Social Connectivity Policy Evaluations and Perceived Tourism-Related Local Development: The Role of Social Distance Reduction Attitudes

Tourism-related local development not only depends on economic resources, but also on stakeholder relationships and governance conditions. This study examines the associations among Social Connectivity Policy (SCP), Social Distance Reduction Attitudes (SDRA), and Perceived Tourism-Related Local Development (PTRLD) in Kuršumlija, Serbia. A questionnaire survey conducted between August and November 2024 included 151 respondents, predominantly tourists, alongside accommodation providers and tourism-related businesses. Correlation, regression, and exploratory bootstrap analyses were applied. In the full sample, SCP was positively associated with both SDRA and PTRLD. After accounting for SCP, SDRA remained positively associated with PTRLD, whereas the conditional SCP–PTRLD association was not statistically significant. The bootstrap analysis identified a statistically significant indirect association through SDRA. Within the supply-side subgroup, the SCP–SDRA association remained statistically significant, whereas the associations involving PTRLD did not achieve statistical significance in the corresponding regression models. These findings highlight the importance of relational attitudes in understanding perceptions of tourism-related local development. However, the small supply-side subgroup, the predominance of tourists in the full sample, and the cross-sectional design limit generalisability and preclude causal interpretation.