Sociology Study ISSN ʹͳͷͻ‐ͷͷʹ͸ March ʹͲͳʹ, Volume ʹ, Number ͵, ͳ͹ͻ‐ͳͺͺ Tourism in the Valleys of European Rivers, Comparing the Loire Valley and the Danube Valley in Serbia Tamara Lukić a , Tatjana Pivac a , Kristina Košić a , Igor Stamenkovic a Abstract The analysis of forms of tourism trends in the Loire Valley aims to initiate similar ideas in the Danube Valley in Serbia. The field research identified similar relief qualities, fertile alluvial soil, and similar economic activities, such as farming, animal husbandry, horticulture and viticulture, which are reminiscent of the Danube valley. In addition to these similarities, similarities were observed in the sphere of social life. In terms of methodology, results are obtained from: field observation, using literature sources and maps, interviewing local people in both valleys, and the application of analytical methods and comparisons. The importance of this work is the enrichment of the knowledge of two important European valleys. Research results can be included in the regional geography courses at all educational levels, and can be used at the local level. Communities in the valley of the Danube can be modeled on the experience from the Loire Valley, organize their activities, and thus improve the quality of life. Keywords Loire Valley, Danube Valley, forms of tourists’ movements, sports and recreation, cycling Tourism is the main sector of the French economy, both in terms of contributions (gross domestic product), and employment. With 74.2 million visitors, and despite of a slight decline compared to the year of 2008, France was the most important tourist destination in the world in 2009 (Plaza, Galvez-Galvez, and Gonzalez-Flores 2011). It was in front of Spain and the USA, with a share of 16% in Europe. The total consumption of French and foreign tourists is 36 billion Euros, representing 6.5% of French GDP, which puts France in the third place in the world according to revenue from tourism. The tourism sector employs over 900,000 people, which is 4.3% of the working age population: 72% are employed in restaurants and catering, 15.5% in hotels, 4% in tourist agencies, 1.5% in other forms of accommodation (campsites, mobile homes, etc.) and 4.5% in the thermal spas. In the year of 2010, there were 662,000 rooms in hotels of major chains, but also in other types of accommodation such as B&Bs and eco-tourism options (“chambres d’hôtes”, “gîtes”, agritourism). As in thermal spas and ski resorts, the key tourist spots are a godsend for tourism: the Mont Saint-Michel (3.5 million visitors), Versailles—the Palace of Versailles (6.5 million, 70% are foreign visitors), Castles of the a University of Novi Sad, Serbia Correspondent Author: Tamara Lukić, Trg Dositeja Obradovica ͵, ʹͳͲͲͲ Novi Sad, Serbia E‐mail: snstamara@yahoo.com DAVID PUBLISHING D