipality, a rural area of the Omiš part of the Dalmatinska Zagora region. The elements of natural and cultural heritage that can be valorized in tourism were evaluated and the current state of tourism in the municipality was analyzed based on the statistical data and fieldwork. A survey was also conducted to find out the opinion of the local population on various aspects of tourism development in the Šestanovac Municipality. The results indicate that the number of tourists visiting Šestanovac is not large, but it is continuously increasing. So far, the most developed form of tourism is rural tourism on small family farms and in holiday homes and adventure tourism that takes place in the Cetina River Canyon, on Biokovo Mountain, and on cycling trails. The tangible and intangible cultural heritage is not yet sufficiently valorized and should be included more in the tourist offer. The local population believes that tourism can play a big role in the future economic development of the municipality and generally positively perceives everything that is happening concerning tourism in Šestanovac.